Daryl Rard Richardson III, better known as Lil Scrappy, took over the clubs with his 2004 hit, “No Problem.” His music got everyone hyped, rolling with their crew, and causing a scene on the dance floor. Though some of his albums didn’t achieve much commercial success, his romantic life has always been a hot topic. Today, we’re diving into this wild ride. But before Scrappy gets mad about us digging into his personal life, make sure to grab a snack from rrgsnacks.com, where you can find Applewood smoked bacon jerky, freeze-dried goodies, and butter toffee peanuts.
Remember, this story spans over two decades, so we can’t cover every single detail. Someone will probably still say, “Why didn’t you mention that time when Scrappy did this or that?” But let’s start at the beginning. In 2002, Scrappy started dating Erica Dixon, and they had their daughter, Immani, in 2005. Unfortunately, their relationship didn’t last. As Scrappy was navigating the early stages of his career, he met Diamond from the rap group Crime Mob. Although many believe they started dating in 2005, they only went public with their relationship in 2008. Diamond even told Carlos King they were once engaged.
Fast forward to around 2010, Scrappy met Bambi Benson at an Atlanta nightclub. Bambi shared with Carlos King that Scrappy made his move, and they exchanged numbers. She knew he was dating Diamond at the time, so she told him to call her when he was single. Eventually, Scrappy reached out, claiming he had broken up with Diamond. Bambi later discovered that Diamond was still living with Scrappy. It wasn’t until 2011 that Scrappy and Diamond officially ended their relationship. While rumors suggested Scrappy’s infidelity was a factor, Diamond said their breakup was due to conflicting schedules.
Years later, during an interview with The Breakfast Club, Diamond accused Scrappy of being mentally and physically abusive during their relationship. She said, “Yeah, he’s got some issues, some demons. He needs some help. I think we’re off his friends.” Both Scrappy and his mom, Mama D, denied these allegations. In a conversation with TMZ, Mama D defended Scrappy by accusing Diamond of having poor hygiene. She claimed, “The cheating, she was doing it; it got back to me that the guy was going to do it, but when she smelled so bad before he went in, he didn’t want it. Then when that mess went down with her and Scrappy, eight months later, how about my son said the same thing? Yeah, not the a hell here go Mama D. She always in her grown-ass son’s business.”
After the breakup, Diamond moved on with Soulja Boy, while Scrappy told Vlad TV that their breakup was the worst pain he had ever felt. He said he couldn’t eat, drink, or breathe. “Boy, stop lying. You could breathe enough to holler at somebody else while you were with her.” Scrappy soon moved on as well. Reality star Shay Johnson told VH1 that she and Scrappy had been platonic friends for a few years after his breakup with Diamond. After Shay broke up with her boyfriend, she and Scrappy started dating. That sounded like fun.
In 2012, Mona Scott-Young was putting together a cast for Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta. Shay told Madame Noir that she was approached to be on the show and suggested Scrappy as her love interest. However, after learning more about Scrappy’s background, producers gave him the option to choose which woman he wanted to co-star with, and whoever he chose would be the main character. Shay told Madame Noir that Scrappy chose Erica so she could earn money and he wouldn’t have to pay her any more child support. Messy, messy, messy. Shay said she had no idea he was still romantically involved with Erica until the cameras started rolling, revealing she was in the middle of a love triangle.
“We were trying to make things work, you know? But I felt like if I wasn’t fully committed, I shouldn’t keep stringing you along or hurting you. Same thing with her; if she’s more into it, then give her a chance, and the things in my name need to be in her name. Okay, okay, wait, listen.” Shay later confessed that she put a whole house and some bills in her name for Scrappy. “She’s so naive. This guy is broke.”
Scrappy and Erica got engaged during the reunion episode. “If it doesn’t work out, it’s fine, but it’s going to Mar.” Years later, during a season recap, Shay told producers that Scrappy only proposed for the cameras and didn’t even buy the engagement ring himself. She also mentioned she slept with Scrappy before and after he proposed to Erica. “She’s just clueless. It’s disgusting. I guess none of you worry about STDs, huh? Too busy trying to prove a point while you pass this broke guy around.”
Unbeknownst to the ladies, there was someone else in the background: Bambi. Bambi told Carlos King that Scrappy kept in touch with her during the first season of Love & Hip Hop. Even though Scrappy intended to marry Erica, he still talked about Diamond. He made it clear several times that their breakup wasn’t on good terms, and he even went on camera to talk about how badly Diamond treated him when she left him for Soulja Boy. He claimed credit for her solo success, saying he landed her a feature on Ludacris’s “My Chick Bad” remix. Diamond and Soulja Boy denied Scrappy’s version of events. In December 2012, Soulja Boy took to Twitter to settle things. In some since-deleted tweets, Soulja Boy wrote, “Gangsters move in silence. All that Twitter talk about another guy’s girlfriend and you’re acting like a child.” Soulja Boy T, what in the Crank That Soulja Boy is going on here?
Of course, Scrappy hit back, promising to confront Soulja Boy in person. As Twitter users watched the drama unfold in real time, they tweeted Erica, asking if she was embarrassed that her man was arguing over his ex. Erica stood by Scrappy, replying, “That’s mine, and I’mma stick beside him.”
Their engagement didn’t last long, and they broke up in 2013. That same year, Bambi became Scrappy’s main girl. But things took a turn when Scrappy, in rehab, saw an episode of Love & Hip Hop where Bambi was in a Jacuzzi kissing Benzino. This made people wonder if Bambi really cared for Scrappy or had her own agenda. YouTuber Tasha K suggested that after her stint on Basketball Wives, Bambi was determined to get on Love & Hip Hop Atlanta but initially found no takers. Tasha claimed Bambi and a friend concocted a plan to get on the show by having the friend sleep with Kirk Frost, even though he was married and expecting a baby with his wife, Rashida. According to Tasha, Bambi saw an opportunity in Benzino and used him to get on the show before moving on to Scrappy, whom she already knew. From there, Bambi became part of Scrappy’s storyline, making her debut as his girlfriend in season 3 of Love & Hip Hop Atlanta. When viewers questioned the authenticity of their relationship, Bambi insisted to Madame Noir that it was genuine. She explained that she and Scrappy had been friends for years, and once he was single, he cut off all other women to be with her.
Scrappy seemed equally committed to Bambi. The Jasmine Brand asked what made Bambi different from the other women in his life. Scrappy shared that Bambi was teaching him new things and helping him grow, even saying, “She was teaching me new words and helping me elevate my mind.”
Bambi shared that she loved how Scrappy was always willing to make adjustments and step up to correct his mistakes. When asked about Diamond’s claims that Scrappy was physically abusive during their relationship, Bambi was clear: he had never shown any signs of being abusive toward women. She joked, “If he’s going to be aggressive with anyone, it’s going to be me because I’m bigger than him and I’ll be all in his face.” She added, “I mean, are you looking for a fight? What the hell?”
Although they got engaged, by 2014, the engagement was off. As fans speculated about what was going on, Scrappy’s mom claimed that Erica and Scrappy were still involved, saying, “They just swap spit all over the place.” Erica shut down these rumors on Bossip’s podcast, explaining they weren’t together and that Scrappy owed her child support. Their last engagement was quite the event, with Scrappy proposing to Bambi at a 2016 concert, and she said yes. They married in 2017 and welcomed their first child, Breland, in 2018.
Despite their public feuds, Bambi and Scrappy are still together today. Their relationship shows that sometimes love can endure the drama and come out even stronger.