Weeks after burying her son’s father, Drakeo the Ruler’s bereaved girlfriend is dealing with the reality she is now a single mother. In an exclusive interview with AllHipHop.com, Tianna Purtue shares how their child still asks to see his dad.
The couple shares a son named Caiden Caldwell.
Drakeo was murdered by stabbing at the “Once Upon a Time” festival in Los Angeles on Dec. 19, 2021. Purtue and the family believe that the venue’s lack of security is a significant factor in the chart-topper’s fatal assault.
“It was a major tragedy on how this happened and the lack of security at the venue,” Purtue states. “No one has any answers for his son. I’m sitting here constantly trying to talk to my son and let him know that everything is going to be ok even though you won’t see your dad again.”
“The last things that we have to hold on to are our memories with him and his music which is one of Caiden’s favorite things to listen to all the time,” she shared.
Drakeo’s biggest hits arguable were “Ion Rap Beef” and “Flu Flaming.” The baby mother shares that the couple’s son “is always asking to watch his dad on YouTube performing.”
“I have to deal with the fact that he asks me sometimes daily when he is going back to his dad’s house, or is his dad still gone, or is he coming back,” she reveals. “He’s not really grasping that his dad is actually gone, and he is never going to be able to see him again.”
According to the Child Mind Institute, children between 4 and 7 are expected to have trouble processing death, believing “death as reversible.” The research base shared that children that are young also have “nightmares, regression to earlier behaviors, changes in sleeping and eating, violent play, attempting to take on the role of the person who died.”
The experts say that mostly, children at this age want to know what happened to their loved one.
This type of psychological impact is something that Purtue is sure to be looking out for in the future.
“It is a big challenge for me,” she stated. “And I feel like this is a real big deal for me today. Especially for Caiden because we are going to step up and we are going to let them know that no one is able to bring Darrell back or give him an answer on why his dad is gone and he can’t come back to him.”
Purtue has filed a lawsuit against the promoters, producers and venue for his death for $20 million.
