Doja Cat‘s family affairs are once again in the spotlight.
The singer’s name got wrangled between words as her father tries to clear his name from the bad-dad label. This comes after she addressed the extent of their strained relationship, noting he was not there for her through her formative years.
The family drama has been ongoing for years and seemingly continues to escalate. Doja Cat’s mom, Deborah Elizabeth Sawyer, previously filed a restraining order against her older brother, Raman Dalithando Dlamin, after things got heated between them.
Doja Cat’s Dad Claims She Has Been Brainwashed By Her Mom
Doja’s father, Dumisani Dlamini, is speaking up in an attempt to clear his name. He addressed certain claims made by his daughter recently about not being a father, indeed, while she was growing up. Doja claims her dad is a deadbeat, saying he ran out on her and their family.
Rising to his own defense, Dlamini explained that he never abandoned the singer, and he played his part to ensure they were fed. He uploaded the videos online wher he stressed that he loves his kids, Doja and Raman, and that he helped put food on the table when they were growing up.
TMZ reported that Dlamini spoke about his strained relationship with the rapper, adding that she has been brainwashed into thinking that he is a bad guy primarily due to the influence of her mother, Sawyer. According to Dlamini, his former partner convinced Doja that he had left her and washed his hands of any responsibility attached to parenting her.
The Rapper Played A Quick One On Her Father
In the series of videos Dlamini shared online, he alleged that it was after his daughter’s career blew up in the industry that her mother started feeding her the false claims. He says that Sawyer ruined his reputation as a good man and started preaching abandonment to Doja.
His videos were uploaded after the iconic rapper shared a video she titled “Deadbeat Chronicles.” In her video, she talked about trolling her dad with tickets to one of her shows in South Africa, where he lives. The entertainer shared that instead of sending him the tickets to one of her Tour Ma Vie shows in South Africa, she sent him a link to gay porn.
The ploy clearly did not sit right with the South African native as he addressed it while telling his narrative. He reiterated that he was not the guy Sawyer had painted him to be and offered apologies for any presumed offense he might have committed.
“[Doja] played the cards because of the influence of her mother. She came to South Africa, had the power to see me, and faked it. What I want to say to you guys is, I’m sorry if I ever touched anyone’s nerves. I’m a man of integrity, respect, and love,” Dlamini said.
Inside Doja Cat’s Family Dynamics
Doja, whose real name is Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini, may just have gotten her creative side from her parents. Her mom is a painter and clothing designer, while her dad is an actor and dancer in South Africa. The South African dancer made a name for himself in the world of acting from his appearance on “Sarafina!” in 1992. The pair met in New York while he was performing in the legendary film on Broadway alongside Whoopi Goldberg.
They had a short-lived relationship during which Doja and her older brother, Raman Dalithando Dlamini, were born. The “Paint The Town Red” singer and her brother lived with their mom in New York and California, and she had previously admitted to having never met her father. PEOPLE shared that one of Doja’s childhood friends, Gabrielle Hame, spoke about the absence of her father in her life.
“She would always think her dad was coming, and he didn’t come. She’d say, ‘My dad is gonna come, he lives in Africa, he’s just performing,’ and he wouldn’t come,” Hames recalled. However dysfunctional and non-existent their relationship seems, Dlamini has openly declared how proud he is of his daughter’s achievement, and the rapper previously praised her dad’s dancing skills.
The Grammy Winner Was Allegedly Abused By Her Older Brother
Two years ago, Sawyer filed court documents claiming that her son, Raman, had been physically and verbally abusive towards Doja. She claimed that things had gotten so heated between the siblings to the point that he knocked out the rapper’s teeth amid their brawl.
The Blast reported at the time that Sawyer also stated that her son was involved in stealing and destroying his sister’s property and had attacked her several times. The painter detailed in her filing that Raman made Doja feel “unsafe and traumatized” after hurling degrading words at her.
She requested that a restraining order be issued against him on behalf of her daughter, but a judge denied the request. A temporary restraining order was issued initially pending the time of their hearing, where the judge advised that Doja filed the request herself.
Doja Cat’s Mom Has Been Her Beacon Of Support
The award-winning rapper recently spoke about the great influence her mom had on her career and personal life. She shared that growing up with a single mother made her more appreciative of the sacrifices it takes to raise a child. Doja described her childhood years as “fun and tough” while stating that she was in awe of how her mom raised her and her siblings all on her own.
“Growing up with a single mother is a hard thing to do. She had five children, but I could never. She is incredible, the strongest mother,” the rapper said. Doja’s mom is indeed proud of her daughter’s success. The singer celebrated the bond between her and her mom in her music video for her hit song “Gorgeous,” which featured Sawyer along with other top models.
While the 30-year-old rapper barely speaks about her father and brother in interviews, she wastes no time gushing about her mother, stating the valuable lessons of life she learnt growing up with her. Doja’s first original song, which she wrote at eight years old, was for Sawyer.