Being a famous rapper is awesome. You get all the fancy cars, expensive champagne, and bad bitches your icy heart desires. It's all part of the job description. And for once in your life, you're doing it wrong if you don't brag about it to everyone!
So what happens when shit gets real and a hip-hopper becomes a "proud father"? Well, no two papas are alike, and rap-daddy reactions run the gamut from life-changing to arm-dedicating to meh-whatevering.
Check out this cast of crass role-models and you might be surprised to learn who's got Lego's in the back of their Lambo.
Jay-Z
Jay loves girls, girls, girls, girls. Girls he does adore. So he must have been quite happy and surprised when his wifey, Beyonce, gave birth to a bright and bubbly bundle of would-be womanhood. But we imagine the initial elation gave way to the realization his own daughter will, years later, give someone else's son that funk, that sweet, that nasty, that gushy stuff.
Eminem
Marshal Mathers may be the most infamous father in rap music, mostly because he writes daughter Hailie into everything. He loves her so much, he literally gave an arm for her, tattin baby girl's face on his bicep. And no doubt, it'd be disturbing to grow up knowing daddy rapped about killing mommy. But tracks like "Hailie's Song" and "Mockingbird" will always let Hailie know Papa Eminem isn't a total psycho.
Diddy
This famous and richer-than-rich New York City producer is the proud father of three lovely little girls, and that must be quite the handful. Imagine days playing with tea cups when your nights are full of D-cups. And how old will Diddy's daughters have to be before they get invited to his infamous soirees? We're sure it's still quite a while, if ever.
Snoop Dogg
The red-eyed spokesman for reefer-heads everywhere has been in the game for decades. And between platinum records and murder trials, he's fathered two sons and a little girl. We'll go out on a limb and bet all the dads in the neighborhood want to chaperone their little ones to the Dogg house when a birthday party comes around. You know they're all out there in the shed, smoking it out. But that's not to say Snoop doesn't have his priorities straight. In 2006, the godfather of ganj quit smoking for a year to coach his son's football team. That's just the kind of awesome shit that gangsta dads do.
Andre 3000
The ATLien might not be the most thuggin' dad on the block, but he's definitely the funky-smoothest. Did you know he has a daughter with the equally funkadelic Erykah Badu? It's logical to assume their child is the funkiest human being in existence. The relationship between her parents isn't perfect, as clearly portrayed on megahit "Ms. Jackson," but holidays at both of this girl's houses gotta be a lot of fun.
Ol' Dirty Bastard
When ODB said, "Ooh, baby, I like it raw," he wasn't fucking kidding. Homie grew up without a dad. So he became one ... 13 times. And even with all that Wu-Tang money, he could never quite keep his child support paid. Unfortunately, Dirty died of a drug overdose in 2004, perpetuating the sad cycle of fatherless childhood. Unlike ODB's own daddy-less life, though, his kids can visit dad whenever they go through the 36 Chambers.
Bow Wow
Once very "Lil," this spitter dropped his first hit single at the age of 13. But he's done a whole lot of growing up. Today, Bow Wow's 25. And while this might shock you, he's got a daughter all his own, and she's already four years old. He kept the child a secret for three years, fearing what audiences might think of his young fatherhood. But in 2011, he let the world know just how grown Bow Wow has become. Perhaps that's why we haven't heard from him in so long? Haha, nah.
Lil Wayne
Weezy never dropped the Lil, mostly because he never got very tall. But he still grew up and became a daddy. (It's proof that he is, in fact, a human being. But we digress.) The 29-year-old rapper has four children, the oldest being a daughter with his high school sweetheart, born when he was just 15. Perhaps Wayne's big brood of kiddos accounts for his epic hustle. Got to make sure all the Lil Keezys are stuntin' like they daddy.
Ludacris
Luda is a mack and a half with a collection of hoes all over the globe, but there's one girl that steals his heart every time. We know the Hotlanta sensation has at least one daughter, and she's following in daddy's footsteps, hitting stages and rockin mics. She even has her own educational website, karmasworld.com, and that's pretty damn cool.
Nas
The New York stunner recently dropped a music vid titled "Daughters" that stars his own little girl. Shot from her point of view, the clip's actually quite poignant. It's hard going from bitches to babies, no matter your profession. A man's just gotta try to be the absolute best dad. Even if that means rap videos and arm tattoos.
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