I doubt any reality show relationship has gotten as much flack as the one between ’90’s rapper Peter Gunz and his two love interests Tara Wallace and Amina Pankey on “Love and Hip-Hop New York.” When audiences were introduced to the love triangle several seasons ago, viewers were baffled at the idea of Gunz lying to both women for the sake of his testosterone driven pride and selfishness, but as the years continued, fans became desensitized to the drama, especially on the part of Gunz.
What never became normal was the idea that two beautiful women with what looks like so many options chose to stay with Gunz hoping against hope that the other woman would drop out and leave her alone with her prize. By the time the last season of LHHNY rolled around, I was wishing the two women would just move into a single family house with Gunz and live as sister wives; at least that way there would be less lying, crying and fighting. Taking into account both women have new babies with Gunz, I saw my sister wife solution as the best possible way to take care of the children and maintain the relationship both women seem determined not to give up.
Believing I had the solution, I jumped at the chance to speak with Pankey about her new book, The Other Woman. I learned Pankey is in the process of divorcing Gunz, although the two of them remain intimately involved. (Actually, Gunz accompanied Pankey to her Atlanta book signing.)
“I just want people to listen to my story before they judge me. Yes, I’ve made mistakes, but I love hard. I always have. That’s my biggest crime,” she explained.
In addition to loving hard, Pankey says she was loyal to a fault. She said, “That’s just the kind of woman I am. I’m loyal in everything I do.”
I asked if perhaps she’d focused on loving Peter more than loving herself and she seemed to agree but didn’t see her love as a weakness.
“I love being in love and I like myself when I’m in love,” Pankey said.
Although she claims her situation isn’t as bad as it looks, she seems resigned to remaining loyal. When asked if she was still in love with Peter, she was adamant, “I’m absolutely in love with Peter. I’m moving on because I have to do that for myself and my children, but I will always love Peter.”
Amina says she hopes that The Other Woman will allow people, especially women, to get to know her as a woman, a mother, a sister and daughter — more than just the sidechick that eventually became Gunz’s wife. “There is so much more to me, how I grew up in Germany and my music that I’ve been doing since I was a child,” she said.
I believe Pankey is a beautiful, well-rounded woman. I enjoyed watching her feed her daughter before our interview and her eyes never left her daughter’s whereabouts for more than a few minutes. Still, I worry that her book and any other endeavor she attempts will be overshadowed by her unhealthy relationship with a man that cares more about himself than he does the women who have made a fool of themselves loving him.
