In November, rapper, radio host, entrepreneur and reality TV star Yung Joc, also known as Jasiel Robinson, and his wife, attorney and fellow entrepreneur Kendra Robinson, will celebrate a year of marriage. So far, the two are enjoying wedded bliss.
“I’m having a blast. It’s fun,” Kendra tells ESSENCE. “It’s still new. It’s been a lot to process and a new experience, but it’s been one of the most enjoyable.”
And while married life has brought plenty of joy to both parties, the newest season of Love and Hip Hop Atlanta, premiering Monday night (August 08), will showcase a really rough patch in the couple’s relationship. And we’re talking really rough based on what has been exhibited in trailers for the new season. Action-packed scenes include accusations of a child had outside of their relationship, a tearful Kendra, as well as the possibility of an interruption at their wedding ceremony.
“You’ll see some real tough moments,” Joc says.
“A lot of stuff that you’re going to see is stuff that Jasiel and I have made our peace about before it was brought to TV,” she adds. “In real time we’re good and that’s what’s important to me. But y’all are just going to have to tune in and see.”
In “real time,” they’re also constantly growing and learning in their relationship. From being intentional with buying gifts and prioritizing date nights, to doing the work to always get back to their happy place when dealing with communication issues, the newlyweds are all in and invested. No matter what they may face, the couple, who’ve been together since 2015, are confident that they’ve found the perfect person to do life with.
“I chose the best partner for me,” Joc says. “I picked a good partner to live this life with, challenge this world with and to overcome this world and its adversities.”
One of the things that made this clear to him was the fact that Joc, who stays with a job, loved that Kendra showed as much ambition as him, if not more. He watched her work her way up in real estate, inevitably becoming a closing attorney and finally owning her own title company. Being her own person and working hard to have success is important to Kendra.
“I’ve gotta hustle,” she says. “I want to live nice. I know I could just let Jasiel take care of me but that’s not who I am. I want to make a living and help him out if he ever needs it. You just never know what could happen.”
“When it comes to her handling business, this girl could work in the White House. She’s not gonna play with it. She ain’t missing a beat with it,” adds Joc. “I saw that when I met her. Because I saw how passionate you were about your career and the path you were choosing to take. That’s important because a lot of people get caught up in the glitz and glam of social media and what they think life is supposed to look like. But sometimes when you’re looking for a partnership, you’re looking for people who see things the way you see them, or see them and find a better way.”
He continues, “That was very important to me because I do work hard. I’m not a boastful person and in our culture, a lot of individuals at my age they want you to know when they’re making money or how much they’re making. I work really hard to say the least. So to see Kendra step up and say, you’ve got a real one here too, it makes you feel good. I knew she was smart, I knew she was educated and I knew she had my back. I appreciated that.”
The two are combining their work ethic and have big plans for the future. They are looking to get into real estate development together, including providing affordable housing for the community in the Atlanta metro area.
“We’re looking to grow our empires. We’ve got kids. Give it a decade we’re probably going to have grandkids, so we are trying to set our kids up,” she says. “We want a family legacy, even bigger than the one we have now. We want to grow it and help the community at the same time.”
The kids Kendra mentions are Joc’s children from previous relationships, which at one point, totaled to eight. As for having kids together, it’s not something she’s against or that she feels has to be done the traditional way.
“We kind of talked about kids a little bit but that’s something we’re just going to put off for a little while. When I get to a certain marker I guess maybe we’ll talk about some stuff. Maybe IVF, maybe not,” she says. As it stands, she’s happy being a “bonus” mother, or Ms. Kendra that is, to Joc’s children.
“It’s been an experience but it’s been a good experience,” she says. “I have a great relationship with the kids. With most of the moms I have a very, very good working and personal relationship with them. It’s one big family at this point.”
“It’s a blessing on my life,” she adds. “I don’t have to carry them or birth them but I still get to be a mom. It’s a bonus and I’m loving it.”
And her love for his children is one of the many things Joc adores about his wife.
“That’s very important,” he says, recalling how he was embraced by his own father’s girlfriend. “She always loved me with this unconditional approach so I always respected when I saw a woman in a relationship who can grow and nurture a relationship with a child.”
As they prep for the future, they’re also bracing themselves for the present — including the drama to come from the new season of Love and Hip Hop Atlanta. They say you should too.
“Keep your refreshments close by,” Joc jokes. “Get you an air fryer and a small wine cooler close by. You’re not gonna want to get up.”
“It’s going to be crazy. Y’all are going to see so many faces of the Robinsons,” Kendra adds. “It’s an emotional rollercoaster, this whole season. It’s real life. Some of the stuff I say, that’s just how I was feeling at that time. I came straight and you’ll see why.”
Tune into the Season 10B premiere of Love and Hip Hop Atlanta August 8 at 8 p.m. EST.
