Gene Elliott Thornton, Jr., aka Malice of the Clipse, has been out promoting his book Wretched, Pitiful, Poor, Blind and Naked. And while doing so, he revealed that he's been married over 20 years! Get his advice on making a marriage last inside......
You wouldn't think a rapper would be the best person to offer marriage advice, however, Malice has been in a successful marriage for the past 2 decades and has a lot to say about making it work. The "Grindin" rapper, who turns 40 this year, did an interview with Naked With Socks On and offered this advice:
On what's most important in a relationship:
"Faith is the foundation. It’s the floor plan to my marriage. Faith and forgiveness lay the ground rules… It’s just a big part of it and I think that as… and I got to choose my words carefully, but I think, not just Black people, but in our culture and I do believe it’s culture in general… I’m just so focused on my culture that it’s just very relevant for us, but I think that many times we give up on those who we claim to love or we know we’re in relationships with.”
On avoiding divorce:
“I think the divorce rate, which I believe is 50/50 or somewhere around there… I think we give up too quick and I think we’re too quick to get rid of a person and I just think that we need to work with each other more. I think that we need to be more understanding, because I don’t think that you’re ever going to find that perfection; you know?"
On putting in work to make the relationship last:
"I think that relationships and marriage especially is about working with one another and loving each other so much that you know you’re able to forgive and be willing to compromise and work out some things and I just think that we give up too soon, so I think that faith definitely plays a part in building strong, lasting relationships and sometimes you just have to go through the fire to be purified.”
On why getting married in his 20s was a good thing:
"...A lot of people would tell me, ‘You got married too young,’ or a lot of people may say, ‘You got to go out and experience the world,’ and I don’t necessarily subscribe to that. I think the fact that you know I did get married at a young age definitely is a plus and you know is an asset to a marriage, not that everybody should run out and get married young or whatever, but I don’t think that’s it’s a bad thing to get married at a young age. At any age it’s going to take work, you know what I’m saying? It’s going to take work, but all this ‘go out, live your life, do this, do that…’ I mean, I don’t subscribe to that. I subscribe to you find that person who is special to you, you love each other, and you want to get married and have children and that’s what you do.”
Who woulda thought?