ET's taking a look at famous Black superstars whose talents have undoubtedly been passed on to their kids.
Black History Month is here, and in honor of the month-long celebration, ET's taking a look at famous Black superstars whose children are following in their footsteps.
As we continue to highlight the historic achievements of Black Americans (and their undeniable impact on history) all throughout the month of February and beyond, we also want to celebrate the amazing skill sets that singers, actors, sports stars and more are passing down to their kids.
From Blue Ivy Carter accompanying mom Beyoncé on a song and a fashion spread, to Charlie Woods learning all the best golf tips from his dad, Tiger Woods, it's clear that talent runs deep in a number of Black families across Hollywood.
Below, we've rounded up a few celebrity children who are undoubtedly making their parents proud.
BEYONCÉ AND DAUGHTER BLUE IVY CARTER
In July 2019, when Beyoncé and JAY-Z's daughter was just seven years old, she received her first-ever writing credit for "Brown Skinned Girl," a song featured on The Lion King: The Gift album. The track, which Blue Ivy sings on with her mom, SAINt JHN and WizKid, also won a BET Award in June of that same year.
Beyoncé's mother, Tina Knowles-Lawson, spoke with ET at the time about what it was like hearing her granddaughter on an album at such a young age. "Oh my god. That album is incredible," she gushed. "I can't get enough of it and, of course, I'm not biased but that was wonderful and for Blue to be a part of it, it's amazing."
MASTER P AND SON ROMEO MILLER AND DAUGHTER CYMPHONIQUE
If there's anyone in the business that puts family first, it's Master P! Through No Limit Records, the legendary rapper helped son Romeo Miller, now 32, achieve superstar status. In the early 2000s, Romeo (who went by Lil' Romeo at the time) rose to fame with his debut single, "My Baby." Just like his pops, he later went on to found a number of record labels, including The Next Generation and No Limit Forever Records.
Cymphonique, now 245 also fell in love with music at a young age, portraying the lead role of artist Kacey Simon in Nickelodeon's How to Rock in 2012. Since then, she's released a number of singles over the years, including "Butterflies" and "Lil Miss Swagger," and has toured with other talented artists like JoJo, Raven-Symoné, Ashley Tisdale and Demi Lovato.
MARIAH CAREY AND TWINS MONROE AND MOROCCAN
Are the 10-year-old twins Mariah Carey shares with ex-husband Nick Cannon superstar singers in the making? It's sure looking that way! At the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, Mariah shared a sweet video of Monroe and Moroccan washing their hands while rapping along to the fire verse the late ODB belted out in her 1995 hit, "Fantasy."
The video was posted just a few weeks after Mariah helped Monroe hit a high note for an epic TikTok video. "When your daughter wants to do a #highnotechallenge," the "Hero" singer captioned the clip. Additionally, Monroe and Moroccan both sang the background vocals for "All I Want for Christmas Is You" on social media in 2018, and sang in their mom's music video for "The Star" in 2017. And with a mom like Mariah, we imagine it will only be a matter of time before these two are making headlines for their own music!
DIDDY AND SON CHRISTIAN CASEY COMBS
When he was just 16 years old, Christian Casey Combs (aka King Combs), signed a record deal with Bad Boy Entertainment, the label his father, Diddy, founded. The artist, now 23, is currently working on new music following the March 2019 release of his debut EP, Cyncerely, C3.
"Christian Casey Combs, he lives on the wild side a little bit and loves to have to fun, he is in his most comfortable space with the people he loves," Christian explained in an interview with CR Fashion Book. "King Combs is the music artist, he is in his star element, confident and focusing on his dreams."
"This the album where I prove that I belong to be in the music game," he added. "This isn’t a hobby because of who my dad is, this is my passion."
In addition to new music, Christian has also joined his father -- along with brothers Quincy Brown and Justin Combs and creative director/celebrity choreographer Laurieann Gibson -- as a judge on MTV's Making the Band revival.
TAMEKA "TINY" HARRIS AND DAUGHTER ZONNIQUE PULLINS
As many of her fans know, Tameka "Tiny" Harris has an incredibly impressive resume. In the 1990s, the wife of rapper T.I. rose to fame as a member of the R&B group Xscape, singing lead vocals for songs like "Understanding," "All I Need" and "My Little Secret." Tiny and fellow former Xscape group member Kandi Burruss also received a GRAMMY Award in 2000 for penning TLC's hit, "No Scrubs."
Now, Tiny's 25-year-old daughter, Zonnique (whom she shares with ex Zonnie Pullins), is becoming a star in her own right. After kicking off her musical career with the girl group OMG Girlz, Zonnique has been working on solo music. She's already released a number of catchy singles, including "#FCTU," "Winner" and "Patience."
Tiny and Zonnique also work together on Fox Soul's The Mix. "The show is a talk show for the younger generation," Zonnique told ET last October. "It all started with my mom just having this idea... She's the executive producer and she thought of me being a part of it, just me being her child."
"... It all just really came together really in a short period of time, to be honest," Zonnique added of the show. "Everything just flowed really well with putting this show together."
LIL WAYNE AND DAUGHTER REGINAE CARTER
Like Zonnique, Lil Wayne's 23-year-old daughter, Reginae, also kicked off her musical career with the OMG Girlz, later releasing a solo single titled "Mind Goin Crazy." She's also been featured on her father's Tha Carter V album, on a song called "Famous," and recently collaborated with Mike Hart for "Truth."
"Lil Wayne 'The Boss' has high expectations for my career, so he's on me," Reginae said in a 2014 interview with Fuse. "He's like, 'OK, you have to do this.' He teaches me what to do and how because he knows about it already."
"Lil Wayne 'The Dad,' he's fun; he's like my best friend," she added. "At home, he's Dad unless a business call comes in!"
When she's not busy with her professional work, Reginae also enjoys making music with friends, just for fun. "We have a lot of rap songs, actually," she shared in a video posted to her YouTube channel. "Maybe we'll might put them out one day for somebody's birthday or something."
KANYE WEST AND DAUGHTER NORTH
Never have we seen Kanye West happier than the moment he let his 8-year-old daughter, North (whom he shares with Kim Kardashian West), steal the spotlight at his Yeezy fashion show in Paris, France, last March. While models walked the runway, the proud dad brought North onstage and let her belt out her own adorable beats. "To see her up there, I honestly just started crying," Kim recalled of the sweet moment, during an episode of KUWTK. "I'm so proud at how confident she is. She obviously gets that from her dad, and it just makes me so happy that she's not afraid to try anything. That, to me, was just so much fun to see."
It's no secret, of course, that North has a natural passion for performing, along with oil painting, cooking, modeling and more. Prior to her cute cameo at Paris Fashion Week, Kim and Kanye's eldest child has made plenty of appearances in videos shared by all members of the Kardashian-Jenner clan. The aspiring singer can almost always be found rapping, dancing or entertaining the crowd wherever she goes, and we can't wait to see what she does next!
SANDRA "PEPA" DENTON AND DAUGHTER EGYPT CRISS
Fans who watched Growing Up Hip Hop got a firsthand look inside Egypt's journey to music, including the very real advice from her mother, Sandra "Pepa" Denton of hip-hop group Salt-N-Pepa, and father, Treach of Naughty By Nature.
"I love it, man," Treach said in an interview with The Breakfast Club last year, when asked how he feels about Egypt being in the industry. "I knew it was going to blow up, but I knew she'd have great coaching. Like, we'll let her know how the game is, what to look out for, and she's basically been singing on her own since she was [little]. She's like a sponge. She picks up so well on everything ... and she's already an entrepreneur."
Egypt knows just how legendary her parents are in the hip-hop world, but unlike some other celebrity kids, she has never tried to hide that. The singer most recently paid tribute to her mom by listening to Salt-N-Pepa's "None of Your Business" at the beginning of the music video for her latest song, "Our Time."
"I know I've got big shoes to fill," Egypt admitted in the aforementioned interview. "And I need to fill them if I wanna be somewhere. I've just been practicing every day."
BOB MARLEY AND SON ZIGGY
The 53-year-old son of music icon Bob Marley (who died in 1981) is doing everything in his power to keep his father's legacy alive, while making music of his own.
"What I learned most about my father from being around him is a way of having principles and living up to your principles and standing up for your principles," Ziggy said in a 2018 interview with the Recording Academy. "And what your purpose is beyond your own selfish needs. Having him as an example was a good example for me. His examples are good examples for me, of selflessness, charity, standing up for what you believe, and having principles. Spirituality too."
ET spoke with Ziggy in September 2020 about his children's album, More Family Time, which he made amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. He also gave ET a tour of his home recording studio, where he keeps the eight GRAMMYs he's earned over the years. Needless to say, we think his father would be very proud of all he's accomplished.
LISA BONET, LENNY KRAVITZ AND DAUGHTER ZOË KRAVITZ
Zoë may be the spitting image of her mother, Lisa Bonet, but the 33-year-old actress, singer and model certainly takes after both Mom and Dad. Like her father, Lenny Kravitz, Zoë has a passion for music, and fronts the band Lolawolf. They released the album Calm Down in 2014, followed by their latest, Tenderness, in 2020.
Throughout her years in the spotlight, Zoë has also followed in Lisa's acting footsteps by starring in hit films and TV shows like Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Big Little Lies and High Fidelity. She told ET in 2016 that she credits her mom as someone who has guided her along the way and helped her stand in her power.
"My mother, for me," she gushed at the time. "I think a lot of people would say their moms. [But] mine is in the industry, so that works out."
WILL SMITH AND SON JADEN
Will Smith's son, Jaden (now 23), made his acting debut at the age of six alongside his dad in The Pursuit of Happyness. "It was a great performance and just beautiful for our family, the time we got to spend together," Will told ET in 2006, of what it was like having Jaden on set at the time. "We're trying to allow it to remain a celebration not a competition."
Just like Will, Jaden went on to star in a number of films and TV shows, but also pursued a career in music. His debut studio album, Syre, was released in November 2017, followed by Erys in July 2019, and CTV3: Cool Tape Vol. 3 last August.
While speaking with ET at BeautyCon in 2017, Jaden joked about how his father was constantly trying to give him advice while working on Syre.
"He really does love to give advice," he shared. "And actually, since I've been working on [music] for so long, he's kind of seen it through the process and through the growth."
DENZEL WASHINGTON AND SON JOHN DAVID
At 37 years old, John David is quickly becoming a leading man in Hollywood, just like his father, Denzel Washington. The former pro athlete is now an A-list actor, who has already starred in films like BlacKkKlansman, Tenet and Malcolm & Marie.
When ET spoke with John David backstage at the Hollywood Film Awards in 2018, he joked that he "didn't have a choice" making it in Hollywood, with a father like Denzel and mother like Pauletta Washington.
"I guess I didn't, but I love the choice," he said at the time. "I'm so excited, so proud and so grateful for the opportunity to do the work. 'Cause that's what it's about; it's about the process."
That same year, at a press junket for The Equalizer, ET asked Denzel if it's on his bucket list to work with his son onscreen. "With my son? Ahh, you know, it's up to him," he explained. "It's his world, I am just living in it."
"I try to make sure I let him be who he is," he continued. "Because if you [don't] lead with that, then like, 'Oh yeah, his father gave him the job.' I gave him nothing."
ICE CUBE AND SON O'SHEA JACKSON JR.
Like John David, Ice Cube's son, O'Shea Jackson Jr., is also trying to make his father proud, while doing things his own way. The actor landed his first starring role playing his father in the 2015 biopic Straight Outta Compton.
"A lot of people didn't want me to do it, but he wanted me to do it and that's really all that I needed," O'Shea told ET at the time. "And you know, it's uh, it's part of my family's legacy. It's way bigger than NWA to me and to be able to submit that into history, it means the world."
O'Shea's career has clearly soared from there, landing films like Ingrid Goes West and Den of Thieves, and Ice Cube spoke with ET in 2020 about why he thinks that happened.
"I knew all the amazing talents that he had, and I knew that he can do anything as far as range-wise," he raved. "To me it was important for him to find his range. I think he can do anything and he's not, you know, pigeonholed to just play movies that they can't put me in."
DWAYNE "THE ROCK" JOHNSON AND DAUGHTER SIMONE
The father-daughter duo announced in February 2020 that Simone started training to become a wrestling superstar at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, in hopes of keeping her family's wrestling legacy going. "It means the world to me," Simone said in a press release at the time. "To know that my family has such a personal connection to wrestling is really special to me and I feel grateful to have the opportunity, not only to wrestle, but to carry on that legacy."
Simone is fourth in a long line of wrestlers from her famous family. Her great-grandfather, Peter Maivia, and grandfather, Rocky Johnson, were both WWE Hall of Famers. We honestly can't wait to see her shine in the ring, and kick some major a**!
LeBRON JAMES AND SON BRONNY
LeBron James Jr., aka "Bronny," has had sports fans everywhere wondering when he'll enter the NBA like his famous dad! Bronny is currently the star of his high school basketball team at Sierra Canyon School in Chatsworth, California, but his skills prove it will only be a matter of time before he scores a NBA championship ring of his own. (LeBron James has four, his latest from leading the Los Angeles Lakers to their 17th championship last year.)
"The greatest achievement in my life? If I'm on the same court as my son in the NBA," James said during a production meeting for the 2018 NBA Finals, referring to the possibility of Bronny being drafted straight out of high school in 2023. "I've thought about it, and he might be able to get in there a little earlier."
In another interview with ET, LeBron also spoke about the role family plays in success. "Anytime you have an opportunity to have fun or do great things, you want your family to be a part of it," he said. "Your family is your backbone. Without your family, you can't move forward. You can't do the things you want to do to be successful."
DWYANE WADE AND SON ZAIRE
Just like their fathers, Bronny and Zaire know what it's like to play on the court together! Zaire, the son of former NBA star Dwyane Wade, also played basketball for Sierra Canyon School before transferring to Brewster Academy, a boarding school in New Hampshire.
"Dropping your oldest off to school is another set of emotions that I didn’t know existed," Dwyane, who played with the Miami Heat, wrote on Instagram last August. "I'm a proud father! My goal as a parent is to raise kids who know their worth and that are better than I could ever be."
"He’s already way ahead of me at [his age]," he added. "He's already built different. I'm excited for him to go on this journey of life as he becomes Zaire Wade!"
SHAQUILLE O'NEAL AND SON SHAREEF
Shaquille O'Neal's son, Shareef, announced in February 2020 that he would be transferring from UCLA to LSU, the same school where he dad was a two-time All-American. "Real big footsteps [to follow in], but I'm ready for it," Shareef told Sports Illustrated at the time. "Great program. Louisiana is a different scene. I've been in L.A. most of my life, but I'm ready for it."
Growing up, Shareef also looked up to Shaq's former teammate, Kobe Bryant, who tragically died last January alongside his 13-year-old daughter in a helicopter crash. He told SI that Kobe's death has made him "focus" more on the court. "I feel like it changed my basketball drive to, like, times 10," he explained. "I'm going to do it for him because I know he would want me to do well."
As for Shaq? He couldn't be prouder of what his son has already accomplished. "I just try to give him secrets," he told ET in 2019. "The position he plays is not the position I played. However, I've played with a lot of greats like Kobe, D. Wade and LeBron, so if I can give a little bit of what I saw them do to him, then I'm just doing my job."
TIGER WOODS AND SON CHARLIE
Tiger Woods is widely regarded as one of the greatest pro golfers of all time, and his son, Charlie, is clearly wasting no time trying to master the sport on his own! The nyoung athlete made headlines in December 2020 for becoming the youngest golfer to ever compete in the PNC Championship.
Charlie drove the ball around 175 yards at the time, setting him up for his first eagle, which proud dad Tiger couldn't stop raving over in videos shared to social media by the PGA Tour. "He enjoyed being out there," Tiger later told reporters of his son's impressive performance. "Him hitting some of those incredible shots and carrying from the range to the golf course is what we talked about."
"The idea was to make sure we had fun," he added. "I think he did."
For the latest content celebrating Black History Month, please visit our Black History Month page, or read more in our Black Stories section. And don’t miss our Black History Month special on ET Live.
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