When it comes to milestones, nothing changes a woman like motherhood. Tabatha Robinson, AKA DreamDoll, is no exception, and as we prepare to discuss her new music, the outspoken rapper is clearly in the midst of creating a balance that works for her. Our Zoom chat happens during naptime for her one-year-old daughter Jream, a scheduling decision that any mom can relate to. Time becomes precious in a new way after giving birth and “going back to work” is a transitional process that requires a different kind of attention and management.
My offspring is an adult now, but the challenges of maintaining my identity as a journalist—and as a woman—are still fresh in my mind, as they are for anyone who opts to pursue a career and have a family. It’s something that we all have to contemplate and navigate when life changes in ways we never imagined, especially as a woman breastfeeding, sleep training, and bonding with your child while also doing a job that requires leaving the house and being “on” for the public in any way.
As a music artist, the demands are huge, and even with childcare help, it’s a lot. DreamDoll identifies as a single mother, which everyone knows is especially hard. But if there’s anyone who can do it with ease—and maintain her fortitude and lyrical tease—it’s the lady who came out of the gate demanding respect, establishing herself as a woman who won’t take shit from anyone, especially in terms of how she wants to be spoken to and treated. It’s what made her debut track for DJ Self’s Gwinin Entertainment called “Everything Nice” such a huge hit.
It’s DreamDoll, baby
Talk nice (maddies or nah?)
I’m a dog, I’m a freak
Ask your nigga about me
Catching rep’ in these streets
Screaming, “Motherfuck the fee!”
What’s my tab? Fuck that tab
I’ma make that shit right back
Fix ya’ face lil’ thot
Why you mad? Why you mad?
Talk to me nice (talk to me nice)
Talk to me nice (talk to me nice)
Talk to me nice (talk to me nice)
Talk to me nice, yeah (talk to me nice)
If you a bum ass bitch then fuck yo’ life (fuck yo’ life)
Everything nice (talk to me nice)
Talk to me nice (talk to me nice)
I rock Christian Loub’s, two bands on my shoes (ooh)
I will fuck your nigga and might give him back to you (ooh)
Everything nice, pull up foreigns, cocaine white (skrt)
Talk to me nice, no he didn’t fuck, but he tryna wife (woah)
What type is you on? I get to that bag ‘cause that’s all I know (I know)
Only rock with baddies that get money, lil’ hoe (right)
I need bands just to pull up for the walkthrough
You a broke bitch, kill ya’ self, let it haunt you
— Excerpt from “Everything Nice”
“Everything Nice” saw massive success in urban music markets and was particularly hot in the clubs, where it became an audacious anthem for gals who want the finer things in life and ain’t afraid to work for it (or take it), running tabs and knowing it will all be covered one way or another as long as she grabs “the bag” and “the bands” (large sums of money) with focus and ferocity.
The track not only served as DD’s breakthrough, it solidified her brand, garnering millions of views for its music video on YouTube and over 10 million streams on Spotify. It also paved the way for the Billboard-charting collaborations that came later, namely the mega-hot “Ah Ah Ah” with Fivio Foreign which peaked at No. 9 on the Rap Digital Song Sales chart, No. 24 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Songs Sales chart, and No. 30 on the overall Digital Song Sales chart; and “Thot Box (Remix)” with Hitmaka, Young M.A, Dreezy, Latto & Chinese Kitty, which became a streaming favorite on Apple Music and Spotify.
She’s a Bad Mama Jama
“It’s challenging,” DreamDoll admits as we start talking about her new life and her mindset since becoming a mom. “Well, it’s kind of challenging, but then it also just gives you a different type of purpose.”
Her purpose these days? Reestablishing her name as a top rapper after taking a year-long mommy break. The Bronx native was honing her sexy and powerful persona even before she became a rapper, from her days as a bartender at the New York strip club called Starlets to her rise as an Instagram sensation known for pics highlighting her alluring face card, her voluptuous body, and her fierce fashion. Her transparent approach to everything—from what plastic surgery she’s had (a boob job and a BBL, the latter of which she had removed) to the power dynamics of her sex life—was not only refreshing, it was aspirational.
“Dream has an incredible delivery and a special gift that has stood out to me since our first collaboration on ‘Thot Box,’ which was a game changer and earned us a Gold record,” shares GRAMMY-award winning producer Hitmaka. “So, executive producing her next project was a no-brainer. I’m excited for the world to hear what she’s created and finally give her the flowers she truly deserves.”
Hitmaka—whose real name is Christian Ward—knows what he’s talking about. He’s been involved in production for huge hits including “Bounce Back” by Big Sean, “John” by Lil Wayne, “Dangerous” by Meek Mill, and “Plan B” by Megan Thee Stallion to name a few, living up to his name in the studio and beyond. Collaborating with DreamDoll on her brand-new hot tracks “Too Established” and “Maybeline,” which were released together as a two-song combo/double single (think Queen’s “We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions”) it’s clear they both mean business.
Dream’s delivery sounds more mature and assured than it did in her early career even as it maintains its provocative assertions of agency over her lifestyle and style in general. Filled with fashion-focused shout-outs and a cavalcade of clever pop culture references that can only be fully appreciated by checking out the lyric sheets, this Doll may be growing and evolving but she is still calling out her haters and anyone who doubted she’d be back badder than ever after having her babe.
Uh, I mama, blow a bag in Prada (Yeah)
Top shottas, pink socks, Balenciaga (Uh)
Still taxing, my passion high fashion
These hoes scared to walk in the booth, I’m really rapping
Hoes looking for a out or what they do for clout
Put a nigga in his place, ask him, he’ll vouch (He know)
Told the captain park the yacht right next to habibi
Half you bitches in my comments drive a Mitsubishi (Uh-uh)
Ass fat, put it in his face, Miss Rikishi
Bitches tell me they could see me, then turn into Stevie
This rich pussy, it get leaky, I’m feeling like NeNe
President Rollie, told my new jeweler, “Impeach me”
I’m a freak, yup, guaranteed I ain’t going Cassie (Uh-uh)
New wig, it’s two colors like cotton candy
I ain’t doing no talking unless I talk to Angie
I’ma stand on you bitches until y’all understand me
Tuh, for richer or for poorer
Or for poorer
Mmm, do I want the daddy or Shedeur? (Pick one)
My biggest problem is Givenchy or Dior (Mm-mmm)
Tell me, nigga, is you stingy or you poor?
Uh, I mama, blow a bag in Prada (Dream)
Top shottas, pink socks, Balenciaga (Woo)
Still taxing, my passion high fashion (Uh)
These hoes scared to walk in the booth, I’m really rapping
I mama, blow a bag in Prada (Dream)
Top shottas, pink socks, Balenciaga
Still taxing, my passion high fashion (Yeah)
Ain’t going back and forth with you bitches, I’m too established
These hoes talking pregnancy
I’m the baby daddy, ho, let it be
Whole time they was talkin’ shit
Tryna break down a bitch legacy
Shut the fuck up
Whole time you was tweaked out
Hoes must sniffin’ amphetamines
Bitches tryna make shit up, fake as fuck
Ho, this ain’t Maybelline
Y’all be worried about who the fuck the father of my child is
But don’t know who y’all mother is
‘Cause I’m really y’all bitches’ mother
‘Cause y’all bitches be watchin’, preeing, copying
Copy and paste, I can’t keep up
Ask your mother who your daddy, ho
–Excerpts from “Too Established/Maybelline”
Clearly, Dream is very comfortable talking about the pregnancy that made her take a break from the rap game. She also addresses online chatter about who the daddy is (she hasn’t said publicly). When we ask about how comfortable she’s been incorporating motherhood into her music, she says it’s a driving force in her current output and the new record she’s working on, expected later this year.
“With this album I’m literally touching on everything,” she explains. “I just feel like you’re gonna get Dream the artist, the actress, the influencer, the rapper, all of that, all in one. So that’s the best part about it, and you know, it’s gonna definitely speak for itself.”
Like other rappers who’ve had kids in the past couple years such as Cardi B, Sexyy Red, and Flo Milli to name a few, Dream is redefining what it means to be a mom, showing that women do not need to deny their sexual selves in order to be good parents. Her lyrics, like the aforementioned artists, can be extremely explicit. Basically every cut off her Life in Plastic series, which consists of three EPs, has an “E” next to it on streaming sites and her best collabs are shamelessly raunchy and impressively descriptive, from the no pussyfooting prose of “Splish Splash” with Chicago’s CupcakKe to “Ass For Days” with KashDoll, a bootie banger that makes “Baby Got Back” sound like a nursery rhyme.
Still, Dream tells us she does have a line, and her reference to “Cassie” (Diddy’s highly publicized ex partner) in “Too Established” suggests the jailed rapper’s baby oil antics are it.
“It means that I’m freaky, but I ain’t too freaky, like, there’s levels to the freakiness,” she says coyly. “I’m very unapologetic with my lyrics. It’s just like, straightforward… you don’t know what might come out of my mouth. And there’s nothing wrong with controversy.”
“Regardless of being a mom or not, I’m still me, and my daughter’s my everything, but that doesn’t change everything,” Dream adds. “I try not to mix DreamDoll with motherhood but I balance both. I’m still gonna pop it, I’m still gonna talk about what the girls want to hear, and I’m gonna still speak about the culture.”
This Doll Don’t Play
DreamDoll isn’t just reflecting hip-hop culture with her music, she’s helping to shape it. She has been for well over a decade. Her popularity online led to a seamless transition into reality TV that’s manifested into acting roles in recent years too. Her latest, an action film starring Jason Mitchell called Black Heat, came out last year.
You might remember her from Bad Girls Club (season 16), which focused on baddies with big online followings. From there her rising profile as a rapper saw her cast on season 8 of Love & Hip Hop, the soapy chronicle of up-and-coming performers in the music industry set in her hometown of New York.
The BET and VH1 reality productions relationship continued with College Hill: Celebrity Edition (which saw popular Black figures like Ray J and Amber Rose go back to school) and The Impact : New York, which followed successful entrepreneurs and entertainers as they expanded their platforms.
Unlike many who get their start online, DreamDoll understands the value of influencing others, whether it be coining slang terms, promoting clothing brands, or elevating herself in the public eye. She’s an old school influencer in this way and she uses the descriptor proudly when we speak, even though many social media figures tend to use the term “content creators” instead these days.
“I know they copy so I make sure I say what I say,” Doll explains. “Before rapping I already had a following on social media from, like, my photo shoots online, as an influencer. But Bad Girls Club was a pivotal point when it came to reality TV.”
The oldest of five siblings, Robinson’s origin story starts in the Edenwald Projects within the Eastchester neighborhood of the Bronx. She attended Bronx Academy High School later, Westchester College and Herkimer Community College while working as a bartender. But her rhymes, which she describes in the early days as “roast” driven, quickly got her attention too.
She was inspired by the unfiltered female energy of rappers like Lil' Kim in the early days and says that she doesn’t pay attention to beefs amongst her fellow female artists these days. Today’s music makers have to work on building a presence online and social media, but Dream already had one built in. So much so that some of her followers only learn about her music after they’ve been connected online for a while.
“That’s the beauty of it, because there are some people who know me on TikTok, and there’re some people that know me off of YouTube,” she says. “That’s what’s great about having such a broad fan base—people come from literally all over the world,” she explains, adding that any struggles to be taken seriously as a rapper were knocked down a long time ago.
“I don’t feel like I have that problem anymore,” she insists. “I feel like I’m very respected. My raps are very respectable.”
“I think our goals are to establish her as a very serious artist,” says JY Willams, heard of Urban A&R at DreamDoll’s current label, MNRK Music Group. “I don’t want people to look at her as just a social media girl. I don’t want people to look at her as a reality TV girl. I want them to look at her as a serious artist. It will take some time, and a consistency of releasing music, but I do believe this new project will be the first step in that regard.”
Williams mentions Dream’s other new track, “Clocking It Freestyle,” as the kind of potent jam that will grab attention as she re-establishes herself. The cut reinvents the beats of the sultry club classic by Kaya, “My Neck, My Back,” with a fresh pop of attitude and big diva energy.
“I knew that once I heard certain lines, it was very much a song that females were going to grasp,” Williams shares. “A lot of the things that she says are relevant to what females are going through… like comparing a Transformer to Prime steakhouse… she’s able to convey things that men would think are clever and that women have familiarity with. You know, the makeup references and all that type of stuff, and then she actually turns those concepts into punchlines. She does a great job of that.”
The video for “Clocking It,” like all her clips, is filled with eye candy featuring the rapper in gorgeous outfits—both high end and trendy (she often promotes the brand Fashion Nova online)—and arty set-ups including an array of unique hair looks and a duct tape visual that might suggest BDSM, but DD says was really just a Pinterest image she thought was cute.
From her prolific writing approach to all-in work ethic, Williams also says that she’s an actual “dream” to work with. “It may be the baby, but you know she’s ferocious in the studio… she’ll record like seven songs in a day,” he shares. “If she’s going to record, she’s not there to bullshit, she’s not going to order the hookah or order the food. It’s not a party to her. She’s taking this like really, really seriously, and it’s been a pleasure to see.”
“My iPhone notes is my best friend, especially when it comes to catchy things that I might say,” Dream explains, adding that “Ah Ah Ah” came out of a chat jotted down on her cell. “It was a filler in between, like, having a conversation, and Amber [Ravenel, her long-time manager and confidante] was like, you should put that in the song. I was like, ‘okay, cool’, and then I just went in the studio, and thought about how many things I could say… and that’s how that song came about.”
The rapper says that the biggest influence to her music is her mood, and “what I’m going through at that time. That’s why I keep recording. I stay in the studio—I have a home studio—and I just keep recording, because you never know how you might feel. Emotions change all the time.”
She promises a wide range of material on the forthcoming album, from the usual club grinders to love songs. We ask if she’s currently in love and she answers, “not too much,” subverting our attempts for a lil dating and relationship tea.
Whether or not she’s got lust for anybody at the moment, DreamDoll is driven by something far more powerful as she continues to create and express herself.
“I am talking about motherhood all over this new album… that’s my life, like literally every day. My life is wrapped around being a mom 24/7,” she explains. “It changed me, but not in a way where it altered me; it kind of just made me better, you know, more purposeful, more intentional, more everything. It also gave me patience which is great. It just shows me there’s nothing that I can’t do now. But I’m still that girl… I just got a baby girl now too. I used to be living life, like YOLO, now I be like, yeah, no.”
