We’ve seen plenty of reality shows about the spouses, families and mooches of famous people—many of which are still popular (see: Love & Hip-Hop)—so we knew this was coming. Growing Up Hip-Hop is a series that follows the spawn of well-known hip-hop stars and their growing pains. In other words, a real-life Empire.
The most recognizable faces in the cast are Angela Simmons, who appeared on her dad Rev Run’s Vh1 reality show Run’s House, and Master P’s son Romeo Miller. We all know him from his Jackson 5-sampled breakout “My Baby” (who could forget) and his Nickelodeon show aptly titled Romeo!
The lesser known cast members—young adults in their 20s—include: Damon “Boogie” Dash (Dame Dash’s son), Kristinia DeBarge (James DeBarge’s daughter), Egypt Criss (daughter of Pepa and Treach) and TJ Mizell (the late Jam Master Jay’s son). The trailer above and its creepy melodramatic narration describes these kids as “the next generation of hip-hop royalty” and finds them all struggling to “make a name” outside of their famous parents.
The clip also shows Angela Simmons dealing with a stalker and having some sort of romantic relationship with Romeo. Kristinia wants to avoid falling into addiction like her dad. And Egypt aspires to make music (in fact, most of them do) but has to face her seemingly overbearing mom: “Mom is crazy,” she says of Pepa.
The cast doesn’t seem all that maladjusted—a requirement of great reality TV—but it looks intriguing enough to check out the first episode, which premieres January 7.
