Mother of DMX, Arnett Simmons

Source: VH1

Who hasn’t heard about rapper DMX who brought us hits like “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem”? Well before ‘Dark Man X’ found fortune and fame, he suffered some trauma during his childhood at the hands of his mother which would later shape him into the man and entertainer we all came to love.

Arnett Simmons gave birth to DMX in Mount Vernon, New York at the age of 18. DMX’s father was not in the picture. A single mother, Arnett raised X and his two sisters alone. Her relationship with X was very tumultuous, often rife with physical abuse. One time, she beat the New York rapper so bad he lost teeth when she found out he erased words in her personal notebook. The abuse eventually led him to seek refuge in the streets and staying with friends. It was during that time that she enrolled him into a boys school. There he would learn how to hold his own with the other boys and found his love for rapping. It was a rough road that would eventually lead to greatness. In recent years, DMX came out saying he has forgiven his mother and understands that she was young and trying to figure out how to handle raising him and his siblings.

Mother of J Dilla, Maureen ‘Ma Dukes’ Yancey

We all love a good lo-fi hip hop playlist to wind down to. To some it may come as a surprise that the father of lo-fi, J Dilla, has been gone for 15 years now. Continuing the renowned producer’s legacy, Maureen Yancey has kept up with her son’s legacy by managing his name, likeness, and catalogue. Ma Dukes said in an interview that even if people hadn’t met Dilla they had met him through his music. In the same token, she proclaims that if you’ve heard a Dilla track then you have met Ma Dukes. She states that his studio was in her own home for many years. When he bought his own home and built a studio, she helped out and sat through all of his sessions. She cared for Yancey throughout his life as he struggled with lupus, an auto immune disease, and was his nurse round-the-clock during the last days of his life.

Cardi B, Mother of Kulture

Kulture Kiari Cephus and Cardi B on June 17, 2020 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images for Def Jam Recordings)

Cardi B had some very relatable stories about motherhood. The pop star who exploded on the scene with hit song, “Bodak Yellow” reflected on raising child, Kulture in Vogue Magazine: “Moms always give advice like, ‘Oh, when you have a baby things change, you will see, it’s not easy.’ It’s true. No matter how many books you read—cuz I read some books—you just really have to have a baby to see. I just want to say that I respect mothers more than ever now. I see moms differently, especially the young ones that, like, are so young and barely have experience or money. I don’t even know how they can do it.” On reflecting on her own experience she stressed how no matter how things play out in the lime light, her main priority is making sure her daughter has a good future.

Lauryn Hill, Mother of Zion

Everyone gives Lauryn Hill her right full spot in the annals of hip-hop. She would make a disappearance largely from the music spotlight for many years. She was busy with many projects, one notably being a mother. In her 1998 hit “To Zion” from The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill album she spoke on becoming a mom to her first son, Zion. A very moving song, she spoke about the pressures she felt from others who said to delay motherhood to focus on her career. Ms. Hill did not backdown. Her 1998 title saw massive success and is even noted to be listed in the top albums in history. But for hip-hop fans like us, we remember “To Zion” as a beautiful proclamation of mommies everywhere.

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