Remember the whole kerfuffle over entertainment industry nepo babies a few months ago? It feels like you could write a whole article about them for the children of rappers. However, unlike in Hollywood, where name recognition can keep earning you roles you might otherwise miss out on, in rap, fans actively hold your parentage against you (plus, either fans like and stream the music or they don’t).
That makes Coi Leray‘s breakout all the more impressive, even if her dad, former Source magazine owner Benzino, didn’t help her out much along the way. In fact, he’s never even been to one of her shows, according to a backstage interview the father-daughter pair gave at Rolling Loud in Miami over the weekend. After Coi called her dad over and revealed it was his first time ever seeing her perform, he gave his assessment.
“You can say I’m biased,” he admitted, “But honestly, I don’t see nobody else doing that. She’s amazing.”
#CoiLeray’s dad #Benzino came out to support her and watch her perform for the first time at her #RollingLoud set in Miami 💕 We love to see it! pic.twitter.com/qoCQRfbrLD
— Power 106 (@Power106LA) July 23, 2023
This is a far cry from some of the comments they’ve previously made. Coi has admitted to downplaying their relationship in the pursuit of her own rap career, even going as far as tweeting, “I NEVER WANTED ANYBODY TO KNOW!!! I’M EMBARRASSED TO BE YOUR DAUGHTER.” Meanwhile, Benzino himself had critiqued her career and even nearly accidentally sabotaged her by revealing her collaboration with Nicki Minaj before it was ready, prompting Nicki to consider pulling the plug.
It’s nice to see the pair in a better place.