Being the child of a celebrity parent is a
curse as well as a blessing. Being born into a life of wealth and glamour comes
with obvious perks, and many children of celebrities inevitably become
insufferable, spoiled brats, particularly if they aren’t blessed with a talent
of their own that distinguishes them from their famous parents. But for those who aren’t
content to sponge off the money and accomplishments of their parents forever, finding
their own way in the world can be especially frustrating.
Imagine, for example, being the son of Tom
Hanks, two-time Oscar-winner and arguably the most well-liked actor inside and
outside Hollywood. It may seem that being his son is like winning the birth
lottery, but how do you carve out your own identity, your own career, your own
success when your dad is such a celebrated household name?
One son, Colin, followed in his father’s
footsteps to become a fairly successful actor in his own right. But 24-year-old
younger brother Chester Hanks, the young man Gawker labeled “a frat boy rapper” who goes by the alias Chet Haze, seems to be
floundering at sea.
After radio show host Howard Stern mocked
Chet for his rapping ambitions, Chet called Stern out in a Twitter assault last week that read like a blustery attempt
to pump up his rapper cred. Here’s a sample of his profane, threatening rant
that reeks of affected street slang:
Let me come up on your show b*tch… Come catch
this fade… have me live on the air and we can go pound for pound see who
looks like the fool you dried up old c*nt catch this fade…
Do you have any idea how badly I am going to
assault you when I see you… it’s a shame you don’t hang in the same circles as
my family (not enough bread for that) cuz if you did I woulda already seen u.
Taunting Howard Stern for not being rich
enough to hang with the Hanks family is pretty comical, considering that
Stern’s estimated $550 million net worth is quite a bit more than Tom Hanks’
estimated $350 million. The failed insult also reveals an arrogance about his
dad’s money but what also must be a resentfulness – after all, the wealth he
boasts about is not his own.
Chet followed up with an unapologetic
description of himself as a “WALKING PR DISASTER” who does not “GIVE A SINGLE
F*CK!!!!” And then: “I DONT LIVE MY LIFE BY ANYBODYS RULES BUT MY OWN!!!” Methinks
the young man doth protest too much. He sounds as if he very much cares about
the opinions of others.
This isn’t Chet’s first defensive Twitter
feud (I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: is there anything in the world
more inconsequential than a Twitter feud?). As noted in a Fishwrapper article called, “Sorry, but Tom Hanks Raised a Mega
Douche,” Chet got into it back in late 2013 with former rapper Jensen Karp, who
tweeted a barb about Chet’s lack of authenticity: “Your dad was in Castaway.”
This prompted an angry (but also poignant) response from Chet: “so cuz my Dads
famous, I can't do what I want to do in my life?” In the ensuing
back-and-forth, Karp offered Chet some blunt, if condescending, advice:
Chet, your father is Tom Hanks. America’s
sweetheart. And you’re talking about smoking kush and banging dime pieces. It’s
acting… I am actually not hating, I’m trying to help. No one wants to hear the
fake black accent from a kid who knows the Spielbergs.
Eminem and others have already proven that
being white is certainly no barrier to rap success, but Chet Haze’s bad boy posturing
seems to be more an act of rebellion against the expectations placed on him due
to his nice guy dad’s name (hence Chet’s name change, for example). If he
proves Stern and Karp wrong by earning real success on that route, then more
power to him. But I suspect that Chet is still searching for his own authentic
road.
Similarly, another would-be rapper – Deion
Sanders, Jr., son of the football legend and sports broadcaster who is
worth an estimated $40 million – found himself the target of some media ridicule
last week when he tweeted something about his life in “the hood.” His famous father
playfully but pointedly responded, “you’re a Huxtable with a million $ trust fund stop the hood stuff!
Lololol. Son. #Truth.” Huxtable, of course, was the surname of Bill Cosby’s affluent,
educated TV family – an association no self-respecting rapper wants.
At the risk of psychoanalyzing Deion Jr. and
Chet Haze from afar, my sense is that posturing as rap stars is just a phase
for these two. As difficult as it may be to sympathize with celebrity kids who
grew up with every comfort and opportunity, Chet and Deion Jr. strike me as two
insecure young men struggling to get out from beneath the shadows of their
celebrated, accomplished fathers and find their own identities, their own paths
in life. It’s a struggle they unfortunately must carry out in the harsh light
of the public eye, and they may have to take a few blows in the media such as
they did last week before they are humbled enough to reject everyone else’s
expectations, search their own hearts, and find their authentic purpose in
life.
(This article originally appeared here on Acculturated, 4/15/15)
