All About Saweetie's Parents, Trinidad Valentin and Johnny Harper

"My Type" rapper Saweetie was welcomed by her parents, Trinidad Valentin and Johnny Harper, in 1993

Grammy nominee Saweetie is close to her parents Trinidad Valentin and Johnny Harper.

The couple were young when their daughter, whose given name is Diamonté Quiava Valentin Harper, was born on July 2, 1993. Saweetie was raised in part by family members, specifically her grandmother, while her parents worked. Though she grew up “really independent,” her family has always been a source of strength for the musician.

“Growing up, it was a lot of fun because I have a really big family. I was an only child for like eleven years, so my brothers and sisters were like my cousins,” she explained to The Line of Best Fit in 2019, noting that she grew up in the Bay Area and Sacramento, Calif. “And I’m half-Asian, half-Black, so there was a big cultural difference. It was difficult but it just made me realize that no two groups are the same.”

Her relationship with her parents has evolved a lot since Saweetie was a child. “I don’t think [Valentin] was given the opportunity to be a mom,” the rapper explained in a 2019 interview. “She worked like three jobs. She did what she had to do. The beautiful thing about that is seeing my mom grind and be a hardworking woman who inspired me to be a hardworking woman as well.”

As for Saweetie's father, he helped boost her confidence when she told him she wanted to be a rapper and prepared her for life in the music industry.

Here’s everything to know about Saweetie’s parents, Trinidad Valentin and Johnny Harper.

Valentin starred in music videos

Before her daughter made moves in the music industry, Valentin appeared in a handful of rap videos, including Nelly’s “Ride Wit Me” and DMX’s “What They Really Want."

Saweetie referenced her mom’s prior work in a 2020 episode of her YouTube series “The Icy Life” when Valentin teasingly asked where the rest of her outfit was. "She act like she ain't used to be wearing this back in her day, okay?" the rapper replied, then shared a few clips of her mom in her music video days.

Harper played football

In his youth, Harper played football at San Jose State University, following in the footsteps of his father Willie Harper, who played for the San Francisco 49ers. Saweetie was also an athlete, playing football, volleyball and running track in high school.

Tenacity ran through Saweetie’s DNA even from her earliest years. “I feel like my family was working class, but because we all had ambition, everybody kinda made a name for themselves,” Saweetie told The Line of Best Fit of her family. “My uncle coaches for a football team, my cousin is a producer, my auntie works for another football team, so we all work hard to get what we want.”

Although Saweetie did have some connections, she wanted to be successful independent of her family. "I believe in being self-made and trying to figure things out on my own," she told Desus & Mero in 2020. "I've always been self-motivated. So, instead of asking for help, I just wanted to see if I could do it on my own."

Harper and Gabrielle Union are first cousins

Saweetie’s family tree is full of musicians, producers, athletes and actors, including actress Gabrielle Union.

"Her father and I are 1st cousins. Her grandma is my aunt Joanne Glass who I based Eva from Deliver Us From Eva on,” Union shared on X (formerly Twitter) in 2018. The actress has also shared cute family pictures on Instagram.

They raised their daughter on hip-hop

It’s no surprise that Saweetie became a rapper, given that Valentin and Harper played a lot of hip-hop for their daughter when she was young.

"Both of my parents were really big hip-hop heads. My dad played a lot of the greats, Tupac, Biggie, but I'm from the Bay, so I grew up listening to Mac Dre, Too $hort, Mac Mall, and Mistah F.A.B.," Saweetie told PopSugar in 2023. "The Bay Area has so many great hip-hop artists from every era, but that's what my dad would listen to. My mom, she loved her some Foxy Brown, Lil' Kim, and Lauryn Hill."

Valentin is Filipino and Chinese

Saweetie’s mom is Filipino and Chinese, and the former culture has always been an integral part of the rapper’s life.

"The Filipino culture is in my DNA. I'm so proud of where I came from and who I am. My mom and her brothers and sisters, my lolo, my lola - we're all immigrants,” Saweetie told the Manila Bulletin in 2023. “I was raised in a real traditional Filipino household and I'm proud of that because it made me the woman I am today.”

However, not everything Saweetie does to incorporate her heritage passes Valentin’s test. “I do talk some s--- in Tagalog,” Saweetie told Billboard of lyrics in the Filipino language on her album Pretty Bitch Music in 2021. “My mom was really against it. My Asian side, they’re very traditional — they were immigrants. So it’s like, their culture’s a little bit more reserved. So, she was just like, ‘Girl, I can’t believe you just said that!’ ”

Valentin and Harper supported their daughter’s dreams

Saweetie has said she always knew she wanted to rap, and both parents supported her in different ways.

“When I told my dad I wanted to rap ... he gave me a lot of advice,” she told Entertainment Tonight, adding that her father had worked in the music industry in the ‘90s and did security for rappers. “He would make me rap for them, and I was never scared, but in hindsight I know that he was preparing me for anything.”

Valentin pushed her daughter to attend college; when Saweetie was in high school, her mother called her every day to get her college applications in. The rapper went on to attend the University of Southern California, majoring in communications.

The Grammy nominee's mom also encouraged her daughter’s love of poetry. “Her poetry had turned into rhyming, and rhyming into rapping,” Valentin said of her daughter when she presented her with the 2022 Game Changer Award at the Billboard Women in Music Awards.

Saweetie has grown her bond with her parents

In a 2022 interview with Kevin Hart on his show Hart to Heart, Saweetie opened up about her childhood and why it took many years to feel “close” to her parents.

“Growing up, they would work a lot. I was always being babysat by ... people in my family,” she explained. “I’ve been independent for a really long time. In third or fourth grade, I had a key to my house, and I would walk home, and I would do my homework. I would clean the dishes. I would make my food.”

According to Saweetie, she felt like a “sad little girl” who was always “yearning” for her parents. “They would always tell me we’re a team, and in order for us to win, you have to do your part. So my part was behaving and being responsible. I was like a little woman,” she shared.

Around the time her single “Icy Girl” came out, Saweetie sat both parents down separately for an honest, vulnerable conversation.

“They apologized for my childhood,” Saweetie shared. Valentin told her daughter that she worked so hard to ensure her child had a better life. “She didn’t want me going through what she went through because she was on the streets since she was, like, 14 years old,” the rapper shared. “So she learned a lot through trial and error, and she just wanted to protect me.”

Fans have noticed a striking resemblance between Saweetie and her mom

Whenever the rapper posts a photo of herself and her mom, fans quickly hop into the comments exclaiming that they look like siblings, not mother and daughter. Such was the case in 2022, when Saweetie shared a mirror selfie of herself and her mom all glammed up for the Billboard Women in Music Awards.

“Mahal kita mamaaa,” Saweetie captioned the photo in Tagalog, which translates to “I love you mama." The rapper has also previously joked that she "stole her face" from her mom.

Harper was his daughter’s date to the 2021 BET Awards

Harper suited up to attend the 2021 BET Awards alongside his daughter, who wore a purple Dolce & Gabbana gown from 2005 with gold heels.

Although he didn't put it on display at the event, Harper has also honored his daughter with a tattoo of Saweetie's real name, Diamonté, on his chest.

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