Every Rapper Ever Hates Their Dad: Our Mostly Non-Existent Father’s Day Playlist Posted by Nathan S. on 06/10/13 | Filed under Opinion

I'm a dad. It's a job I take pretty seriously. Even more seriously than my actual "job", which is only a job in the loosest sense of the word. (Come on, I get paid to write this, that's a ridiculous job.) So I'm legitimately looking forward to this Father's Day, aka the one day a year dads get even the least amount of shine. There's only one problem:

Putting together a Fathers Day playlist of tracks rappers dedicated to their dads. Its zero songs long.

— Refined Hype (@refinedhype) June 10, 2013

You know how Pac came out with "Dear Mama", and suddenly every rapper decided it was cool to do a song dedicated to their mom? Yeah, that shit has never happened for dads. And yes, I know that a lot of rappers had absent or shitty dads - Prodigy's dad apparently committed a jewelry robbery with him - but come on, you're telling me not ONE rapper had a good relationship with their dad? NOT ONE rapper was like, "In retrospect, by dad's a big reason I'm where I am today, frankly the least I could do would be to write him a song."

Come on RefinedHype Nation, I know we can put together at least a little something for me and my fellow rap dads out there....

@refinedhype what about the deadbeat dad songs haha

— Jeff Chazer (@Chazer11) June 10, 2013

Exactly the point. There are approximately 40 billion songs about shitty dads, apparently nothing inspired a rapper to get into music quite like a deadbeat dad, but I'm not asking for much here people. Just one song.

@refinedhype outro on chances tape only thing tangential to that topic that I can think of

— ＫＯＯＬ Ｄ.Ａ.Ｄ. (@BauceSauce) June 10, 2013

True, that shit was an extraordinarily rare example of a supportive and proud dad. But if the best case scenario for dad songs is an intro to a mixtape outro, we're not exactly doing so good.

@refinedhype Also, Champion by Kanye West is another one

— Xavier Jackson (@LYED) June 10, 2013

His dad told him not to lust for expensive shit, good advice that he obviously completely ignored. Not exactly a song about dads so much as it is a song that mentions dads, but at least it's on an album.

@refinedhype "His Dream"

— Ruben Hinote (@cubdex) June 10, 2013

I had to look this one up, Asher Roth's "His Dream" is more of a general song about dads who crush their dreams to support their children than a song about his specific dad, which is kind of fucking depressing, but at least it's a full song. As long as we're here, look who had Miguel on a hook way before Miguel hooks were cool.

@refinedhype rich dad poor dad?

— Big Whiskey (@BigWhiskNC) June 10, 2013

Getting closer. "Rich Dad Poor Dad" is more of a song about all the good advice that K.R.I.T.'s dad has given him then a song specifically about his dad, but at its core it's about a positive relationship between a dope rapper and his dad. I'll take it.

@refinedhype Fathers Day by Yelawolf is dope

— Ben (@CheddaBen) June 10, 2013

Now we're really getting somewhere. Yela's Yelawolf's "Father's Day" is one of the only true "for the dads" songs out there, huge respect to Yela for doing this one. Rapping about being a dad is oddly taboo for a rap culture completely comfortable with talking about getting head from strippers.

@refinedhype: bridging the gap?

— repent harlequin (@theticktockman) June 10, 2013

UPDATE:

@refinedhype yooo, it just hit me, R.A. The Rugged Man - Legends Never Die (Daddy`s Halo), that`s definitely made for his deceased dad

— BibiSez (@BibiSez) June 11, 2013

Great call. RA actually talked in depth about his dad in that dope Combat Jack interview.

This one has to be considered the all-time leader in dad songs. It's not as openly positive as something like "Rich Dad Poor Dad", but it features an actual collaboration. In other words, he actually has a good relationship with his dad, something no other rapper either has or is willing to admit.

So how about it RefinedHype Nation, is that the complete collection? In the entire history or rap, there are less than five even remotely positive songs even about dads, and nothing that can top "Bridging the Gap"? Maybe, I've racked my extensive rap knowledge, but that's about all I can come up with as well. Anyone else? All the rap dads out there deserve at least a ten song playlist.