Rhythmic wordsmiths of the rap world they may be, but what about their parenting skills ...here's our verdict!
1 . SNOOP DOGG
Born Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Snoop has three children with his ex-wife and is also head coach of a junior American Football team called the Snoop All Stars, who last year played for the inaugural ‘Snooper Bow ’ competition. Even better, the shizzle meister runs a charity that works with innercity youth and children's hospitals. Bless. We’ll overlook his colourful criminal past … Verdict: reformed
2. MASTER P
One of America’s richest men, Master P may be full of the bad-boy-made-good-baloney: “I keep it real. I come from the streets,” but he’s grounded in apple pie wholesomeness. He hangs with his wife and six kids in Beverly Hills and peppers interviews with tales of helping with homework, washing up and, er, mixing his eldest son’s (12-year-old rap star, Lil' Romeo) latest record. Verdict: bitchin’
3. BLADE
J, the nine-year-old son of one of the UK’s top rappers, Blade (of Mark B and Blade), was nurtured in the womb with Eric B and Rakim and now sings on stage with his old man. Naturally, J thinks this is ultra cool: “This boy (at school) said, ‘Have you heard of this band called Mark B and Blade?’ And I said, ‘Course, he’s my dad’,” he says. Verdict: illin’
4. ICE CUBE
In days with N.W.A., Cube laid down tracks that most felt were probably inappropriate for his yo u n gest fans, but he’s recently made amends by filming a children’s movie (Are We There Yet) – a career move that was rubber-stamped by his three sons and daughter. “ I ’ ve got the coolest kids,” he says, “I don’t want to just do kids’ movies the rest of my career, though.” Verdict: dedicated
5. LL COOL J
The three-time Grammy-award winner lives in New York and Los Angeles with his wife, Simone, and their four children; a domestic set up he approves of: “I think it’s important for manliness. The first rapper to have nine consecutive multiplatinum albums is also one of the first to write a children's book, one that teaches them how to rap – though not about bitches, hoes and cop killin’, presumably. Verdict: inspiring
6. ICE T
Orphaned as a child, Ice found love as a nipper on the streets of South Central LA and says of his childhood “I first learned to love in a gang, not in a family atmosphere.” Thankfully, his kids live in a kinder environment with mom and dad in the nicer side of town, though being named after dad can’t be easy on the boy, Tracy Morrow Jr. Verdict: sadistic
7. PUFF DADDY
The son of a murdered father and the former friend and counterpart of a whole stack of rappers t u rned worm food, Sean John Combs has done well to stay alive for his young ‘uns. The hip hop impresario has three sons, to whom he was ordered to pay a jaw-dropping $35,000 per month in maintenance.Well, it probably wasn’t that jaw-dropping to Diddy, whose monthly income was estimated in court at $4 million. Verdict: loaded
8. KRAYZIE BONE
Grammy winner Krayzie Bone (not his birth name), the scaryfaced rapper from Bone Thugs-n-Harmony was taken to court in 2004 for not coughing up for his estranged six-year-old son for three years. Putting the situation down to a misunderstanding, Krayzie insisted afterwards: “Krayzie Bone is far from a dead-beat dad, I take care of all my kids and love ‘em all.” Verdict: playa
9. ODB
Yes, the co-founder of the Wu-Tang Clan is now dead, but his paternal legacy lives on. Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s widow, Icelene Jones, was under the impression he only had three kids, but in recent months the mothers of 13 other children have come forward. Nevertheless, Jones insists: “Nothing was ever proven. There were never any blood tests or his signing any birth certificates. He has three children.” Verdict: Missing In Action
10. EMINEM
“Everything that I am doing right now is for Hailie,” Eminem explained in an interview last summer. He was talking about his seven-year-old daughter of course, which he does a lot. He also apparently realises the potential effects of his rhymes on her: “She might hear a word or a sentence that she doesn’t know how to take. I’d just rather not even play it around her.” Good work Shady, any ideas on how to keep it from the rest of our children? Verdict: misguided
