The D.O.C. Calls Erykah Badu His Closest Friend & Talks Co-Parenting (Video)

Dallas, Texas rapper the D.O.C. is best known for his extensive working relationship with N.W.A., with whom he co-wrote much material before ushering in a celebrated solo career. The platinum-selling MC who almost lost his ability to speak in a near-fatal car accident has re-emerged triumphantly, after an announcement in the summer of 2015 that he had regained the full use of his vocal chords. The development has lent considerable weight to news of a forthcoming album, talk that began back in 2006 but which has failed to result in anything concrete. Nevertheless, Heads are continuously excited to hear from him, and a recent interview showcases a side of the music veteran not often seen: that of a father and co-parent.

In a feature for VladTV entitled “How Three Legendary MCs Co-Parent with Erykah Badu,” the D.O.C. is graciously up front about the trials and the benefits of raising a child with not only a fellow icon, but one who has children with Andre 3000 and Jay Electronica. The D.O.C. also has a child from a previous relationship, making the Badu clan a wonderfully diverse extended family. “As a human being, she, outside of my children, is probably my closest friend,” he says of Badu. “I know that that person loves me, and she knows that I love her.” Their daughter, Puma, was born in 2005 and over the last decade or so, the two have had to adapt to their shared growing brood, one that would make for a supergroup, as per the interviewer’s suggestion. “They could sure do it,” D responds. “They’re some talented kids.”

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Beyond the hypothetical, there are some very real, logistical things involved in raising children within such a unique family structure. “Seven and Mars [Badu’s other children] are both very special to me,” he admits. “Being at home [in Dallas] with Erykah and them kids” is where he’d most like to be, not as a reunited couple but simply to be closer to those he cherishes the most. Currently residing in Los Angeles, he struggles with being so far away because 11-year-old Puma is at a stage in her life when “daddy time is important.” He continues elaborating by explaining “I’m trying to build myself a sort of situation that I can take back home, which is what I’ve always been trying to do since day one.” He dismissed any chance of awkward run-ins with 3 Stacks or Jay Elec, describing the two men as “great friends” and that “there is no hate in that house. We all love one another and want the best for one another and I’m a fan of both of those guys.”

Family goals, anyone?

Related: The D.O.C. Breaks Down His “Formula.” He Says Yawning Helped Him Speak Again (Video)