The legacy of the iconic hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan is forever embedded in music history and culture, and now their children are stepping into the spotlight.
In the second season of Paramount+‘s Family Legacy, the children of the Wu-Tang Clan members offer an intimate look at their lives, revealing their unique experiences growing up in the shadow of their fathers’ fame while carving their own paths.
When you realize Method Man is your dad
Cheyenne “Chey” Smith, daughter of founding Wu-Tang Clan member Method Man, told Blavity’s Shadow and Act in a recent interview, “We didn’t really understand. It was a lot of just like listening to beats and listening to music, and then seeing our dad on TV, and going to the shows.” She continued that as they grew older, “We grew a different appreciation for the work that he does, and we were able to see how much he affects people just by being himself and doing what he loves.”
Along with Chey and her brother Shakuan “Sha” Smith (known as PXWER), the episode features Prana Supreme Diggs (daughter of RZA), Dontae “iNTeLL” Hawkins (son of U-God), and Weather Park (son of Ol’ Dirty Bastard).
Family Legacy taps into MTV’s archives, sharing clips of Wu-Tang’s appearances on the network’s classic shows such as MTV Cribs, TRL, Yo! MTV Raps and more, as some of their children recall fond memories and reveal previously unknown stories.
Sha recalled their childhood friends mentioning how their dad wasn’t like everyone else’s dad. The duo laughed about memories of finally understanding their dad was famous and deciphering real life from fiction. Sha’s moment of realization was caught on a TRL episode when his father brought him on with him while speaking to host Carson Daly. However, Chey’s moment was a little more traumatic. She said seeing her dad in movies and TV shows getting beaten up or arrested would send her into a frenzy.
“I had to realize, like, ‘This is TV.’ He’s here. I’m literally sitting next to him, watching him get unalived on the TV. So there has to be some kind of difference here, and I need to grow up at some point,” she joked.
2nd Generation Wu
The episode also sheds light on how the Wu members’ children have grown up together and had first-hand training to be creative and innovative artists.
Diggs is part of country music’s O.N.E. The Duo with her mother, Wu-Tang Clan vocalist Tekitha Washington, while iNTeLL and Park are following in their fathers’ footsteps of being lyricists and producers. Chey and Sha are also taking their rightful place in the music industry. Chey has an endless string of viral freestyles under her belt, and Sha has worked on music with his father and performed alongside iNTeLL, Young Dirty Bastard, son of the late Ol’ Dirty Bastard, and Ghostface Killah’s son, Sun God, in 2nd Generation Wu.
Creating their paths
However, Chey and Sha agree that although it would be easy to use their father’s fame and success to catapult their careers, they are more than willing to do the work themselves.
Sha said they were “going after everything that we want on our own instead of just putting that hand out,” continuing, “We weren’t even raised to be like, you know, ‘Give me, give me, give me’ either.” He added, “It’s definitely something that we wear on our sleeve, loud and proud, that, you know, we don’t rely on quote unquote nepotism.”
Chey’s thoughts on fighting the nepotism accusation echoed her brothers, adding that “staying grounded and being humble” along with doing things independently from their father’s fame are significant factors in how they combat it, so others can see they did it themselves.
“We put in the work,” she said.
Being the child of a superstar can’t be easy, but Chey and Sha are navigating it with ease. As they dismiss nepo baby accusations and ignore the world lusting after their father, they’re doing the work to create their paths while still honoring their family legacy.
Family Legacy is available to stream on Paramount+.
