Cat DojaFamily affairs are once again in the spotlight.
The singer’s name was fought between words as her father tried to clear his name of the bad father label. This comes after she opened up about the extent of their strained relationship, noting that he wasn’t there for her during her formative years.
The family drama has been going on for years and seems to continue to escalate. Doja Cat’s mother, Deborah Elizabeth Sawyer, previously filed a restraining order against her older brother, Raman Dalithando Dlamin, after things got heated between them.
Doja Cat’s Father Claims She Was Brainwashed by Her Mother
Doja’s father, Dumisani Dlamini, is speaking out to try to clear his name. He addressed some claims made recently by his daughter that she was not, in fact, a father while she was growing up. Doja claims her father is a deadbeat, saying he ran away from her and their family.
Speaking in his own defense, Dlamini explained that he never gave up on the singer and played his part to ensure they were fed. He uploaded the videos in which he emphasized that he loved his children, Doja and Raman, and helped them put food on the table when they were growing up.
TMZ reported that Dlamini spoke about her strained relationship with the rapper, adding that she was brainwashed into thinking he was a bad guy mainly because of the influence of her mother, Sawyer. According to Dlamini, her former partner convinced Doja that he had left her and washed his hands of any responsibility related to her parenting.
The rapper played a fast one on her father
In the series of videos shared online by Dlamini, he claims that it was after his daughter’s career skyrocketed in the industry that her mother started feeding him false allegations. He says Sawyer ruined his reputation as a good man and started preaching abandonment to Doja.
Her videos were uploaded after the iconic rapper shared a video she titled “Deadbeat Chronicles.” In her video, she talked about trolling her father with tickets to one of his shows in South Africa, where he lives. The artist shared that instead of sending him the tickets to one of his Tour Ma Vie shows in South Africa, she sent him a link to gay porn.
The ploy clearly didn’t sit well with the South African native when he spoke about it while recounting his tale. He reiterated that he was not who Sawyer had described and apologized for any alleged offenses he may have committed.
“[Doja] played the cards thanks to his mother’s influence. She came to South Africa, had the power to see me and pretended. What I want to tell you is that I’m sorry if I’ve ever gotten on anyone’s nerves. I am 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 have her creative side from her parents. Her mother is a painter and clothing designer, while her father is an actor and dancer in South Africa. The South African dancer made a name for himself in the acting world with his appearance in “Sarafina!” in 1992. The couple met in New York while he was starring 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 mother in New York and California, and she previously admitted to never meeting her father. PEOPLE shared that one of Doja’s childhood friends, Gabrielle Hame, opened up about her father’s absence in her life.
“She always thought her father was coming, and he didn’t come. She would say, ‘My father is coming, he lives in Africa, he’s just playing,’ and he wouldn’t come,” Hames recalled. Even though their relationship seems dysfunctional and non-existent, Dlamini has openly stated how proud he is of his daughter’s success, and the rapper has previously praised his father’s dancing skills.
Grammy winner allegedly abused by older brother
Two years ago, Sawyer filed court documents claiming that his son, Raman, had been physically and verbally abusive toward Doja. She claimed things got so heated between the siblings that he knocked out the rapper’s teeth in the middle of their fight.
The Blast reported at the time that Sawyer also said his son was involved in stealing and destroying his sister’s property and that he attacked her multiple times. The painter explained in her filing that Raman made Doja feel “unsafe and traumatized” after throwing degrading words at her.
She requested that a restraining order be issued against him on behalf of her daughter, but a judge denied that request. A temporary restraining order was initially issued pending the time of their hearing, during which the judge indicated that Doja filed the request herself.
Doja Cat’s mom has been her symbol of support
The award-winning rapper recently opened up about the big influence her mother had on her career and personal life. She shared that growing up with a single mother made her have a greater appreciation for the sacrifices it takes to raise a child. Doja described her childhood years as “fun and difficult” while stating that she was impressed by how her mother raised her and her siblings on her own.
“Growing up with a single mom is a hard thing to do. She had five kids, but I never made it. She’s amazing, the strongest mom,” the rapper said. Doja’s mother is indeed proud of her daughter’s success. The singer celebrated the bond between her and her mother in her music video for her hit song “Gorgeous,” which featured Sawyer along with other top models.
While the 30-year-old rapper barely talks about her father and brother in interviews, she wastes no time talking about her mother, touching on the valuable life lessons she learned growing up with her. Doja’s first original song, which she wrote at age eight, was for Sawyer.