On this season of Love & Hip Hop, newbie Kimbella Vanderhee made anything but an under the radar entrance and she certainly left with quite an announcement as well.
In a recent interview with Necolebitchie.com, Kimbella opens up on her first season in the madness that is Love & Hip Hop. She discusses her infamous first episode, her tumultuous childhood, an aspiring singing career (no shocker there given the premise of the show) and how hard it is to be so darn nice. An excerpt of that interview is below.
So this is your first season on L&HH, what are your thoughts thus far?
Of course it wasn’t what I expected. I don’t think there was any way I really could’ve been prepared for it but I’m really happy. But I do wish I wasn’t as nice as I was. I wish I would’ve shown my more aggressive side.
Your more aggressive side? You’ve been involved in a few conflicts already…
Yes but that’s what I mean. People take my kindness for weakness. I don’t judge anybody. Basically people pre-judge me. And watching it, I realize I should’ve had my guard up with each individual. I’m not as nice as they made me seem. Anything that comes my way, I do not back down. I hold my own. I don’t care who you are, I’m gonna fight for who I am, take it or leave it. Some of the girls wanted to judge me and they didn’t know me and it’s pitiful.
Ok, let’s go back to your first episode. You came to a party thrown by Emily and sort of dropped a bomb that you’d previously been involved with Fabolous. Whose idea was it to tell her?
I came in there wanting to tell her, this was my second time seeing Emily [Bustamante]. I knew she knew, I’d heard that she knew. So I wanted to tell her and just get it out in the open before someone else brought it up. I wanted her to hear it from me. And the thing is, what they don’t show you is Emily came to me later and said, ‘Thank you for telling me because I saw your name in his phone and I was gonna ask you about it.’
I understand you wanting to tell her directly, but why then? Why at the party in front of everyone?
Because it didn’t matter where or when I told her. Everyone knew what this guy was doing to her. And even if I’d taken her to the bathroom, or pulled her aside, she still would’ve come back and told everybody at that table anyway.
So after the fight, Emily thanked you for telling her, what was the relationship between yourself and Chrissy?
Chrissy [Lampkin] wasn’t around. She stopped production for 3 weeks because she didn’t want to tape with me. So there was absolutely no relationship.
In [one] episode you allude to childhood abuse, can you elaborate on that?
Basically it was more neglect than anything. I had to raise myself and teach myself everything and some of the decisions I make as an adult are because of this. My mom was always off running after my dad, trying to make that relationship work. And it wasn’t healthy. My dad abused her. He had other children on her. So it was just an unhealthy situation all around.
What’s your relationship like with her now?
It’s hard. My mom is a unique individual. I want things to get better but it’s going to take time.
Where you want to go outside of the show?
I’m gonna launch my pop career, I sing. Not like Erica Mena. I can really sing. I’m also developing a line of watches. As well as a clothing line. And of course I’m doing my ‘Feel Pretty’ shirts which will be available on my website. My goal is to grow the brand. And eventually I’ll probably start an agency for upcoming models. I want to teach them the right way to handle their careers. You don’t just model for the rest of your life. I just want to educate women. We need unity, not jealously and to help one another. It’s such a struggle out here.
Is she lying and just making all of these allegations up?
Of course. I’ve never met her before. She’s straight lying. It’s jealousy, envy, maybe she wants to be my a friend. But I know one thing, a real woman – which obviously she’s not – wouldn’t approach the situation like that. We’ve never been friends. I don’t know this girl.
So who’s idea was it for you to confront her at her birthday party?
The show set up us going to her party. We did have this little twitter situation, which was real. But I didn’t understand how she was going back and forth so quickly. You came to Miami apologizing and now you’re still talking about me? The whole thing just doesn’t make sense. What is it you’re trying to do?
Would you do another season?
If the money’s right. I have two kids that I have to support. And now that I’m a little wiser about what this process is really like, I’m going to need a lot of things. So renegotiating my contract isn’t going to be easy. They’re going to have to come with it.
I know you’re genuinely cool with Yandy [Smith] but are you friends with any of your other cast mates in real life?
No, it’s hard for me to trust anybody. Especially after seeing the show now. Somaya’s cool but I don’t trust anybody. I thought during taping that Emily and I were cool. She used to call my phone whatever, like we were cool and then I see the show and see how she really was and how she was running back to Chrissy. But it’s cool. I get it. This was a front for Chrissy. So now I just worry about me. I’m cordial with Olivia. We don’t have any beef. I’m pretty chill. I don’t have hate, no jealousy, I don’t bring problems to the table. When I come into the room it’s always somebody else who has the problem.
That’s interesting. What do you think the general first impression of you is?
It could be different with each person. If it’s someone who’s insecure they’re gonna have a problem. I’m a pretty girl that walks in the room and holds it down for herself and if you’re insecure, then you’re gonna have a problem.
Anything else you want us to know?
I’m going to write a book and everything else I have to say will be in there.
Hmm… makes me wonder if she’ll be back next season if she is going to make some demands while negotiating her contract. I guess time will tell! While I certainly wasn’t surprised to hear that there is no love lost between Kimbella and Chrissy, it’s nice to know that not all of the friendships or fighting is staged for the small screen. The ever present absent Somaya Reece also opened up to Vh1.com, speaking about her friendship with Kimbella.
Somaya discusses how Kimbella started off on the wrong foot but was able to endear herself to viewers. She explains, “I think people also started to see that Kimbella really was trying, she really made an effort to make things right on the show.” Giving credit where credit is due, Somaya touts Erica for helping that transformation, recalling, “I told Kimbella don’t be mad, whatever this girl did just helped you.” However Somaya believes, “[E]ven if Erica would not have done all that, I think people would have seen the genuine in [Kimbella].”
Dishing on her friend’s pregnancy announcement, Somaya reveals, “Oh, I know everything. But I’d rather she speak about it. It’s not my business, but she’s happy about everything.” She continues, stating the show’s mantra, “Relationships are always weird when you’re in this business, so that episode with her talking about Juelz [Santana], I mean, she’s just a really sweet person but she’s strong, she’s tough. I just don’t wanna speak for her.”
No doubt both ladies will be doing plenty of talking at the upcoming reunion! And speaking of, below is a picture Somaya tweeted of herself during filming of the reunion. Glad to know VH1 didn’t edit her out of that!
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF KIMBELLA’S INTERVIEW? DO YOU THINK SHE CAME OFF AS TOO NICE ON THE SHOW? SHOULD SHE BROUGHT BACK FOR NEXT SEASON? DO YOU HAVE ANY REUNION PREDICTIONS?
CLICK THE CONTINUE READING BUTTON TO SEE NEW PHOTOS OF SOMAYA!
Somaya shows off her weight loss during Monday’s reunion taping!
