Rapper T.I. has several children who have followed him and his wife, Tameka “Tiny” Harris, into the music industry, creating a lane for themselves. But he’s adamant he doesn’t want his bunch of seven to be anything like him or his Grammy-winning wife.
While visiting “The Breakfast Club” at the end of May, T.I. shared the very different attitudes he and his wife have about their kids’ careers.
DJ Envy brought up that he heard the Harrises were shopping deals for their youngest child, daughter Heiress Harris. The Grand Hustle CEO explained, “Nah,” but noted that the little songstress is moving around under the aegis of her celebrity mother.
“She’s up here with her mom,” T.I. said before straightening some things out, proclaiming, “For real, I don’t push the industry on none of my kids.”
“Heiress is under her mother’s tutelage as a singer and a performer and she just dropped the song with VanVan,” he continued, adding that even at 8 years old, “she is a dope-ass MC.”
Like Heiress, VanVan is another child star who built her rise to fame with videos on Instagram to being managed by the legendary MC Lyte.
When asked by Charlamagne Tha God if the two are a house divided with Tiny pushing for the kids to be child stars, like she was when she joined the platinum-selling group Xscape, he said “Yes.”
“She definitely Josephine Jackson,” T.I. joked.
Josephine Jackson is a play on the name of Michael Jackson’s father, Joseph Jackson.
According to entertainment lore, Joe was a merciless manager, who made 9 of his 10 children with Katherine Jackson (Rebbie, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, LaToya, Marlon, Michael, Randy and Janet) work relentlessly until they perfected their craft. While he pushed his kids, sometimes too hard, according to both Michael and Janet, they all credit him as being the engine behind their mega-success.
michael jackson with janet jackson and their mom, katherine, behind the scenes of scream, 1995 pic.twitter.com/9weAFqrGCV
— • (@themjarchives) April 12, 2022
“I really just want the kids to be able to focus on being kids and developing all of the fundamental principles that they need in their life and they character,” T.I. continued during the interview.
According to the King of the South, their mom has a completely different idea for their kids.
“She like, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah. They gonna have that too, but they gonna do some work,’ and I respect the fact that she wanted them to work early. I just know that this game is unforgiving,” the chart-topper said.
The Harris family is a blended bunch including seven children, several of whom are involved in the music industry, and one grandchild. All were introduced through their family series “T.I. & Tiny: The Family Hustle” on VH1.
Zonnique Jailee Pullins
The first one to enter the business was Zonnique Jailee Pullins, Tiny’s daughter from a previous relationship with Zonnie Pullins.
Zonnique con su mamá, Tiny! <3. pic.twitter.com/X7GG99wpbC
— Team OMG Spain (@OMGGirlzSpain) May 14, 2013
The 28-year-old began in 2009 as a member of the OMG Girlz before stepping out on her own to start a solo run. Tiny started the group for her daughter by partnering with Kiesha Miles, one of the original members of Tiny’s group Xscape. They were signed to her Tiny’s Pretty Hustle record label.
Zonnique, who was called Miss Star, was joined by a cast that at various times included Bahja Rodriguez (Miss Beauty), Breaunna Womack (Miss Babydoll), Lourdes Rodriguez (Miss Lolo), and Reginae Carter (Miss Baby), who is the oldest daughter of rapper Lil Wayne.
By 2020, long after the group disbanded. Zonnique had moved on to release several singles, EPs and gave birth to her daughter, Hunter, with rapper Bandhunta Izzy in December of that year.
Messiah Ya’Majesty Harris
The 24-year-old Messiah is T.I.’s eldest son with Lashon Dixon. He is an all-around entertainer, reality star and singer who since 2022 has been performing rock and blues music under the stage name “Buddy Red.”
It’s unclear if Messiah seeks advice about music, songs or finances from his dad or stepmom.
As Buddy Red, he’s able to showcase his vocal and guitar playing skills, unlike his other siblings who have leaned toward rap and hip-hop music.
As an actor, he appeared in movies such as 2018’s “The Products of the American Ghetto,” 2019’s “The Trap,” alongside his dad and Teyana Taylor and “Sons 2 the Grave” in 2022.
Domani Uriah Harris
Domani, 23, is T.I.’s second-oldest son, and he also started his music career at a young age. The rapper released his first EP, “The Process,” in 2016, and has earned a Tony Award nomination for his work on “SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical” with his dad. Domani’s mother is also Lashon Dixon.
So gifted a lyrical talent, the 23-year-old has received massive praise for his lyricism and wordplay from big-time artists like J. Cole and drawing comparisons to Kendrick Lamar.
Also in the interview, T.I. said he previously told his son that he “sucked.” But now he describes Domani as one of the most “eloquent rappers of today.”
Clifford “King” Joseph Harris III
One of the most popular of the Harris children (mostly because of his headline-grabbing antics) is the first child T.I. and Tiny share. Born in 2004, King is a rapper and festival creator, always standing on business. He has also made a name for himself as an influencer who teeters between embracing his life as a reality star and rejecting the affluence that comes with it.
In 2016, he put out an album called “Nightmare on Wolff St,” and often performed under the name Kid Saiyan.
T.I. said King has also taken a serious liking to boxing, saying, “If he decides to dedicate himself to it, it’s something that he could thrive in if he took it seriously.”
Heiress Diana Harris
Heiress is the youngest star that the family has shared with the world. Her singing prowess has not only been on display side by side with her mother and father. She most recently showcased her vocals with the Essence Children Choir during the 2023 holiday season.
The 8-year-old has taken vocal lessons with a coach for years, and she often practices with songs from Tiny’s Xscape catalog. Her efforts were just recognized by her guest appearance on a song by social media superstar VanVan.
The young entertainer can create a stage anywhere and her mother does everything in her power to make sure baby girl is headed for success. On June 9, Tiny posted a video of Heiress sitting against the wall in a squat position while being coached by vocalist Regina Love
“I’m the worst poster but day after PL it was time for VL with my family @iamreginalove as u can see..Regina got her on a strict regimen to strengthen them vocals thru that diaphragm. Give my baby a few more years she gone be in @beyonce Real Beast Mode!!” wrote Tiny.
She continued, “Greatness takes time & discipline & dedication! Thank you Regina & the whole #HeiressTeam for all u do!! Have a Blessed Sunday.”
There are two of the Harris children who are content with not being in the family business:
Deyjah Imani Harris
T.I.’s eldest daughter — she turns 23 on June 17 — is a popular social media influencer with nearly two million followers on Instagram. Deyjah acts as a brand ambassador for Fashion Nova and other brands. She uses her social media platforms to address mental health stigmas and controversy about her father’s resurfaced statements.
The “Trap Muzik” rapper received backlash for telling the world he takes Deyjah on “yearly trips to the gynecologist” in order to check on the status of her virginity. Deyjah has since forgiven her father, who has learned to think before he speaks when it comes to women’s bodies.
In an episode of “The Breakfast Club” from July 2020, T.I. revealed that he apologized to Deyjah for publicly revealing what should have been a private matter.
Major Philant Harris
Major, the baby boy of the bunch, prefers to stay in the background but still wants to pick up his pen, his father says.
“[Major] just brought so much joy to my heart when he was like, ‘Nah, I don’t want no parts of [music]. I just want… to be an author,’” T.I. said on “The Breakfast Club.” “Like, he want to like write books and do stories and so that was that was like a relief for me.”
The 16-year-old celebrated his birthday earlier this month. However, social media fans only get a glimpse of Major when he attends school dances or whenever his mother Tiny posts Major and his girlfriend.
