Born Neffeteria Pugh, in the High-Crime Streets of Oakland, California, she fought to win the title of the average female "making it out the hood."
As a product of the streets of Eastside Oakland, Neffeteria never had the opportunity to experience a family oriented environment. Living in Brookfield, one of Oakland's most turbulent vicinities, she and her grandmother shared a small 3-bedroom house while struggling to maintain sanity. The environment eventually took a toll on Neffe causing her to run away at the age of 12-years-old. By 18, Neffe learned the in's and out's and seized the, "whatever it took" attitude to get by while enduring a tumultuous Childhood. Spending most her childhood and pre-adult years running the streets with her now recovered substance addiction mother, in and out of group homes and jail, she soon took on one of her most astronomical responsibilities in life; having her first daughter. After the birth of her daughter, Neffe was in need of a sense of focus and returned home to her grandmother's house where she developed laissez-faire attitude towards life. "I Stayed where I could, I did whatever I had to do to get by and me having my first daughter made me realize that it is not just me now, it's someone else I have to look after and I need to get my stuff together," Says Neffe.
Neffe's biggest struggle was her marriage. She fought to maintain a strong tie with her husband even when things became too much to handle for them both. Due to both parties committing adulterous acts, and losing a baby in the process, the foundation of their marriage began to crumble. Neffe was devastated at the fact that her now Ex-Husband eventually developed a monogamous relationship with a member of her family. As a coping mechanism, Neffe turned to alcohol to ease out the pain and the hard-times she endured in her marriage.
The Now striving and unstoppable mother of four praises the multi-platinum songstress and little sister Keyshia Cole for being a scapegoat to her misfortunes and also showing her what is like to be successful and motivated in the ride of life. Now residing in the heart of Atlanta with her children, mother and little sister Elite Noel, she feels that she can breathe a bit easier then she could in the mean streets of California. In her preparation for an entirely new life, she holds no grudges and has no regrets of her bumpy ride to the top. Neffe says, "If I can do it all over again, I wouldn't do anything different because I wouldn't be who I am today." When asked if Neffe was living vicariously through her sister and her mother at any point in her life, she admitted that she lived her own life and it was God that brought her from the bottom to the top.
Ms. Pugh's Life motto, "At the end of the day, love God first and family. My happiness is my sanity."
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