The Creative Legacy: Coi Leray and Other Artists With Celebrity Roots

Being born to celebrity parents may sound like a dream. The popular personalities — especially in the entertainment world — always appear to have it all, from adorable kids and devoted partners to fame and money. However, things aren’t always rosy for kids born to celebrity parents.

Gone are the days when famous personalities used to keep their family secrets hidden. Furthermore, the discussion around mental wellness and dysfunction is stronger than it has ever been thanks to social media. In this new dawn, celebrity kids are openly sharing details of what it was like growing up with famous personalities as their parents. And, their stories aren’t always as dreamy as expected.

Here is a list of today’s most popular celebrity kids and their stories growing up.

Coi Leray is the daughter of Benzino, a popularly known rapper and co-founder of the Source magazine. While the relationship between the two may not always seem perfect, it is apparent that the young female rapper always wanted to follow in her father’s footsteps.

The rapper has used her music to document her relationship with her father. In one of her songs “No More Parties,” Leray talks about how her father let her down but she swears that she won’t let that put her down and force her to give up.

The line, which finishes off with, “I wanna say f–k that man, but that s–t won’t make me better,” sparked off a feud between the two, with Benzino denying the rapper’s account of the past. Leray on her part has gone on to say that when she was growing up, her father was absent and financially irresponsible.

The rapper has also appeared on a VLADTV interview, where she speaks about growing up as Benzino’s daughter. The young female rapper uses this interview to get into the details of her relationship with Benzino when she was a child.

Selah Marley is the daughter of well-known rapper Lauryn Hill (a member of hip-hop group Fugees) and Rohan Marley, an entrepreneur. Back in 2020, she went on Instagram Live and shared details of what it was like growing up, in a two-hour-long session. In addition to speaking about the methods of discipline used by Lauryn Hill, she also said that her father was not always present.

Zonnique is the daughter of Tiny (a member of Xscape – a 90s R&B group) and stepdaughter to highly accomplished rapper T.I. While she is now pursuing a solo career, she rose to stardom while she was a member of OMG Girls.

The singer spoke about her relationship with her mother and how it was affected by the entry of rapper T.I. into their lives. During her appearance on the Jay Hill podcast, she stated how much she would have loved to have her father out of prison and her mom closer to her — and not constantly touring with Xscape. She also says that these conditions led her to become numb over time. The singer also talks about how she missed those, “mommy moments” in the podcast appearance.