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Mashonda, Swizz Beatz’ ex-wife, is featured on the cover of the new issue of King Magazine. In her interview, Mashonda talks about her “loyalty” tattoo, her new television show, and having male groupies.

On Her Loyalty Tattoo

I got it a year after everything started going downhill. It’s a reminder to me that I have to be loyal to myself for once.

I was so loyal to everyone, and I totally forgot about me. This is what it represents—it represents loyalty to self. Now I have to do things that I love to do, and I have to make myself happy, because I don’t really agree when people say, “I need a man ’cause I want to be happy,” or “I’m not happy because I don’t have a man.” That’s not where it starts. Happiness starts from within, and that’s in my focus.

On Love & Hip-Hop.

I did a few episodes [first], then ended up doing a lot of episodes because the chemistry was perfect with me and Emily. I ended up being a recurring guest, and it worked out perfectly, because I’m on the show and people get to see me and hear my stories. But it’s not like a character that’s 100 percent there.

On Being Emily’s Support System

At the time that we shot, I was in a great place, so that’s what made the difference. I felt like that was my therapy, and that’s all I wanted to do. Anytime I’d log in to Facebook or Twitter, there would be tons of women reaching out to me, thanking me for sharing my story. Those messages gave me a lot of strength, a lot of courage. From that point on, I just wanted to help women, and Emily being a good friend of mine, it was easy for me to go on there and talk to her and be honest.

On Having Male Groupies

[Laughs] Oh, Lord, you know what, I show everybody love. But I don’t like the word “groupie”—it’s so harsh. I don’t feel there’s anything wrong with one person admiring another person.

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