Father’s Day is a day of celebration for all fathers and children out there to honour their relationship. In the hip hop culture, rap music roots from father-son experiences more than any other genre. Whilst rap music hasn’t always painted a happy picture of it, there are many fascinating stories of fathers and sons who revolutionsed the scene.
To celebrate Father’s Day today we are bringing homage to some of the most influential fathers and sons who have made a mark on the music industry. Take in the captivating stories of five of the most prominent figures in the rap game below now on GRM Daily.
Olu Dara & Nas
Olu Dara is one of the leading trumpeters of the ’70s jazz avant-garde period and a prominent figure of New York’s loft jazz culture. Born Charles Jones, the artist changed his name to the Yoruba Olu Dara and only started recording under his own name in 1988. By that time he was already an intermittent presence in the jazz scene and was occasionally leading his Okra Orchestra and Natchezsippi Dance Band.
Olu Dara didn’t only play the trumpet and the cornet but he was also a singer and composer and often accompanied himself on the guitar. His style was quite modernist and he was a visionary of his genre often leaving the public in awe with this solos.
His music love for music was inherited by his son, New York’s hip hop legend Nas.
Nas, widely regarded as the King of New York, is a pivotal figure in the American hip hop culture who carved the way for the artists coming up after him. Nas battled numerous prolific rappers for his title including none other than Jay-Z, yet his conscious, throat cutting lyricism; punchy flow and unique voice never let him lose his crown.
Just like his father, Nas learned to play the trumpet and write lyrics at a very young age. Whilst his initial direction was to follow in his father’s footsteps musically, everything changed when he dropped out of school in the eight grade and started earning money in the streets following his parent’s divorce. That’s where he met producer Large Professor and started going to the studio with him. From there the rest is history.
His debut album Illmatic, which was dubbed a masterpiece, went double platinum and was followed by his second album It Was Written, also triple platinum. To this day Nas has released 15 critically acclaimed albums, 10 of which are certified gold, platinum or multi-platinum in the US and gifted the culture timeless records such as “N.Y State of Mind”, “If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)” ft Lauryn Hill, “It Ain’t Hard to Tell” and countless more.
Giggs & ML
Giggs, also known as Hollowman yet widely referred to as The Landlord, is one of the most influential rap figures to ever come out of the UK. The author of the unofficial UK national anthem “Talking Da Hardest” has paved the way for today’s UK rap scene and has been actively releasing timeless records since the early noughties.
Born and raised in South London, Giggs has always been a well known figure with enough influence to move masses, so much that even the police tried to stall his career by banning his shows, sending him to prison where he served a two-year sentence on gun charges, and even trying to get him out of his record deal.
The Landlord, however, couldn’t be stopped and went on to be become an international renowned artist, win a BET Award for Best UK Act in 2008, he’s released seven projects which are available across DSPs, but the Landord also fathered a host of classic mixtapes during his career. acclaimed albums.
Giggs’ son ML, started making music 2013 at the age of 11 when his first ever song “Money Popping Mad” dropped on YouTube. Since then he has released a handful of singles including a track with his father Giggs called “Who Am I” in 2022.
ML has recently done his first live set as Suspect OFB brought him out at his show in April. The young rapper can always been seen along his father at industry events, he is actively teasing music on social media and has already released two singles this year with more on the way.
Ice Cube & O’Shea Jackson Jr
Ice Cube is without a doubt one of the biggest, most influential and widely praised rappers of all time. A legend in the rap scene worldwide and a veteran of the genre, Ice Cube has been bodying beats, shutting down arenas and influencing millions since the 80’s and to this day he still can’t be stopped.
“Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It”, “Fuck the Police”, “It Was A Good Day” and “You Know How We Do It” are just a very few all time hits that influenced generations across the world and are still getting spins as we speak.
Today Ice Cube is still very much active in the music scene yet he is also very prolific in other areas of the creative industry especially film. In 2015 he produced and directed Straight Outta Compton, a critically acclaimed biographical film about N.W.A and their journey carving the path for what was to become one of the most popular and rich areas in the music industry, the rap scene.
His oldest son, O’Shea Jackson Jr., followed in his footsteps and even portrayed him in the movie, receiving praise not just from the public but also from film critics.
O’Shea Jackson Jr. is heavily immersed in the film industry having starred in big productions such as Den of Thieves, Long Shot, and Cocaine Bear which came out earlier this year.
As expected, the 32-year-old is also a prolific rapper. He began his music career in 2010 when he featured on his father’s album I Am the West along with his younger brother Darrell Jackson. He then released his debut mixtape Jackin’ for Beats online in 2012 under the name OMG, which was also very well received.
While nifty flows, punchy deliveries and razor-sharp bars literally run through his veins, O’Shea Jr. seems to prefer acting more than rapping, even though he excels at both.
Ty Nizzy & Loski
Ty Nizzy is a UK rap veteran and one of the pioneers who set the scene for today’s rappers in the early noughties. Ty Nizzy was part of the infamous crew P.D.C who played a major role is shaping the rap scene in the UK. The artist possessed a very unique flow which was widely acclaimed and became very influential along with his lyrical abilities and dexterous cadence.
His breakthrough was in 2005 when he dropped a track called “It’s A Shame” on YouTube. As his flow stood out the track rapidly rose to popularity and became a staple song in the underground music scene at the time. Yet everyone including himself was heavily influenced by the American culture rocking NY snapbacks and bootcut jeans, Ty Nizzy nurtured authentic UK rap to be born and his son, Loski, is the living proof of it.
Loski is one of the most popular drill artists the UK has to give and his talent and influence on the scene have even been recognised by Drake in 2018 who said he was inspired by the young rapper when he made “Scorpion”. The rap icon even pulled up to Loski’s headline show in London in 2019 and together they sent the crowd into a frenzy.
Loski started his career under the name Lil Nizzy – a homage to his father – in 2012 and then changed his name to Loski in 2016 when he released his breakout song “Hazards”. Since then the Harlem Spartans crew member has released numerous successful singles and projects and broke barriers with his debut album Music, Trial & Trauma: A Drill Story in 2020.
Delroy Wilson & Konan
Delroy Wilson, a child star who found success as a teenager after he was discovered by producer Coxsone Dodd in 1962. His musical career lasted for over 40 years and during this time he released an array of timeless hits such as “Riding for a Fall”, “Once Upon a Time” and “Won’t You Come Home”.
Delroy Wilson hailed from the infamous Trenchtown in Kingston and moved out as he quickly rose to fame and started dominating the Jamaican charts at a very young age. Over the years the singer toured the world, teamed up with very influential figures in the music industry, and even had his all time hit “Better Must Come” featuring Bunny Lee used as a campaign song for the People’s National Party in Jamaica.
The acclaimed artist tragically passed away in 1995 due to an illness, however, his 40-year-long career allowed him to make enough music during his lifetime for generations to come. Apart from his huge success, Delroy Wilson left behind an important legacy – his son Konan.
Konan is one of the most popular and accomplished rappers in the UK, and together with Krept, his best friend he’s also the other half of the Krept & Konan duo. As part of the Krept & Konan duo, the South London hailing rapper has seen incredible success across his career and broke down serious barriers in the music industry. Their debut album The Long Way Home became the highest charting British Rap album in the UK chart history after debuting at no. 2 in 2015, then made history again in 2017 when they became the first ever UK artists to have two mixtapes enter the Top 10 simultaneously. So far Konan has a BET Award and five MOBO Awards under his belt together with Krept, and he continues to release hits such as “Dat Way”, the duo’s latest single to take on the charts.
Big Pun & Chris Rivers
Although the term GOAT gets thrown around far too easily these days, Big Pun is certainly a worthy recipient. His distinctive flows and lyrical content earmarked him as one of the greats from the very first time we heard him on Fat Joe’s debut album. He quickly rose to prominence and released his debut (and only) album Capital Punishment. Which became the first record by a Latino artist to go platinum, two more projects were released after his untimely death, and both have been widely regarded as classics.
His Son Chris Rivers, took the brave steps to take his fathers’ mantle and has been released music since the early Noughties. Originally going by the moniker Baby Pun, Chris Rivers has worked with a whole host of other greats from the rap game. Working with the likes of Wu Tang, Vinne Paz, The LOX & Cormega to name a few.
Happy Father’s Day!