Former 3LW singer, Naturi Naughton , is out here living life to the fullest and we couldn’t be happier for her. After she was reportedly forced outta 3LW years ago (for suspect reason, which we’ll get to in a minute), it seemed as if her career was a done dada. Years went by and most of her fans hadn’t seen, nor heard from her.
Then, slowly but surely Naturi started clawing her way back into the forefront of the game and now she’s a fan favorite on 50 Cent’s hit STARZ series, “Power.” However, her greatest accomplishment has been the birth of the precious lil’ girl she shares with her longtime boyfriend, Ben.
When Naturi isn’t playing “Ghost’s” (Omari Hardwick) ride-or-die wife, “Tasha,” she’s full -time mommy mode with her daughter, Zuri who will be turning 1 year old on July 19th. The 34 year old actress took to Instagram to share the most adorable photo ever of her mini-me cheesin’ it up for the ‘Gram. Peep them gettin’ their mommy-daughter swag on below (swipe left)…
As far as we know, Naturi’s boyfriend, Ben, has yet to put a ring on it, but that most definitely is not a declaration of a lack of love between them. They’ve happily been dating for many years and he’s oftentimes right there by Naturi’s side at public events. Ben is apparently a private dude, so there are very few pics of him circulating for all the world to see. However, Naturi did share photo of them together at their prior baby shower, so here he is…
Naturi Naughton with boyfriend, Ben, at baby shower, 2017
No Pain, No Gain- Her 3LW Heartbreak
Although Naturi’s talent is shining bright like a diamond these days, as we all know, no great gain in life, comes without some great level of pain. For Naturi, that pain came when she was forced out of 3LW, for what she says was due to issues surrounding her image and her chocolate skin.
Here’s what she said in an interview with Kontrol, as she reflected on her 3LW hardships, which ultimately help land her on “Power” years later:
Naturi Naughton- “During 3LW I was told so many things, a lot of them weren’t always positive, but you know I’m a brown skin black woman. At the time there were certain fads. I use to sometimes feel inadequate or feel like I wasn’t enough. The group had a lot to do with that by telling me; my voice was too soulful, [since] I was a darker skin girl I wasn’t as popular. It was a certain image I had to dress and be a certain way in order to be acceptable.”
In a 2002 MTV interview, Naturi said her final straw was when her group members, Adrienne Bailey and Kiely Williams threw food at her: “Kiely throws her plate of food all in my face — mashed potatoes, macaroni all in my hair, down my clothes, messing up my [hair]do!, said Naturi, who refused to be “physically abused” by them.
How her pain strengthened her:
NN: “When I came out of 3LW I had been rocked to my core. I had never been so shaken up by life. … I had no money. I was broke. I was starting from the ground up. I didn’t have a deal. I had to go back to school and find myself. It was a blessing actually. It was hard, but it was the best thing that could ever happen to me.” -via Kontrol
They say success is the sweetest revenge…keep doing your thang Naturi!
