There are many perks to being the child of a celebrity. The assumed wealth for one (if your parent knows how to save you’ll hit the jackpot), and of course, the many open opportunities that can become available to you: good schools, contacts to break into the business with, etc. But many a celebrity kid has chosen to take advantage of their opportunities and the names of their people in a negative way–see Montana Fishburne for the best and worst example. But others do work, good work, and slowly but surely step out of their parent’s shadow, use the name well, and make a name for themselves–now see the Marley children and Romeo (not so lil’ anymore) for a great example. Here’s just a short list of other black celebrity offspring who ditched the scandal for some success.
Zoë Kravitz
The baby girl of the ageless Lenny Kravitz and the beautiful Denise from ‘The Cosby Show” (aka, Lisa Bonet), spent a good chunk of her life out of public view, living with her mother in Cali. But Zoë, 22, has followed in the footsteps of both her mom and her dad by being one of Hollywood’s big up and coming young actresses, starring in movies like The Brave One, Yelling to the Sky and the upcoming X-Men: First Class, as well as heading up her own band, Elevator Flight. On top of all these things, the tattoo adorned actress is also a model, starring in campaigns for Alexander Wang and is the face of Vera Wang’s Princess perfume. You can also catch her on Showtime’s popular series “Californication.”
Peggy Lipton, Rashida Jones, Quincy Jones and Kidada Jones
Kidada and Rashida Jones
The daughters of Quincy Jones and actress Peggy Lipton, Kidada and Rashida Jones have certainly made the best of the opportunities laid out before them. The eldest child of Quincy and Peggy’s marriage, Kidada, 37, has been an actress, a model, a fashion designer and a stylist for the stars while working at Vibe magazine. She got her name out there by styling Michael Jackson for a cover shoot in ’95. Kidada was also the fiancee of late rapper Tupac Shakur around the time of his death, and dons a tattoo on her arm of him. Blessed with not only a great last name but brains too, Rashida, 35, graduated from Harvard University in ’97, where she studied religion and philosophy. She’s a very successful actress, appearing on shows like “The Office,” and movies like the critically acclaimed, The Social Network. She’s also a writer, creating her own comic book series, Frenemy of the State, and has worked as a contributing editor for Teen Vogue.
Tracee Ellis Ross and Evan Ross
I can’t imagine what it was like to grow up in the spotlight as the child of Diana Ross, the ultimate diva. But the five children of Ross’ have ultimately fared well, including Diana’s seemingly identical twin, daughter Tracee. Tracee Ellis Ross, 38, is the daughter of Diana and music business manager Robert Ellis Silberstein. A woman of multiple talents, Tracee has been a model and a contributing fashion editor for various magazines. But we all know Ross for her uber-awesome role as Joan Clayton in “Girlfriends” (a show to be proud of, right?). Ross has also starred in movies such as HBO’s Life Support, and Tyler Perry’s Daddy’s Little Girls. Little bro Evan, 22, the son of Diana and Norwegian businessman Arne Naess, Evan is also a young up and coming actor, making his debut in ATL and appearing in films like Pride and in the recent release, Mooz-lum, as well as maintaining a recurring role on the CW’s “90210” remake. Taking after moms for real, Evan also has an album in the works that’ll fuse together R&B and pop.
Willow and Jaden Smith
Look, it’s everyone’s favorite celebrity kids! Or maybe not, but whatever, they’re making more money than most grown folks. The ever-present babies of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett, both Jaden and Willow have taken full advantage of the hookups of their parents and because of them, they’ve become some of the most recognizable faces in young Hollywood, and Hollywood in general (shouts to oldest son Trey for taking the normal star-athlete kid route!). Jaden, 12, made his acting debut alongside big poppa Will in The Pursuit of Happyness, and because of some hardcore persuasion by dad, was able to star in the Karate Kid remake. Jaden does a little rapping on the side, and showed out on the track “Never Say Never” with bestie Justin Bieber. Baby sister Willow started off acting alongside her father as well in I Am Legend, but is obviously more well known for her musical ventures. Willow shocked everyone when she made a definite headbanger with “Whip My Hair,” getting the attention of rapper (and family friend) Jay-Z, who signed the 10-year-old to his Roc Nation label. Outside of just being cute and hitting up numerous red carpets, Willow and Jaden are youth ambassadors for Project Zambia, which helps children of the country who’ve been orphaned by AIDS.
Vanessa, Angela and Diggy Simmons
America grew to love Reverend Run and his dope family (and his words of wisdom) during the popular MTV series “Run’s House,” and since the show’s been done with, the kids have been on their hustles, making shoes, modeling and writing rhymes. While all the kids are interesting, the moneymakers are Vanessa and Angela, and little brother Diggy. Vanessa (27) and Angela (23) are the daughters of Rev (aka, Joseph) Run, and former wife Valerie Vaughn (who made a few appearances on Run’s House), while Diggy (aka, Daniel) is the first child from Rev’s current marriage to wife Justine Jones. While Vanessa has tried her hand at modeling and acting, and Angela shows up at a lot of events and in random “candid paparazzi shoots, they’re both big ballers thanks to great business smarts. Just take a look at their successful Pastry footwear company. The two have also done their own MTV spin-off of “Run’s House,” called “Daddy’s Little Girls.” Brother Diggy, 16, outshined the rapping skills of his brother Jojo (ya’ll remember he had a rap group?) releasing a number of mixtapes. His endeavors caught the eye of Atlantic, whom he signed to last year, and was recently part of XXL magazine’s popular freshman class issue for his skills. Did I mention your boy is designing sneakers too? Alright now, make that money honey!
Bria Murphy
We all know Eddie Murphy loves spawning him some kids (he’s got five), and 21-year-old daughter Bria from his marriage with Nicole Mitchell, is definitely a child to be proud of. The oldest of the clan, Bria has made a name for herself as a model signed with LA Models, and most recently as a global brand ambassador, aka, spokesmodel, for Dark & Lovely. And she is indeed, dark and lovely.
Laila Ali
It’s normal to want to follow in the footsteps of your parents, especially when they’re celebrities, but for a young lady to want to be a boxer? That’s way left field. However, Laila Ali proved to be a strong fighter in fisticuffs, and dominated the sport of women’s boxing all while making it more popular. The daughter of Muhammad Ali and former wife Veronica Porsche Ali, Laila, 33, has won a number of boxing titles, including the WIBA Women’s International Boxing Association super middleweight title, lost zero fights and knocked out 21 chicks. And on television, girlfriend proved she had rhythm on “Dancing With the Stars,” coming in third on her season, and was one of the hosts of the “American Gladiators” remake. Another great accomplishment, Laila also has two beautiful children (one born on the 4th of this month) from her current marriage to Curtis Conway, along with three stepchildren.
Which celeb kids make you say “Awww, that kid is actually talented!”
