You know what they say, mothers raise their daughters and love their sons. And the sons do sure love ’em for it. I know way more men who dote on their moms than women do. It’s just a different relationship. Nowhere is that adoration and idolization of mothers more apparent than the relationship between rappers and their moms. They may try to act tough for their records but they always express a soft spot for their mothers. Always. Even if they’re profiting from misogynist lyrics, you can bet that half of that royalty check is going to make sure mama is happy and taken care of.
Everyone is familiar with the camera-shy Gloria Carter even though she’s generally not out and about like some rappers’ moms. Her image is weaved into many a song by her superstar son Jay-Z. She even got a coveted spot narrating the Black Album. Oh yeah, and Jay does refer to his mom as one of his best friends. Ahhhh.
Kanye West has never been shy about expressing his gratitude for his mother Donda West, who raised him as a single mother in Chicago. Sadly enough, she passed away in 2007 due to complications associated with plastic surgery. She was often seen on her son’s arm at award shows.
Luda’s mother Roberta Shields is a bona fide business woman. She holds an MBA from John Hopkins and is largely involved with her son’s career. She heads up her son’s company Bridges Enterprises and is the President of Luda’s community service organization The Ludacris Foundation.
Nelly’s mother Rhonda Mack certainly struggled as she raised her son Nelly in the projects of St. Louis. Nelly has talked about the abusive relationship he had with his father. Luckily, his mother had the guts to leave his father and eventually take her children away from him.
Drake has his mother Sandi Graham to thank for his Jewish connection. Not only that but his educator mother was able to provide him with a wealthy upbringing and access to the Canadian entertainment industry. And Drake hasn’t forgotten any of his mother’s generosity. In 2010, Drake canceled a European tour to be with his mom following a surgery for an undisclosed illness.
Like any committed mother, Voletta Davis is still fighting for her late son’s justice, Biggie Smalls, who died at the young age of 24. In addition, Davis is actively involved in her only son’s estate and her grandson’s life, Christopher “C.J.” Wallace.
The late rapper’s Tupac Shakur’s fiery, and at times revolutionary, spirit hails from his mother Afeni Shakur, who is a former Black Panther Party member. She was acquitted of charges of conspiracy just a month before she gave birth to her first child. Today, Shakur maintains her son’s spirit through the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation, which provides art programs for young people, and Amaru Entertainment, the holding company for all Tupac’s unreleased material.
Many people think this alternative-esque rapper grew up in the suburbs of Cleveland but as he tells it, it was a whole different story. His father passed away when Cudi was young and his mother took the reigns as his “superwoman.” Check out what he had to tell Complex:
“She didn’t have a bed, my mom didn’t sleep in a bed up until I was about 14. She always slept on the couch. We just couldn’t afford one. When she finally got one, she kinda just put it up in the living room. The first thing you saw in my crib was her bed.This alternative rapper admittedly slept in his mother’s room until he was 12.”
Like mother, like son. It’s easy to see where Diddy gets all his fabulosity: from his mother Janice Combs. You can always see her front row at the shows and dazzling her way through her son’s parties. Diddy sure keeps his mama fitted.
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