Benzino hasn't always enjoyed the best relationship with his daughter and rapper Coi Leray. The pair have traded words on social media multiple times, but their issues got to a head in May when she said publicly that she wanted nothing to do with him. Coi's outburst came after her father defended disgraced and imprisoned R&B legend R. Kelly. This isn't the first time Coi Leray and Benzino have gone against each other. Their internal problems have played out publicly and seem never-ending. Here's a history of the father-daughter pair's turbulent relationship.
Coi Leray's Childhood
Benzino, known for his rap career and co-ownership of Source Magazine, welcomed Coi in May 1997. Her mother remains unidentified and out of the spotlight. Growing up as the only girl among six children, Coi had a mixed experience of privilege and hardship. She described her childhood in an interview with Paper Magazine in 2019, revealing that after Benzino lost his job at Source Magazine and split from her mom, the family struggled financially. In another chat with Vlad TV, she recounted working at 16 and dropping out of school in the 10th grade, which humbled her.
January 2021: The Beginning Of Coi Leray & Benzino's Feud
Coi and Benzino's relationship hasn't always been rocky. He gave her the platform to rise to stardom via his YouTube channel. Coi also previously spoke about how her father's work ethic inspired her. Despite the praise, she trashed Benzino in her 2021 song, "No More Parties." Coi rapped, "My daddy let me down, but I promise you, I won't let up/I wanna say f**k that man but the s**t won't make me better."
A displeased Benzino responded via Instagram, lamenting how Coi tarnished his name for a storyline. He also claimed to be there for Coi all her life and said she was raised in a mansion. He said, "Coi had everything she wanted. I was flying Coi to meet every summer, every Spring Break, every—she was in Miami. I got her in a movie… Every Christmas, Thanksgiving, she's with me." However, Coi responded to her dad on social media by saying she was embarrassed to be his daughter. Not backing down, Benzino said he found Coi's comments disrespectful, adding that her words can never be forgiven or forgotten. He also blamed her mom and the industry's corruptive forces for her behavior.
April 2021: Father & Daughter Settle
A month after trading words with her father on social media, Coi offered an olive branch to her dad by tweeting that she loves him forever and always. However, he called her out, saying she was insincere. Father and daughter eventually settled their feud. Benzino shared his love for Coi in another post. He wrote, "I have one daughter on this earth and I love her dearly. All this drama is now over, please respect that and move on." In another post, he wrote, "Love you more CC and I'm sorry, if you felt wasn't there when you needed me I should've been and I truly apologize, no excuses."
April 2022: More Tensions
Coi and Benzino feuded again ahead of the release of her debut album Trendsetter. Coi went on social media and claimed her dad was sending threats to her and her mom because she called him "broke" during an appearance on The Breakfast Club. She asked Benzino to grow up and stop holding on to the past.
Benzino also almost ruined his daughter's biggest collaboration after he announced her collaboration with Nicki Minaj before it was official. He later apologized for his actions. After the album's release, Benzino appeared to make fun of Coi's low album sales and was called out for doing so. However, he claimed his Instagram page was hacked and wondered why people would believe he could make fun of his daughter. Meanwhile, Coi stayed calm and remained positive about her album's credibility.
May 2022: Coi Leray Supports Her Dad's Music Rival Eminem
Benzino's longstanding feud with Eminem reignited in 2022 when he criticized the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for inducting Eminem. A day after her father's comments, Coi voiced her support for Eminem. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), she said, "I'm about love, equality, respect and forgiveness. I have nothing against Eminem, 25 years of my life all I know is he a very talented artist and actor ! (8 Mile was great)." Coi concluded, "Let's build bridges and get over them before you burn the bridge and burn with it." Benzino responded to his daughter's post by asking her to honor her father and mother. He also wrote, "As far as burning bridges, there no bridge bigger than the one you burnt with your own blood."
July 2023: Coi Leray and Benzino At Peace Again
Coi and her dad seemed to take positive steps to repair their relationship in 2023 when Benzino attended her set at Rolling Loud Miami. This was the first time he had seen her perform live. During an interview with People, Coi shared that Rihanna's forgiveness of her own father inspired her to mend her relationship with Benzino.
November 2023: Coi Leray Says Her Dad Is Envious of Her Success
In November 2023, Coi appeared on Angie Martinez's IRL Podcast. During the interview, Angie asked her how her dad deals with her success. "At first it was rocky, because I felt like he couldn't handle my success. I felt like it came from an envious place, which is okay, cause he's human, and it's fine," she said. "He's one of those people that feel like 'Yo, I still have a story to tell.'"
Benzino responded to those comments via social media. In a now-deleted Instagram post, he described her words as the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard. Benzino also blamed the internet and the industry for messing with the young generation's minds. He expressed frustration at how Coi pushed a false narrative about him, describing it as sad and embarrassing. He also said Angie manipulated Coi to say what she said.
May 2024: Coi Leray Disowns Benzino
After months of silence, Coi caused a stir on social media on May 1, 2024, after she disowned her father. Initially, she posted, "I want everybody to know I want nothing to do with anything my father has going on. 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." Coi expressed that she doesn't respect her dad's decisions and urged people not to think of her when they see him. She emphasized that DNA does not make a family, but loyalty, respect, and love do. Coi also expressed her desire to have a kid and show them love one day.
Coi's posts came after her father's comments about R. Kelly. Benzino appeared on the We In Miami podcast and declared that R. Kelly should be given a second chance. He said, "Everyone deserves a second chance. I know that [Elvis Presley], a lot of motherf—-s was f—g with young girls." Days after Coi's posts, Benzino confirmed they weren't on speaking terms.
June 2024: Benzino Brings Up Daughter's Virginity While Defending R. Kelly Comments
Benzino caused more stir with his comments during an appearance on the Famous & Wealthy podcast. He said about his daughter, "She made a comment about the R. Kelly situation and said that she doesn't want to have anything to do with me." The 58-year-old recalled Coi's interview with Matt Hoffa in which she revealed she lost her virginity at 14. Benzino claimed he didn't know Coi lost her virginity at 14 and questioned her moral grounds for disowning him over his comments on R. Kelly. He said, "Since you did involve yourself, which is what you do, alright? How can you say that when you just said that you lost your virginity at 14? So is the guy that you lost your virginity at 14 [to], is he a pedophile?"
Benzino faced backlash as people on social media wondered how he could use his daughter's virginity loss at 14 to defend his support for a convicted criminal. Coi has yet to respond to her father's most recent comments. However, it is unlikely they will mend their broken relationship soon.
