Tia Kemp: Building Celebrity Beyond The 2020s

How did Tia Kemp become TikTok's favorite auntie?

Tia Kemp is a character.

Unintentionally funny, regularly problematic, and linked to multiple celebrities, Kemp has all the makings of a celebrity personality. Despite having been in the public eye since at least 2009, why is Kemp only now developing a widely recognized fanbase? Kemp was catapulted into pop culture’s consciousness as part of the 50 Cent and Rick Ross beef (Ross is her ex and son’s father).¹ Kemp was introduced to the world via 50 Cent, and he determined how we might know and engage with her public persona. In addition to her interviews on Thisis50, Kemp was the cover star for Smooth magazine in 2009 (50 Cent was the guest editor). Following the covers, Kemp was widely known for some time. However, besides the occasional interview about Ross, Kemp’s popularity waned into the 2010s.

@liyah_960#tiakemp single handly got this song stuck in my head lol ! #tiakemplive

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The editorial direction for Kemp’s Smooth magazine spread reflects the limitations of his perspective and as a result ours. A gossip-driven interview, legs spread, barely there lingerie, a bold red lip, and photographed from below was 50 (and his predominantly young Black male audience’s) POV. Many hip-hop fans were interested in the most upsetting aspects of Kemp’s relationship with Ross, and nothing more.

Smooth Magazine, 2009

I do not believe Kemp was ever without agency, or that she was naïve about her role in 50 Cent’s power play. During the Smooth interview, Kemp refers to herself and 50 Cent as business partners. While 50 Cent’s fame grew, even after the beef became uninteresting to the public, there were limited possibilities for Kemp to make a living solely off her personality. While it is now possible for one to “become a brand” and build a following across socials based on their digital personality, there were no socials to grow. In “Face Down, A*s Up” I wrote about how Black women’s access to social media platforms allows them to build audiences in ways that were not possible in previous decades without a middleman.²

This period in history is not perfect for Black women (social media is not the great equalizer). However, social movements have improved some of the ways we engage with one another and the way the media talks about us.³ I wrote, “...those interested in hearing Black women’s stories about their beauty choices have greater access than ever before; while Black women have greater power in exercising control over how and when they share.”⁴ While in this case, Kemp does still create content about Ross and his rotating shelf of girlfriends, she is also asked about her opinions on pop culture, fashion, food, and music. She is even doing meet and greets with her followers in different cities.

Tia Kemp is a character, and her TikTok audience is excited about how she leverages her social platforms to connect with them without any intermediaries.

@lisadiamond617#tiakemp @Tia Kemp I had a ball dawg💪🏽🫠🫠

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1. You can read about the 50 Cent & Rick Ross beef here.

2. See also Tiffany “New York” Pollard, Amber Rose, & Angela “Blac Chyna” White as examples of women whose popularity was linked to a male hip-hop figure, but with the advent of social media, developed their fanbases on their own.

3. Body positivity, Black Lives Matter, and Me Too are examples of the kinds of movements that have reshaped public discourse about Black women.

4. Read the full context of this quote in “Face Down, A*s Up.”