All About Coi Leray's Parents, Rapper Benzino and Her Mother

Coi Leray says she’s following in her dad’s musical footsteps

Coi Leray fondly remembers his childhood.

Born in Boston, Massachusetts on May 11, 1997, the “Player” sensation was raised in New Jersey by her mom and dad, rapper Raymond Leon Scott, known as Benzino.

As the only girl in a family of six, she grew up feeling like “one of the boys,” she told PEOPLE. “It was on,” she told DJ Vlad of her childhood. “It was hard, but it was exciting at the same time.”

Coi and her father, former co-owner of a hip-hop magazine Sourcethey’ve been through their share of public ups and downs throughout her career, with the pair taking turns expressing their love for each other and trading criticism on social media.

The two seem to have patched things up recently, with Benzino supporting Coi during her performance at Rolling Loud Miami 2023.

From growing up with her mother to following in her dad’s musical footsteps, here’s everything you need to know about Coi Leray’s parents.

Benzino rose to fame as a rapper in the 1980s

Benzino performs at the House of Blues in Chicago, Illinois in March 2003.

Raymond Boyd/Getty

Born Raymond Leon Scott in Boston in 1965, Coi’s father initially went by the stage name Raydog before later promoting himself as Benzino, according to his Spotify bio.

He came to the public for the first time as a member of the group Svemoguči RSO. They debuted in 1986, and were eventually picked up and dropped by several record labels due to numerous scandals.

He and several former members of Almighty RSO later formed another rap group called Made Men. In 2001, he released his debut solo album, Project Benzino, with Motown and ZNO Records.

Benzino in co-ownership Source

Source, once known as the “Bible of Hip-Hop,” was the leading magazine on hip-hop music and culture during the 1990s and early 2000s. It was founded in 1988 by David Mays, who later brought in Benzino as co-owner and president of the company.

Both were fired in 2006, after several scandals — including a workplace sexual harassment lawsuit filed by former editor-in-chief Kim Osorio — prompted major advertisers to withdraw their support. The company filed for Chapter 11 in 2007, according to reports Board.

Benzion spoke about the magazine’s reputation at Drink Champs podcast in 2020, saying, “As dysfunctional as it seems, the relationship between me and Dave and how it came to be Source what happened. Since Dave’s from college, I’m from the streets, it just came from two perspectives, and that’s how we ran the magazine.”

Recently, in 2023, he reflected on his actions as a boss during an interview on My professional opinion podcast. “I had to learn and grow,” he said. “I was wrong. And that’s not the way it should be.”

Benzino and Coi’s mother were together for 9 years

Benzino attends the Atlanta screening of “The Next 15” on February 10, 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Paras Griffin/Getty

The former couple were together for ten years before divorcing in the mid-2000s, following Benzino’s forced departure from Source. Together they welcomed two children, Coi and her brother Taj. Coi’s mother already had two sons from a previous relationship, while Benzino also had one son (and later had another in 2015 with Althea Heart).

After the split, the couple worked hard to parent their children, Benzino told Hollywood Unlocked Choking with Jason Lee podcast.

“I think me and Coi’s mother were together for maybe 9, 10 years, and after we broke up [Coi] he still flew to me every Christmas, every summer, every spring, every birthday, I didn’t miss it,” he said, adding that he always tried to be with his family.

Coi’s mother worked as a bartender to support her children

After her parents split up, Coi’s mom raised her and her brothers mostly by herself in New Jersey. While the family previously enjoyed a more lavish lifestyle, they had to adjust to a new normal after Benzino’s departure from Source.

“When I was nine years old [I] really started to understand things. Money didn’t flow like it used to [before]so when I moved in with my mom, things were different,” she told DJ Vlad.

The “Self Love” singer revealed that her family relied on food stamps, and she ended up dropping out of high school in the 10th grade to pursue full-time work. “It also humbled me,” she said.

The change in the family’s financial status was a big change for everyone, Coi told DJ Vlad, admitting her mother struggled.

“She was a bartender, she started bartending,” she said. “To adapt from that lifestyle to a new one, everyone had to feel uncomfortable. It was about rebuilding,” she explained, adding that the whole family worked hard to support themselves.

“We weren’t close to where we started, but everyone was working,” she said. “My mom worked, my brothers worked hard, I got a job as soon as I could. I worked any job – A&P supermarket, Dunkin’ Donuts, Palermo’s Bakery, pizzerias.”

Coi’s mother has always supported her career

Coi Leray performs on stage during the second day of the Afro Nation Detroit Festival on August 20, 2023.

Aaron J. Thornton/Getty

Coi’s path to fame was unique, with the rapper first dropping out of high school at age 16 to work in sales.

When the singer approached her mother with the idea, she immediately supported it, Coi told DJ Vlad, explaining that she started earning enough money to support herself.

That decision “made me the person I am today and helped me become the young woman I am,” said the Grammy-nominated artist, who as a teenager got her own apartment and car and worked for Yellowstone Capital.

The “Baby Don’t Hurt Me” singer called her mom “one of my biggest supporters,” sharing her love for her on TikTok in videos where you can hear her mom leading a prayer.

Her father is a reality star

Benzino attends a private screening of “Mixed Girl” in Atlanta on May 4, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Paras Griffin/Getty

After his public outburst in Source, Benzino turned to reality TV. He was the main support Love and Hip Hop: Atlanta for the first three seasons of the series, from 2012 to 2014.

He continued his time on the small screen with Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars 2015, joining the cast of Season 4. In the show, he proposed to the singer Althea Heart, with whom he later had a son, Zin, in 2016.

Coi’s mother stays out of the limelight

Coi Leray’s mother and nephew.

Coi Leray X

While Coi and her father built careers in the spotlight, Coi’s mother decided to keep the details of her life private. Neither Coi nor Benzino publicly announced her name, and she only rarely appeared on the “Bops” singer’s social networks.

Coi and her father had a tumultuous relationship

Coi and her father had several public feuds that played out on social media, starting in 2021.

At the time, she shaded him in the lyrics of her song “No More Parties,” rapping, “Daddy let me down, but I promise you, I won’t give up / I wanna tell k… that man but s— it ain’t gonna get better.”

This sparked an online feud between them, which both sides have since admitted they are not proud of.

Benzino later opened on We in Miami podcast about how devastated he was by the “deadbeat dad” rumors, once again reiterating his love for Coa.

“They called me all kinds of s… but dead dad? Come on, man, Benzino said. “I love my daughter. … I don’t want to be known as such. I don’t care what people think, but it hurt me. That’s my daughter, I raised her.”

He continued, “When people say I hate Coi’s career and jealousy and all that, that s— is like, evil. Because my love is huge for that little girl. That’s my little girl.”

Benzino said seeing Coi perform live for the first time was “surreal”

Coi Leray performs on stage during Day 2 of Rolling Loud Miami 2021 on July 24, 2021 in Miami Gardens, Florida.

Jason Koerner/Getty

Benzino showed his support for Coa at her Rolling Loud Miami 2023 set, and she later revealed in an interview that it was the first time he had seen her perform.

Benzio said it was a “surreal” moment. “I love her. Seeing her like that… You can say I’m biased, but honestly, I don’t see anyone else doing that. She’s amazing, man,” he added.

When asked what it means to him to see her perform, Coi jumped in and said that she is following in his footsteps. “That means I wear this hip hop s—, this legacy s—,” she explained.

She hopes to patch things up with her dad

In a wide-ranging interview with PEOPLE, Coi opened up about some of her biggest inspirations, noting that Rihanna’s public struggles with her father prompted her to address her relationship with Benzino.

“I’m going to tell you something personal, right? And this is probably the first time I’ve ever said this, but one thing Rihanna said was that she forgave her father. And when she forgave her father, it changed her life. And since she did that, it helped their relationship,” she said, adding that she hopes to one day get to the same place as her father.

Coi continued: “And I’m younger, I’m the one who looks up to her, what she sees motivates me that one day, I hope … on a personal level with me and my people, we get into those circumstances. ”

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Source: HIS Education