Pint-Sized Rap Stars Hit the World Stage

But are these YouTube sensations a good idea?

By Jorge Rivas Dec 09, 2010

On Wednesday NPR ran a story about a recent YouTube viral phenomenon: young six to nine-year-old rappers of color starring in their own music videos. The story, The Short-Lived Fame Of Pint-Sized Rap Stars, featured two young rappers: Mini Daddy, 9, who specializes in reggaeton and Lil P-Nut, 7, who does more traditional rap.

The story focused on what young Internet celebrities have to do to maintain their fan base as they grow older. But glossed over the fact that some of these videos contain imagery that’s questionable for young fans. Some videos contain imagery reminiscent of hip-hop and rap videos from the 1990s that objectified women.

While everyone in the videos look like they’re having fun, this may be a case of the "Toddlers & Tiaras" syndrome where stage moms and dads take it a little bit too far.

P-Nut though, seems to have the least controversial videos. Take a look at the clip of him on "Ellen" above–not only can he rap, but he’s definitely a charmer. A very polite charmer.