Teairra Mari kick-started her career alongside Rihanna. While Rihanna was propelled into superstardom, things didn’t quite go as planned for Teairra. This is a tale of heartbreak, abandonment, and disappointment. So what really happened that led the Love & Hip Hop Hollywood star down the wrong path?
Here’s the truth about the R&B singer and reality star’s life story.
Big dreams
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At the age of 12, Teairra told her mom, “I know I can do what Brandy, Monica, and Aaliyah do.” Inspired by many of the great Motown legends and her grandmother, who was a backup singer for Aretha Franklin, Teairra knew she could be just as successful.
She began singing in church and recording demos in her cousin’s basement. Soon enough, a local station began playing one of her songs on the radio.
A father figure
At the age of 16, she recorded a demo with a local production company, which led to an audition in front of Island Def Jam Music Group chairman, Antonio L.A. Reid. He was so impressed by her vocals, he signed her right away.
A year later, when Jay-Z became the president of Def Jam, Teairra was signed to Roc-A-Fella Records. The other artists on the roster became her family, and she even considered Jay a father figure.
She was given the name “Princess of the Roc,” and she was marketed as the urban Avril Lavigne.
Troubled romance
During that same time, she entered her first rocky relationship. She told King magazine that at the age of 17, in between her busy tour schedule, she secretly rented an apartment in Atlanta to spend time with her boyfriend.
Teairra said her boyfriend turned out to be very controlling and abusive. He allegedly pulled a gun out on her. Thankfully, she eventually found the strength and courage to leave the relationship.
An unexpected blow
Her first album, Roc-A-Fella Presents: Teairra Mari, was released in 2005. Her single “Make Her Feel Good” was an instant hit, according to Billboard. But when she released her follow-up track, “No Daddy” — a song about her tumultuous upbringing and living without a father — it flopped.
Still, Teairra was determined to make her follow-up album a success. After receiving her advance money from the label, she went back home to Detroit to finish her senior year of high school.
On the day of her prom, she received a phone call letting her know she had been dropped from Roc-A-Fella. Teairra told Urban Mag that she was shocked, confused, and didn’t really know what to do with her life.
She and her mom had a falling out and weren’t even talking at the time, so moved into her grandmother’s house in Detroit and tried to figure out her next step.
A medical crisis changed everything
She graduated from high school and was immediately faced with a ton of family issues. She told Urban Mag her mom suffered a stroke and lost her ability to communicate.
Family issues aside, Teairra was also dealing with feeling abandoned by Jay and the rest of the Roc-A-Fella team. She told All Hip Hop that she never received a call from him and it left her completely heartbroken.
Major trouble
In 2011, she became a supporting cast member on Love & Hip Hop New York. That same year, she was busted for rear-ending a car while driving in Beverly Hills, according to The Fix.
She was charged with driving under the influence and assault on an officer after she allegedly became combative on the scene.
Inner struggles
In 2014, Teairra was asked to join Love & Hip Hop Hollywood. On the series, her relationship struggles with Ray J were front and center. And her personal issues became more evident to viewers and her co-stars.
During an episode of VH1’s Messiness & Mimosas YouTube series, it was revealed that Teairra’s mom, who was still dealing with health issues relating to her stroke, gave birth to a baby in 2016. It caused a lot of strain in Teairra’s family, and many of her co-stars, including Moniece Slaughter, believed she was self-medicating to help her deal with the situation.
Teairra eventually agreed to enter a rehab facility and became committed to maintaining her sobriety.
Public humiliation
In May 2018, she took action against 50 Cent and her ex-boyfriend Akbar Abdul-Ahad, accusing them of releasing racy photos and videos without her permission.
A judge dismissed the case in Jan. 2019, according to The Blast. Teairra was ordered to pay 50’s legal fees, which totaled a little over thirty thousand dollars. Teairra made it clear she didn’t have the funds to pay him in a diss track entitled “I Ain’t Got It,” and it wouldn’t be long before she was hit with another setback.
More legal issues
Teairra was pulled over in Queens in June 2019 when cops noticed she was driving while the front wheel of her Dodge Charger was missing. Teairra was booked for DWI and driving without a license. As of this writing, she’s awaiting arraignment, TMZ reports.
Teairra Mari desperately wanted to become an R&B superstar, just like her label mate Rihanna. But sadly, her life took a turn in a different direction.
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