Was Waka Flocka married? Rapper says he would save his wife over his child if both fell into the ocean

Waka Flocka recently made headlines for claiming in an interview that he would save his wife instead of his child if they fell into the ocean. The rapper's comment came out while speaking on the podcast It's Giving on March 26, 2025.

Also known as Juaquin James Malphurs, he was married to actress Tammy Rivera in the past, and they were together for around eight years until they split in 2022.

Waka Flocka said during his latest conversation that his aim behind dating is to have kids, and he wants to see his partner as the mother of his children. The artist also mentioned that marriage has no value for a human being. He explained the same by saying:

“The incertain of life is the Covenant of God, bigger than a ring. You want another human that loves God in the world. What’s better than that?”

Host Sarah Fontenot also stated that marriage has another meaning apart from being husband and wife. She added that many people are trained to tie the knot and have children, which is also followed worldwide.

Fontenot claimed that women also start to feel that they are getting more value and are better if they are a wife and a mother at the same time. She said that being a husband and wife is different, considering how each one of them can handle certain things in the relationship. Referring to the same, Fontenot questioned Waka:

“Scenario, you’re on a boat in the middle of the ocean with your wife and your child, and it’s still a young child. Both of them get lodged into the water, you’re going to save your wife?”

Waka Flocka responded by saying that he would save his wife and elaborated on the same as he stated:

“It’s my wife. I love my wife before I love my child. How the f*ck could I choose my child over something or someone that created you? Respectfully, I gotta make another.”

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Waka Flocka and Tammy Rivera met around three years before getting married

According to the New York Post, the duo was first introduced when Waka was performing during a vacation in Miami in 2011. While speaking to the outlet around six years ago, Waka Flocka recalled that he and Tammy were accompanied by their friends on the night when he met his future wife.

Waka said that Rivera was seen in a peppermint dress and that she was looking energetic at the same time. Rivera mentioned that Waka told her that she would be his wife when they first met and continued:

“The crazy thing is my friend told me we were going to the club and I said I didn’t want to go to that club because there was going to be fighting. We ended up going to a classy place and Waka ended up there because he got into a fight at the other club he was booked at.”

As mentioned, the pair separated in 2022 after they exchanged vows in 2014. Notably, Waka Flocka addressed the split on a few occasions the same year, including in an interview on It's Tricky With Raquel Harper.

Waka Flocka said at the time that he and Rivera did not have any kind of fight or hated each other before their separation. He further stated:

“Hell no, we’re just grown. Why is that, when people evolve for the better, why does there have to be something attached to it that’s slimy as spit? Why it gotta be nasty if we ain’t nasty? It’s love though, me and Tammy stamped.”

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Tammy Rivera has been pursuing a successful career as a singer and reality star over the years. She has an EP titled Fate in her credits and has been featured on shows such as Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta and Marriage Boot Camp: Hip Hop Edition.