Rapping with Daddy Cool

19 June 2016 - 02:00 By Rea Khoabane
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Rapper Riky Rick, whose debut album was titled ‘Family Values’, with his son Maik.
Rapper Riky Rick, whose debut album was titled ‘Family Values’, with his son Maik.
Image: Moeletsi Mabe

Three of South Africa's most influential hip-hop stars speak to Rea Khoabane about how they balance being badass musicians at work and world's best dad at home

There's a perception that hip-hop artists have strained relationships with their fathers. This often comes through in their lyrics.

Back in the early noughts, albums by hip-hop artists tended to include at least one song devoted to absconded dads. In the past few years, however, the artists themselves have been changing the game and becoming the opposite of absent fathers.

American rapper Sean "Jay-Z" Carter named his daughter Blue Ivy after his favourite colour. Kanye West produced the music video Only One with his daughter North West. Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones (also known as Nas) wrote the song Daughters as an ode to his daughter Destiny Jones.

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In South Africa, we've seen hip-hop artists such as Reason, Riky Rick, Khuli Chana and AKA proudly posting their children on social media and changing the perception of hip-hop dads.

RIKY Rick - real name Rikhado Makhado - released his debut album Family Values in 2015. He appears on the cover holding his son Maik.

Makhado says he finds it easy to balance fatherhood with his hip-hop dreams because family means the world to him. "Spending time with my family is a priority for me - I know one day they will not be there."

The shy hip-hop artist was mainly raised by his grandmother. "She was like a second mom to me," he says. "My upbringing was filled with silliness and freedom."

Two-year-old Maik has his father's star quality. He stepped shyly into the photographic studio but lit up as soon as he saw cameras flashing. He is no stranger to fame, also appearing in his father's music video Sondela, with Pearl Thusi.

Makhado says the concept of fatherhood needs to extend beyond the home. "My life has different settings, but my role as a father is both at home and in the industry - as a mentor to young artists," he says.

"Becoming a father is a life-changing experience. You never know what is wrong or right ... generally I don't think life is about mistakes but rather learning lessons. My purpose in my son's life is to make sure that he is happy and that he is allowed to do what makes him happy."

Even though his own parents were separated, Makhado says his father was not absent. "I don't think anyone can define exactly what a 'good father' is. My father did what he could to be in my life and spend time with me."

Khulane Morule, better known by his stage name Khuli Chana, the founder of motswako (a rap genre that mixes vernacular languages and English), was raised by a single mother in Mmabatho township in Mahikeng, North West. He wants to give his daughter the experience of a loving father that he did not have.

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Three-year-old Nia (which means "resolve" in Swahili) is already a young motswako artist in the making, mixing four languages in one sentence. She has learnt Tswana from her father, Xhosa from her mother, Sotho from her babysitter and English at her crèche.

During the photo shoot, father and daughter shared kisses and sang dad's lyrics together. "She is my biggest fan," said Morule, "but I never want her to be in anyone's shadow. When you look at your child, you see nothing but purity. She's so beautiful. I want to teach her everything my mother taught me. One of the most important is always to say 'thank you'.

"She's a cool kid. I want her always to be as happy as she is now."

Of balancing the roles of father and musician, Morule says: "The perception in the industry is that I'm a very serious person, but my little girl brings out the fun, goofy and playful child in me."

sub_head_start Hip-hopper Reason is exceptionally protective of his kids... sub_head_end

Sizwe Moeketsi, better known as hip-hop artist Reason, keeps his children Minenhle, 7, and Oname, 2, out of the public eye. His first-born son, Obakeng, died three years ago at the age of four. Moeketsi said this loss made him more determined to be a better father to the children he now has.

He got to know Obakeng well during the months before he died, says Moeketsi.

"His mother and I were not together at the time that he was born and I did not see him regularly. In the last year, when I got to spend time with him, a lot of it was in hospitals. I learnt a lot through him. I'm glad I met him."

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Minenhle (which means "beautiful day") was born the same year as Obakeng, but to a different mother. Moeketsi says the children were born at a time when he was chasing stardom, but he still welcomed them.

"I was becoming popular, but never at any moment was I not happy with any of them being born. Minenhle was a breath of fresh air. I came from a separated family and I knew I wanted to do right by her and give her a home with both parents."

Moeketsi was raised by his stepfather, who he cherishes. He says having a strong and beloved male figure in his life contributed to his ability to be a good father to his own children.

He does not want Minenhle to have issues in later life as a result of her father not being present in her childhood, he says.

"Every weekend I make sure we do some of her favourite things - going to parks, taking a drive or playing Bounce. Every day is a struggle to balance the demands of career and family, but spending time with my kids is like healing from the fake nature of the industry I'm in."

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