Coi Leray has had a tumultuous relationship with her father, Benzino, since childhood, although they've experienced several ups and downs over the past few years.
The young Grammy-nominated rapper, 26, and her father, 58, have frequently shown their love for one another publicly and then denounced each other not long after.
The latest comments spurring from their relationship, however, seems to suggest that there's a lot more going on behind the scenes that fans aren't aware of.
© Getty ImagesWho is Coi Leray's father Benzino?
Born Raymond Leon Scott, Benzino first rose to prominence in the '80s and '90s as one of the founding members of the rap groups the Almighty RSO and Made Men. He released his debut solo album in 2001 under his stage name Benzino, titled The Benzino Project.
He made a majority of his wealth, however, when David Mays founded The Source magazine in 1988 and brought on Benzino as a co-owner, with the magazine quickly becoming the "bible of hip-hop."
It was immensely popular, becoming one of the highest-selling publications on newsstands in the country and one of the defining voices in the music and culture space in the '90s and aughts. However, following reports of assault and harassment, both were fired in 2006.
© Getty ImagesBenzino also became a staple of reality TV when he appeared in three seasons of the series Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta as well as the series Marriage Boot Camp with ex-girlfriend Althea Heart.
What do we know about Coi Leray's family?
The "Players" rapper was born in 1997 to Benzino and her mother, whose name neither has publicly revealed as she prefers to keep her life out of the spotlight. Soon after his exit from The Source, they called it quits.
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Benzino stated on the Gagging with Jason Lee podcast: "I think me and Coi's mother might have been together for about 9, 10 years, and after we broke up [Coi] still flew to me every Christmas, every summer, every spring, every birthday, I didn't miss it."
© Getty ImagesCoi grew up in a house full of boys, with her parents welcoming another son together, Taj, her mother's two sons from a previous relationship, and Benzino's son with Althea, born in November 2015.
She stated in an interview with DJ Vlad that after Benzino's exit from The Source, money became more of an issue and she decided to go to work when she was a teenager. "When I was nine [I] really started understanding things. Money wasn't flowing how it was [before], so when I moved in with my mom things were different."
What do we know about Coi Leray and her father Benzino's feud?
© Getty ImagesIt first began in 2021, when Coi shaded him in the lyrics of her song "No More Parties," saying: "My daddy let me down, but I promise you, I won't let up, I wanna say [expletive]that man but the [expletive] won't make me better."
She spoke in a separate interview about him being "envious" of her success. On the We in Miami podcast, he denied being a "deadbeat dad" and any feelings of envy, saying: "I don't want to be known as that. I don't care what people think, but that hurt me. That's my daughter, I raised her."
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Things seemed to be progressing, however, when he showed up to her set at Rolling Loud Miami 2023, the first time he'd seen her perform live. In an interview with People soon after, she spoke about her major influence in life and career being Rihanna.
© Getty Images"One thing Rihanna had said was she had forgave her father," Coi shared. "And ever since she did that, it helped their relationship. And me being younger, me being the one that looks up to her, being able to see that motivates me to one day, hopefully – you know what I'm saying – on a personal level with me and my people, we come to those circumstances."
What latest comments did Coi Leray make about her father?
After her dad gave a new interview in which he defended R. Kelly over his child sexual abuse charges and asked for a "second chance" for the disgraced R&B singer, Coi took to X to share new thoughts on her father, writing: "I want everybody to know I want nothing to do with anything my father has going on."
© Getty Images"I haven't spoken to him in over a year and I don't condone or respect any of them interviews he got going on. I don't respect his decisions and I really want nothing to do with him please dont even think of me when you see him."
Coi denounced their family ties, saying: "Sharing the same DNA and blood DOESN'T make us FAMILY. Loyalty, boundaries, respect, teaching, guidance, love, patience, encouragement MAKES US FAMILY."
She even added: "I can't wait to have a kid one day. I can't wait to look her/him in the eye and tell them how much I love them."
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