Here is a cool fun fact that may surprise some SWV fans– lead singer, Coko Clemons, was in a relationship, and had a child with a rapper who was very popular in the ’90s. He’s a member of a legendary rap group; and for a while, they dominated the airwaves with their hits…they even won a Grammy after selling millions of records. Their music is timeless and classic to old school hip hop heads.
Coko and this rapper seemed like an unlikely match back in the day, because they seemed to be so different at that time. But it’s true, they were a couple and their union produced a child. How they managed to keep this out of the public’s eye back when both of them were in two of the hottest groups of the ’90s, is beyond us. Scroll down to check out who Coko’s child calls ‘Dad’…
Digable Planets Rapper, Ishmael “Butterfly” Butler (Memba’ Him?)
Tuh-dahhh!!! The father of Coko Clemons’ eldest son, Jazz, is none other than “Mr. Cool Like Cat”…Ishmael “Butterfly” Butler, of the ’90s rap group, Digable Planets!
If you were bobbing your head to rap classics back in the day, you definitely know his group. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Digable Planets, they were one of the main groups to fuse a jazz sound with unique hip hop vocals and their hit, “Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)” sent them into another stratosphere in the ’90s. Below is the video for that song…
As far as Ishmael and Coko’s relationship, Coko admitted that they weren’t together for long, but that they were in love. Their son was born in 1997, and here is what Coko revealed about them in a 2000 interview with Honey Magazine:
“People would ask us, ‘What do y’all talk about?’ because we’re really different,” says Coko of her ex. A shy laugh gets caught in her voice. “I watch TV, he doesn’t. I eat fried food and pork. He doesn’t. So some things were really weird, but he taught me a lot and he learned some things from me. But I think we were too different for it to really last.” Coko smiles as she talks of him, and though she initially claimed she was mad at Ishmael at the time of the interview, it’s clear the two are still good friends.
“He’s a good father,” she continues, “and he was special. We have a special bond, a special relationship.” Raising her eyebrows and lightening her tone, she adds, “He’s a good man. He’s going to make somebody a good husband.”
Ishmael wasn’t the only artist who Coko dated, she was also in a relationship with another popular 90’s entertainer who was also a member of a popular group, only this time he was an R&B cat, not a rapper.
Coko Also Dated…
Coko and Garfield Bright of the ’90s group, Shai, were a couple back in the day too!
Remember Shai? They had EVERYBODY singing the lyrics to their ’90s love song: “And if I ever fall in love again. I will be sure that the lady is my freeing, and if I ever fall in love so true baby, I will be sure that the lady’s just like you-ooo-ooo.” Okay I couldn’t resist singing that line just now, but I digress.
