The cover of Confessions of a Video Vixen gives the impression that it reads less like a memoir and more like a trashy novel. While there are plenty of details surrounding sexual encounters she’s had with famous men throughout the hip hop industry, there is so much more about heartbreak, loss, abandonment, addiction and love that makes this story a relatable one for many. Confessions of a Video Vixen chronicles the traumatic childhood of Karrine Steffans.  Born on the island of St. Thomas, August 1978 to an unsupportive abusive mother who saw her as nothing more than another woman to compete with.  Karrine longed for but never gained the affection of her mother.  Even after being brutally raped at 13 years old by a felon, Karrine’s mother maintained her cold demeanor towards her. The tragic events of her childhood would set the stage for an alter ego she created by the name of Yizette.    

It seems like once abused, always abused. That in many ways was the story of Karrine Steffans’ life. With Yizette however, she could create a new narrative and it would be of a seductress whose superpower was manipulating powerful men with sex. Karrine, who worked as a stripper in strip clubs frequented by some of the Hollywood elite, made all the right connections. She burst onto the Hollywood scene in the late 90s when record company Murder Inc. was on the rise with artists like Ja Rule and Ashanti.  Everyone wanted to work with the duo and artists like J-Lo, Mary J. Blige, Faith Evans and Lil Mo all signed on to work with the rising stars. Karrine, who became known as Superhead for her ability to please men with oral sex became acquainted with Ja Rule and quickly became sex, and drug buddies through the rise and fall of Murder Inc. Murder Inc. became like a family to Superhead and she would rock and roll with them until 50 Cent came on the scene and brought down their empire by targeting his main rival Ja Rule in his music.  

Superhead was addicted to the lifestyle she became accustomed to with the Murder Inc. family, as well as several other relationships with famous and well connected men in the industry who paid her well for her services. It was through these connections that she was able to land roles in music videos and movies like Man Apart starring Vin Diesel and Taye Diggs. The list of famous men she has been sexually intimate with reads like a guest list from the Billboard Music Awards. Usher, Xzibit, Bobby Brown, Ja Rule, Jay Z, Lil Wayne, Ice T, P Diddy, Young Buck, Shaquille O’Neal and Bill Maher are all Eskimo Brothers. After the death of Merlin Santana, a close friend, Superhead decided she didn’t want to live the fast life anymore. She felt that Merlin’s death was a sign from God that she needed to change although changing would be a slow process because she’d find it difficult to cut off completely what severed as a lifeline for her for so long. This is a cautionary tale of a young girl who lost her way, hopefully it will be a guide for girls everywhere of what not to do.