OK, was I confused when I found out that Tiny and Toya (TI's "baby mama" and Lil Wayne's ex-wife, respectively) were being given a reality show on BET? Yeah, I was a little surprised. If only I could find a way to become a high profile baby mama -- that seems to be the way to go. With my being a man, I guess that might be difficult to accomplish. All jokes aside, I watched this show with tremendous curiosity, as I think we can all learn from observing the thought patterns of those who live behind the scenes of our favorite celebs. Part of me feels sorry for both of these women, who seem to be desperately fighting their way out of the massive shadows being cast by the powerful men in their lives. Even the daughters of TI and Lil Weezy are trying to get their own reality show. Maybe they too are feeling the weight of their daddies' collective fame. Why don't we just give a reality show to the family dog? Now that would be hot!

As I watched the show, I could see a huge number of Financial Lovemaking issues arising. Women across America can empathize with being forgotten in the midst of their partner's success.

How the challenge of a partner's success is handled varies: some women are fine with being in the shadow, while others struggle to find their own identities. I got the sense that Tiny (TI's girlfriend) has accepted her role behind the scenes, but constantly grapples with the fact that she too has tremendous talent as a singer. I'm not sure about Toya, or any woman who has ever decided to date Lil Wayne (yes, he has a reckless life and I hope he slows down before it kills him). Here are some questions I had for Tiny and Toya as I watched the show (which wasn't half bad, other than needing sub-titles to understand the massive overload on ebonics that seemed to pour out of the mouths of these intelligent women):

1) Does Tiny (TI's girlfriend) really enjoy hearing her husband make songs about how many other women he sleeps with? Does that make her feel disrespected and does she tolerate it because he is rich and famous?

2) Speaking of Tiny, does she feel that her own career as a successful singer has been cut short because of her commitment to TI's success? What is the appropriate tradeoff for a good mother? This sacrifice is magnified by the fact that the father of her children is now spending a year in prison and has consistent threats on his life.

3) Does Toya feel that it's ok that her daughter was on stage dancing while listening to her daddy sing about how he wishes he could "f" every girl in the world? Does that take away any of her "good mother" points? Does having a famous ex-husband mean that anything goes when it comes to his behavior? Will her daughter's future relationships be affected by her father's behavior?

4) Does the "Pizza man" philosophy (mentioned during the show) really define the perception of African American relationships? A "Pizza man" translates to a "piece of man," which one of the women argued is better than having no man at all. Does this ideology most likely apply when dealing with wealthy, successful men who have their freedom and are desired by many different women?

In this episode of Financial Lovemaking, S Tia Brown and I discuss the relationship between a man's wealth and what he is allowed to get away with in his relationships. Click the image to listen!

Dr Boyce Watkins