What’s it like to have a famous parent who’s in the entertainment industry? Better yet, what’s it like when that child is also an entertainer and has to follow some very successful footsteps?
Diddy’s son Christian Combs answered that question during an interview with Billboard and said he loves the advice his father gives him but hates the assumption that things are handed to him.
“I think the advantages of being Puff Daddy’s son is definitely getting advice and being able to learn the ropes and see how to do certain things and how not to do and just basically getting to see the success by just watching him and being a fly on the wall,” he explained. “And I think the disadvantage is probably the people doubting me or thinking we don’t work as hard as they do or them thinking people probably write for me or make my beats. It’s really nobody. It’s me and [my group] CYN. So that’s one of the hard things, the disadvantages to me. But they’ll know soon.”
Besides being a fashion model and currently the face of Dolce & Gabbana, Christian has dropped music as well, most notably his “Paid in Full” freestyle released in the spring of 2017.
So far his laid-back flow has been compared to his father’s, as well as Mase’s, and it’s likely people will want to see if he can duplicate either one’s success.
There are surely other kids with famous parents who feel that pressure, like Lauryn Hill’s daughter Selah Marley, who’s a successful model and also sings.
In September of 2017, Selah released the single “Breathe,” but before that she was hesitant to release music because of her mother’s accomplishments. Not to mention her grandfather is Bob Marley of all people.
“I work on songs quite often, but I don’t know what it is, part of me can’t fully commit,” she told V Magazine in 2016. “Part of me is held back by what other people will think of me and the shoes I have to fill … I’ll just have to take my time. Music is my ultimate passion in life.”
https://soundcloud.com/selahmarley/breathe-prod-by-kpr-feat-idkhim
Other celebs have talked about following in their parent’s footsteps but haven’t succumbed to high expectations.
In an interview with The New York Times, Tracee Ellis Ross said although her mother Diana Ross was always considered one of the most beautiful and stylish women in entertainment, she never felt the pressure to keep up or follow a standard of beauty.
That could be because she didn’t have to deal with social media on her way up, unlike people like Will and Jada’s daughter Willow, who said she hates having famous parents.
“Growing up and trying to figure out your life while people feel like they have some sort of entitlement to know what’s going on is absolutely excruciatingly terrible, and the only way to get over it is to go into it,” she said in November 2017.
“You can’t change your face, you can’t change your parents, you can’t change any of those things,” Willow added. “So I feel like most kids like me end up going down a spiral of depression … When you’re born into it, there are two choices that you have: I’m either going to try to go into it completely and help from the inside, or no one is going to know where I am, and I’m really going to take myself completely out of the eye of society. There’s really no in-between.”
Also, if you’ve noticed, unlike her brother Jaden, Willow has seemingly backed away from the spotlight and only releases projects sporadically.
Clearly, if she wanted to be a full-on star, the 17-year-old could take full advantage of her parent’s many connections and she definitely wouldn’t be the first.
Tracee Ellis Ross, for example, admitted that her first modeling gig came through her mother. It happened after French designer Thierry Mugler asked Diana to be in his 1991 fashion show in Paris, and she agreed only if Tracee — just 17 at the time — would join her.
Zoë Kravitz, whose parents are of course Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet, also admitted that her folks helped her with getting contacts, which she’s never taken for granted.
“I have a lot of great connections, but also I want to deliver and I want to have the respect of any other actress in the world,” she explained. “I also think I should try a little harder because there are the pros and cons of having famous parents … The best piece of advice my mom gave me was to stay true to my heart and remember where I came from.”
There’s also those like Nas, who made it before most even knew he had a famous parent, and he seemed to do everything on his own.
Before the legendary rapper dropped his classic debut “Illmatic,” his dad Olu Dara was an accomplished Jazz musician, who’s worked alongside other jazz greats.
Whether Puffy’s son does the same and creates his own legacy will be interesting to witness, but if he does the opposite and continues what his dad started, that might be an even better move.
