Lil Scrappy made sure his daughter Emani Richardson ushered in adulthood after her high school graduation with a rite of passage deemed acceptable for those 21 and older.
The 18-year-old marked the end of childhood over the weekend when she, along with other seniors from Dutchtown High School in Hampton, Georgia, earned their high school diplomas.
On May 20, the “Money In The Bank” rapper shared a carousel of photos and videos with the teen as they celebrated the milestone.
At first, it seemed like a run-of-the-mill post with images of Lil Scrappy and Emani sharing an embrace with smiles plastered across their faces.
In one of the clips, the proud father showed off a graduation sign in the front yard of a home, announcing the senior’s big day to the community.
Related: Fans Offer Lil Scrappy Parenting Advice After Post Hinting At His Teen Daughter’s ‘Lit’ Behavior
“Congratulations to my first born @official_emanii my oldest young Queen, im so proud of her and the young lady that she’s becoming, love how she pushed thru and got hers and now graduating and heading off to college, I feel like I didn’t go but God made it to where she could so I’m grateful. U GO GURL!!!!!!!” began his caption.
It ended by acknowledging another video clip that stirred mixed responses from fans. “Oh yeah the 3rd video is them youngins takin a graduation shot Tuh,” he wrote.
From behind the camera, Lil Scrappy is heard telling Emani and her friends, “Congratulations, y’all are grown. And Emani, it’s time to start paying some bills.”
The brief clip captured at least six girls, including his daughter, lifting red plastic cups and seemingly downing a liquid in mere seconds.
While it is impossible to know for certain if alcohol was in the cups, social media users still criticized the rapper for allegedly providing and welcoming the consumption of alcohol by minors.
One person wrote, “I hope that’s a shot of something non alcoholic because none of them are 21 right??”
Other comments included:
“Ima need y’all to quit acting like y’all waited till y’all was 21 to start drinking… Quit trying to tell folks how to raise their kids on this app!”
“It’s probably not alcohol. None of them made faces when they drunk it. I’m 31 and ima still make a damn face with every shot.”
“As long as she’s doing around her parents while it’s happening it’s fine.”
Georgia law states that persons under the age of 21 are not legally allowed to purchase or consume alcoholic beverages. Though there is an exception to the latter portion of the law, if a guardian or parent is present and provides the underage person with a drink, only then are they allowed to consume it.
According to Justia US Law, in the state of Georgia, “The custodial parent or parents shall have a right of action against any person who shall sell or furnish alcoholic beverages to that parent’s underage child for the child’s use without the permission of the child’s parent.”
The “Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta” alum shares the graduate with his ex Erica Dixon. The former off-and-on couple were romantically involved with each other for multiple years, including a brief engagement in 2012. They officially ended things in 2013, and have been co-parenting ever since.
Lil Scrappy went on to marry fellow “LHH” personality Bambi in 2017. They have three children, a son named Breland, and two daughters named Xylo and Cali. Dixon welcomed twin daughters, Embrii and Eryss, in 2019 with another man.
