Saweetie’s choice for her rap persona is clear evidence of her ties to her family. The stage name Saweetie, who was born Diamonte Qiava Valentin Harper, was derived from a nickname her grandmother gave her. According to Saweetie, “People just started calling me Saweetie because they assumed that was my genuine name, and I just let it stick.”
Since her breakthrough song Icy Girl, The Icy Girl has grown by leaps and bounds. Saweetie chose to go it alone despite having family connections that would have facilitated her artistic ascent. Learn more about Saweetie’s parents and extended relatives now.
Saweetie’s dad played football for San Jose State
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Saweetie hails from a family of athletes. While her father, Johnny Harper, played football for San Jose State, her grandfather played for the San Francisco 49ers.
Although Saweetie inherited her father’s football prowess, her grandmother forbade her from participating. Instead, Saweetie was a standout in volleyball and track, and she nearly pursued a career in competition.
Saweetie eventually had the opportunity to play quarterback for a powderpuff league. The parents of Saweetie gave birth to her when they were still in their twenties, and they were largely absent during the first few years of her life.
Her numerous uncles and aunts and her grandparents were primarily responsible for raising her. She cited The Line of Best Fit, saying:
“I claim both the Bay Area and Sacramento because I attended high school there but was raised there. They both helped me become the person I am now, in my opinion. Having a huge family made growing up quite eXnjoyable for me. For around eleven years, I was an only kid, so my sisters and brothers were like my cousins. There was a significant cultural divide, and I’m half Asian and half Black.
Saweetie was born when her mom was 17 years old
Saweetie’s Filipino-Chinese mother Trinidad Valentin is where she acquired her Asian ancestry. Saweetie’s passion for poetry and music was fostered by Trinidad, a video vixen for artists like L.L. Cool J. Music by R&B artists including Tevin Campbell, Delfonics, and The Isley Brothers was played by Saweetie’s parents.
Saweetie’s ability to write poetry benefited from the musical influences at home, but when she heard J. Cole’s songs, she became enamored with rap.
Because her parents didn’t provide much for her as she was growing up, Saweetie is motivated to succeed as much as she can. She cited The Line of Best Fit, saying:
My parents were always working because my mother was just 17 when she gave birth to me, so my grandmother took care of me. There are nine people on my dad’s side and seven people on my mom’s side of the family, which are both large families.
It feels fantastic to make all this money since I’ve never been able to just buy whatever I wanted to. We didn’t grow up rich, or at least I know I didn’t.
Saweetie’s family offered to support her career but Saweetie chose to go it alone
When Saweetie dropped My Type, her family was taken aback. In an episode of Desus and Mero, Saweetie said, “[Family members] were all kind of furious with me because they heard ‘My Type’ and were like, we didn’t know you were producing music.
Although Saweetie’s family assisted, she preferred to succeed on her own. The members of Saweetie’s family said to her, “We see you and if you need our help, please let us know.
So, although I appreciate the help, I’ve always been self-motivated. I so decided to try doing it alone rather than asking for assistance.
The celebrity cousin of Saweetie is the performer Gabrielle Union. Saweetie’s Instagram postings frequently receive comments from Gabrielle. When Union made her debut many years ago, Saweetie said to Access that she wished she had the same privacy Union enjoyed at the time:
“I adore it when [Union] compares the industry I work in now to the one she entered, and the main difference is that, for starters, they had more privacy. I often feel as though I was born in a different era because I value my privacy and wish I could have stayed in that era when people truly respected one another’s personal space.
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