Joe and Jada Podcast Special: Angie Martinez IRL – Da Brat & Judy Dupart: Learning To Mix Business With Pleasure

Aired: February 27, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode of Angie Martinez IRL, hip-hop legend Da Brat and beauty mogul Judy Dupart join Angie to discuss their journey as a married couple, their new book "The Way Love Goes," and their experience of mixing love, business, and family life. The conversation candidly explores coming out, blending professional and personal worlds, real lessons from surviving loss, the power of second chances, parenting, and the importance of communication. The episode is infused with humor, honesty, and a deep sense of mutual admiration between Brat and Judy.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Legacy, Music, and Shifting Careers

• Nostalgia & Early Days: Brat and Angie reminisce about their early music careers, performing on the MTV Awards, and old-school industry challenges.
  • [03:30] “We had the brown and we had different...stylists and wardrobe. It was crazy.” – Brat
• Music Industry Changes: Brat reflects on how the pace of music consumption makes it less fulfilling to release new work.
  • [05:11] “I do a lot of music all the time, but...shit is different...they don't appreciate it the way they used to.”
• Music Vault: Brat mentions having dozens of unreleased tracks, preferring to wait for the right moment to release them.
  • [06:03] “When the time is right, I might license them or something.”

2. Coming Out & Finding True Love

• Hiding vs. Living Out Loud: Brat discusses never considering coming out publicly before meeting Judy, emphasizing industry taboos around sexuality for female artists.

  • [06:42] “That shit wasn't cool back in...for a female artist, you couldn't do that. Remember, Ellen lost everything back in the day.” – Brat
  • [07:15] “I never really met anybody that made me want to be out loud...apparently not until I met this one.”

• The Moment of Change: Brat describes falling in love with Judy as the catalyst to sharing her truth publicly.

  • [09:10] “I just wanted to walk through the crowd holding her hand. I wanted her to sit that ass in my lap.”
  • [10:04] “I want people to see how happy I am and who's making me feel this way.”

• The Emotional Toll: Acknowledges how weighty not living authentically was—even if it wasn’t a secret to everyone.

  • [07:52] “There’s a weight to that...it really wasn’t...an amazingly kept secret either.” – Angie
  • [08:01] “Anybody that dressed like me and rapped like me, everybody thought all of us were.” – Brat

3. Relationship Beginnings & Early Challenges

• Messy Beginnings: Judy approached Brat first, but Brat admits to being closed-off, uncommunicative, and juggling old situations.

  • [14:35] “She was cleaning up her mess. I left her alone though.” – Judy
  • [14:42] “I didn’t tell her because I didn’t want to lose her...that’s hard to do when you don’t want to lose the person.” – Brat

• Explicit Honesty as a Rule: Both stress the importance, albeit difficulty, of being honest about baggage at the start of a relationship.

  • [15:07] “Come clean with all your baggage. Tell them everything that they need to know and give them an option.”

• The “Ghosting” Story & Reconnection: Judy tells a humorous but vulnerable story about flying to meet Brat and being stood up multiple times.

  • [11:55] “She had me fly to Atlanta. Didn’t answer the phone...She did it to me three times now.” – Judy

4. The Anatomy of Real Love

• Recognizing True Love:

  • [10:51] “Your body tells you, your spirit tells you, your butterflies tell you...you just feel it.” – Brat

• Judy’s Pursuit: Judy shares she made the first move and had to break through Brat’s reserve.

  • [14:05] “I told her first. I was like, I'm interested in you. So I approached her.” – Judy

• Brat’s Vulnerability: Brat recalls being thrown off by Judy’s interest, leading to endearing stories of awkward first encounters.

  • [18:21] “My stomach started hurting, like all kinds of things...I tried to...drink some Hennessy...it poured all over my shirt. The cherry fell off the blunt and burnt the couch.”

5. Communication, Conflict & Growth

• On Therapy and Growth: Brat admits to learning patience, the importance of listening, and the value of therapy (past and present).

  • [22:00] “I have to curb my temper...I've learned how to listen more opposed to just responding to defend myself.”

• Golden Rule – Communication: Both cite communication as their relationship’s foundational lesson.

  • [22:56] “If you disagree about something, shit, you gotta find a happy medium...meet in the middle.” – Brat

• Conflict Styles:

  • Brat dislikes when Judy leaves mid-argument, feels “disrespected,” and prefers resolution before sleep.
    • [24:41] “If we in a heated conversation...and you get up and walk out...where the fuck is you going?”
  • Judy explains she walks away to avoid saying things she’ll regret and to de-escalate.
    • [24:29] “I walk away to de-escalate...This is about to be a screaming war, or we're gonna say something we don't mean.”

• Parenting Disputes: Navigating “fairness” in parenting when roles shift due to work demands, with honesty and understanding.

  • [32:31] “One partner becomes more hands on with parenting and the other one takes more financial responsibility...how do you distribute?”

6. Blending Business with Pleasure

• Clear Roles Are Essential: For them, success in business as a couple comes from clear roles and strengths.

  • [44:49] “We have been able to be successful in business because of our setup...She loves the domesticated side...I handle all of the business side and the money.” – Judy

• Paperwork Matters: Even as spouses, they keep legal paperwork around their business ventures (e.g. Brat’s Kaleidoscope hair collection) for clarity and fairness.

  • [47:48] “I made sure she had a licensing deal. I wanted to make sure every single thing with her face...she got money off it.” – Judy
  • [48:53] Brat admits, “I just feel like whatever I have is hers...I feel like we didn’t need paperwork.”

• Advice for Couples in Business:

  • Assess strengths and boundaries first; paperwork and defined roles keep love and logistics separate.
  • [50:03] “Like-minded people probably could get away with it. Or people...one is strong in one thing...one in the other.”

7. Parenting, Family, and Identity

• Journey to Parenthood: Judy wanted Brat to experience pregnancy because of Brat’s nurturing nature.

  • [34:10] “If you know her well enough, you know she's the most nurturing person you'll meet in your whole entire life.” – Judy

• Donor Decision – The Truth: Judy clarifies why their child is not biologically Black—the genetic matching process would have risked health complications.

  • [36:44] “People don't realize that Black men don't donate as much sperm as the rest of the races. Our chances of getting a black donor heightened our chances of our baby having an illness.”
  • [37:43] “We didn’t have an option.”

• Teaching About Race: They are committed to raising their son with honest conversations about his identity.

  • [38:45] “We just gonna tell him...so he understands everything...He’s going to know who he is, where he’s from.”

• Blended Family: Judy’s older children accept Brat and their new family dynamic with love and a sense of normalcy.

  • [68:41] “I raised them to love first.”

8. Survival, Resilience & Entrepreneurship

• Judy’s Story of Adversity: Judy recounts surviving as a teen mom, being evicted at 17, and rebuilding her life after Hurricane Katrina.

  • [57:42] “According to the world’s standards, I shouldn’t be where I am...Adversity builds your character.”
  • [58:18] “Surviving. Losing everything makes you feel like anything is possible.”

• Entrepreneurial Lessons:

  • After Katrina, she leveraged her hair skills, finding ways to thrive and offering normalcy to her displaced community.
  • [63:45] “You want a sense of normalcy...I at least want to look the same...I was able to get clients.”

9. Love, Loyalty, and Boundaries

• Exes & Trust:
  • Both are clear about boundaries with ex-partners.
    • [40:12] “Cause she don’t let me talk to my exes.”
    • [41:22] “You just don’t leave that door open.”
• Mutual Respect: They share both passwords and transparency, balancing trust and privacy.

10. Hopes, Reflections & Affirmations

• Book’s Message:

  • [39:55] “It’s never too late for love. It’s okay to give second chance. It comes to you when you’re not looking.” – Judy

• What They’re Most Proud Of:

  • Judy: Teaching entrepreneurship and inspiring faith through her Dropping Knowledge tour.
    • [70:11] “Over 5,000 people gave their life to Christ.”
  • Brat: First female rapper to sell a million records, proud to be a part of music history.

• Purpose vs. Profit – Life Lessons:

  • Judy: “Your profit is never supposed to overseed or outweigh your purpose.” [73:10]
  • Brat: Staying true to her love of music, regardless of industry trends.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Vulnerability and Love:

  “Nobody had ever made me feel ready...apparently they just weren’t what they should have been.” – Brat [10:32]

• On Communication:

  “You gotta know—shut the fuck up sometimes, too...now I just shut the fuck up. She can have it.” – Brat [23:19]

• On Business with a Partner:

  “It’s very risky...I’m very transparent...it only worked because of our setup.” – Judy [46:48]

• On Resilience:

  “Surviving, losing everything makes you feel like anything is possible, and you don't be scared to take a risk.” – Judy [64:26]

• On Faith:

  “He would tell me, get back focused on my purpose...your profit is never supposed to oversee your purpose.” – Judy [73:41]

Highlighted Timestamps

• 03:30 – Brat & Angie reminisce on music beginnings
• 06:42 – Brat discusses industry challenges and coming out
• 09:10 – Brat recalls first public moment with Judy
• 14:05 – Judy on pursuing Brat
• 18:21 – Brat’s awkward first date stories
• 22:56 – The importance of communication in marriage
• 31:08 – Navigating relationship needs for space and connection
• 44:49 – Business roles & advice for couples
• 57:42 – Judy’s story of adversity and survival
• 70:11 – Judy’s most proud achievement
• 73:10 – Life lessons on purpose over profit

Overall Tone & Closing Thoughts

This episode blends humor, honesty, and actionable wisdom, offering an inside look at what it means to build a lasting relationship—romantic, familial, and business—with authenticity and growth. Brat and Judy’s chemistry, candid storytelling, and practical advice will resonate with anyone exploring love, resilience, or partnership in any form.

“It’s never too late for love. Don’t project old hurt on someone new. Give yourself time to heal.”
— Judy Dupart [39:55]