Often times, the culture of Hip Hop takes on a negative connotation. Sometimes, that may be well deserved, but that isn’t always a fair analogy, especially when it comes to the architects and founding fathers of the genre. To be fair, we have to point out how many amazing and incredible father figures there are in Hip Hop. In a world that is fraught with complexities and way too much negativity, we decided our readers deserve to see some positivity. In light of the upcoming Father’s Day holiday, The Heat Magazine will be honoring some important father figures from the Hip Hop generation. There are most definitely some positive dads in Hip Hop.
Meet Michael “Mr. Meana” Patterson. He is best known publicly for his roles as music artist and mentor. One half of the legendary New Orleans duo Partners-N-Crime, Mr. Meana is one of the most talented rappers/performers in modern day music. His most important roles though are that of father and husband. He is such an awesome father that we selected him as the first featured Hip Hop Dad in our new series, “Hip Hop Dads”.
Throughout our new series, you will meet some pretty incredible dads, but for now, get to know Mr. Meana – a role model who shows and proves how important being a father is and how cool the role can be when executed properly! He has raised four prodigious daughters, all of whom exhibit the same level of talent as their father, while forging out their respective paths in life. It is evident that being there for your children is all-important and an integral part of raising well-adjusted, exceptional children. More importantly, Mr. Meana makes it look easy, even when it’s not. He is hard-working, insanely intelligent and does whatever it takes to ensure his children get the best of everything – culture, learning experiences and teachable moments, not to mention the love and attention all children deserve.
We sat down with Mr. Meana to find out what makes him such as great Hip Hop Dad. Here’s what he had to say:
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: What does being a dad mean to you?
MR. MEANA: Being a dad is priceless to me because I didn’t have that counterpart growing up and I always said I would always be there for my children. I have four daughters and they’re all special to me because they’re all different and have their own personality. I see a part of me in them all, but I see them for them as well. It’s a beautiful experience. I embrace it all – the pros and cons – because at the end of it all, it’s defining.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: Do your kids think your involvement as a cornerstone of Hip Hop is cool?
MR. MEANA: I think they do because I’m not too big of an artist to where it becomes overwhelming to deal with. People would tell all my girls, “wow, your dad made such and such song – that’s cool”. So I would believe that they enjoy the respect and love that people have for our music and so I would say they think it’s cool.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: How have you been able to incorporate your role as a dad with your entertainment career?
MR. MEANA: I don’t incorporate my fatherhood in my artistry, but I do mentor to artists, if you would call that incorporation. But when it come to my daughters, I tend to separate the both. When it’s time to be daddy/father, I take it on fully because being a artist is only my profession and I think it’s unfair to my daughters not to separate the both. When it’s time to be the artist, I don’t bring my family with me to the studio. They may come to a few family related shows like for music festivals, etc.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: Is it hard juggling fatherhood and your career in entertainment?
MR. MEANA: Well at one time it was because I hadn’t established a career yet, so I was chasing the dreams. I wasn’t home as much and I missed a few important days, like that first few steps of learning to walk and birthday or a graduation. I had to find balance and value what was mostly important to me. I put God first in all I do and things began to balance out and now I have those priorities in order. I don’t miss nothing of value when it comes to my daughters or family period.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: What advice do you have for young dads?
MR. MEANA: Your kids are a gift from God. Never take them for granted. Treasure your time and precious moments because they’re priceless. Never sacrifice your children for nothing – money, experiences, nothing – because you can’t get those memories back once they’re gone they’re gone. Choose wisely when it come to them.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: What is something your fans may not know about you as a dad?
MR. MEANA: Well people may not know that I’m very open minded when it come to daughters because like I said earlier, I didn’t have a father at home with me. So I ask them how they feel about all sort of things and take their feelings in perspective and grow as a father, plus I’m real joking and playful with my children. People tend to think I’m just real mean, but I play a lot. Ask my daughters (LAUGHS).
Follow Mr. Meana on social media:
Instagram @mrmeana_pnc
Twitter @MrMeana
