Onyx Kelly: Iggy Azalea and Playboi Carti’s Adorable Son
Contents
Onyx Kelly is a three-year-old American media personality, best known as the son of rappers Iggy Azalea and Playboi Carti.
Early life
Onyx Orion Kelly was born on 28 April 2020 in Los Angeles, California USA. Iggy and Playboi kept her pregnancy private, only revealing their son’s birth on 10 June of that year. Iggy said that she ‘kept waiting for the right time to share the news but realized that the anxiety of sharing such news would never disappear, so she decided to make it clear that he is not a secret.’
Onyx’s parents met in 2018 when his father toured overseas as a rapper. However, their relationship was short-lived, and Onyx’s mother confirmed that she was single in October 2020. She accused his father of cheating on her during their relationship, including when she was pregnant.
Onyx grew up in Hidden Hills, Santa Monica, Los Angeles County, single-handedly raised by his mother. Media reported that Playboi refused to sign his birth certificate and that she felt pressured to stay with him so that her son doesn’t have separated parents, as they lived together between December 2018 and December 2019.
Growing up
Iggy clarified in October 2020 that ‘his father loves Onyx, and both were in his life from the first day.’ However, she changed her tune in December, saying that ‘Carti was trash for missing the milestone moment of celebrating Christmas with her and his son.’ She also accused him of spending Christmas with one of the girls he allegedly cheated with. Media possibly identified her as model Brandi Marion, but Playboi was also linked to models Blac Chyna, Jordyn Woods, and Rubi Rose, and singer Justine Skye
Around that time, Iggy claimed that Playboi missed his son’s birth because he played video games on the PlayStation console with a fellow rapper and friend, Lil Uzi Vert, in Philadelphia State. She also said that he refused to give him his last name, Carter, although they both wanted him. Iggy also said that she had to deliver Onyx through a C-section, and had to recover. That was upsetting because Playboi was the only one allowed in the hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mother
Amethyst Amelia “Iggy Azalea” Kelly was born on 7 June 1990 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. She moved to the US at 16 to start her music career, and gained attention for uploading the music video to her song “Two Times” via YouTube shortly before releasing her debut single, “Work,” in 2013. The following year, she released her debut studio album, “The New Classic,” One of its songs, “Fancy,” became the year’s best-selling single.
View this post on Instagram
Although Iggy started working on her second studio album in late 2015, problems with record label contracts marked the following three years, and she became an independent artist at the end. Consequently, she founded a record label, Bad Dreams, in January 2019 and released the album on 19 July.
Onyx’s maternal uncle is Mathias Kelly, and her maternal aunt is Emerald. His maternal grandparents are Brendan, a painter and comic artist, and Tanya Kelly, a cleaner. Onyx is of English, Irish and possibly Asian and Scandinavian descent on his maternal side, according to EthniCelebs.com. He’s of African-American descent on his paternal side.
Father
Jordan Terrell “Playboi Carti” Carter was born on 13 September 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, and gained renown in April 2017 for his debut mixtape, “Playboi Carti.” In 2018, he released his debut studio album, “Die Lit,” featuring several well-known rappers, Lil Uzi Vert, Nicki Minaj, and Travis Scott. Playboi began working on his next album in late 2018 and released it on 25 December 2020. Entitled “Whole Lotta Red,” it featured 24 tracks, and debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart. Playboi announced the release of his third studio album in 2023, and scheduled it for January 2024.
Onyx only has one paternal uncle, Reggie Carter. His grandfather, Terrell, was reportedly a military veteran who played trumpet; his grandmother was a housewife who might have been a songwriter.
First birthday
For Onyx’s first birthday, his mother wrote that he was her favorite person in the universe and never thought that she could love anyone or anything this much.’ Iggy then promised to host a week-long celebration, which included reading stories to her son. She noted that ‘she initially felt embarrassed to read aloud and use silly voices, but has adjusted and no longer does.’ Daily Mail UK spotted Iggy with a nanny, meaning that she had some professional help.
Shortly afterwards, she talked to People magazine about raising Onyx, stating that ‘it was undoubtedly hard, but super fulfilling, and that she felt more accomplished after she noticed that she could juggle parenting and her career.’ Iggy explained that she frequently felt stressed, but has developed a suitable schedule. She spent the day with her son, then tucked him into bed at about 7 p.m. Her work started afterwards, and usually lasted until 4.30 a.m. Iggy slept until 7.30 a.m. when Onyx woke up.
She found solace in Onyx being super happy, never crying, and one day thinking that his mother was cool and creative. Iggy also wanted him to be unaffected by his parents’ influence, and a kind person.
On 13 August 2021, she released her third studio album, “The End of an Era,” and announced that she would take an hiatus from her career until further notice. Shortly before, Iggy told People that Onyx taught her to be more spontaneous. She considered herself a perfectionist who was always in control, and her son had made her adapt.
Age two
In early 2022, Iggy described her son’s personality, saying that Onyx was ‘curious, independent, fun, and a big goofball.’ Iggy added that he enjoys running, jumping off the couch, and jumping in the pool, and wants people’s attention. According to Paper Mag, Playboi defended himself in an April 2022 interview with XXL, against previous accusations. He said that he loved Iggy to death, that she was the best mother in the world, and that they were both single, indirectly denying claims of cheating. Playboi remarked that he cares for people close to him, which offended Iggy; she reportedly never asked for child support or handouts. Iggy responded, ‘The public has been misled; we weren’t on good terms, and I paid all the bills and had to cut all contact because he treated me poorly.’
New house and tattoo
According to Daily Mail UK, Iggy also rose to prominence that April for her complaints against American Air. She alleged that the company overbooked the plane and refused to unload her and Onyx’s bags from the luggage compartment. She booked a different airline at the last moment, but complained on behalf of the regular people who would be stuck in an unfamiliar city. Shortly after, Iggy revealed a new tattoo, a cherub with Onyx’s face on her forearm, which she called ‘her new favorite and most special tattoo.’
In July, Iggy posted a photo of herself and Onyx via Instagram and wrote that ‘she and her bestie go everywhere together, so he’s always with her.’ Iggy captioned another photo with ‘two models taking their password pics,’ to which followers, including actress Skaii Jackson, reacted with suggestions that Onyx could be a child model.
Around that time, The Real Deal reported that Iggy sold the $5.2 million five-bedroom house in Hidden Hills that she bought in June 2021. Media reported that it was built in 1963, its living area was 5,230 sqft or 486 m2, and it sat on land measuring about an acre or about 0.4 hectares. The sale price was reportedly slightly under $6 million, meaning that Iggy earned about $800,000, minus inflation, taxes, and holding and closing costs. In August, Iggy resumed her career in music as Onyx became more self-reliant. She also called him ‘so cute that she couldn’t handle it.’
Playboi’s arrest
Furthermore, although Playboi Carti’s public relations (PR) team kept the situation under wraps until mid-February 2023, when TMZ reported on it, he was arrested on 29 December 2022. Onyx’s father was charged with felony assault for choking his girlfriend, whose name was left out because she was 14 weeks pregnant. Moreover, despite a witness intervening, allowing her to escape, Playboi followed her to her car and attacked her physically as she was dialing 911, the number for the emergency services. Playboi was quietly released on bond after a day, and Iggy commented that ‘she’s been there, done that, and warned her.’
Iggy Azalea speaks on Playboi Carti's December 2022 arrest pic.twitter.com/XfK5Lanx2W
— SAY CHEESE! 👄🧀 (@SaycheeseDGTL) February 14, 2023
Age three
Iggy was the topic of controversy on 13 January 2023 when she announced the release of her fourth studio album, “Hotter than Hell.” According to People, the music video for the promotional song showed her in revealing outfits. Moreover, she promised the project would be ‘creative, colorful, tongue-in-cheek fun and unapologetically hot.’ What upset her fans was that Iggy created an OnlyFans account in collaboration with the platform, and said that she would release content gradually from June to December. Iggy clarified that she had no idea OnlyFans was a place where she could be creative. For reference, adult actresses and nude models are the most frequent users of the subscription-based platform, as it allows them to post explicit content.
She explained that ‘she didn’t have to worry about the creatively limiting censorship on other digital platforms,’ suggesting that her promotional material will be sexual.
That upset many who thought her career move was inappropriate for a mother whose son would soon turn three. Iggy responded in an episode of Emily Ratajkowski’s High Low with EmRata podcast, saying that ‘she made record labels so much money with her body and took the smallest cut; thus, she was now happy to post lewd content, which she found beautiful, and be the main recipient.’
Plans to visit Australia
In November, Iggy took a break from performing despite announcing that she would film a movie in Australia and take Onyx to see the country. She explained that she had back pain for the last two years, resulting from touring two summers in a row. Iggy planned on having a routine surgical operation and recovering quickly.
Instead, she said that she spent three weeks bed-ridden and connected to several machines, unable to walk except wobbling to the bathroom. After her fifth week of recovery, Iggy could walk for about 30 minutes, compared to being unable to stand for more than three on the first post-operation day. During that time, she shared a video in which Onyx played with LEGO bricks and wore a Spider-Man mask. She called him part of her hype squad via the Twitter (now X) platform and noted that they enjoyed watching Christmas movies during her rehabilitation.
Early education
Onyx had started preschool on Tuesday, 4 April 2023, according to a report by People. He wore a matching tie-dye shirt and shorts, white socks and sneakers, and a backpack with miniature dinosaurs printed on it. Consequently, followers praised his mother’s taste in fashion. Although he might not have participated in putting that outfit together, Playboi Carti had been called ‘leader of a youth style’ by GQ magazine. He has also modeled for brands such as Jordan, Adidas, Louis Vuitton, and Yeezy. Thus, Onyx is expected to develop an impressive personal style.
Career
Onyx reportedly had an official Instagram account, baby_gilbert69, created by his parents or mother in February 2021; however, the account was deactivated at some point. Since that moment, Onyx has exclusively but seldom appeared in pictures and videos that his mother posted using her Instagram account, thenewclassic, on which she’s amassed almost 18 million followers.
Physical characteristics
Onyx has curly, medium-length hair and dark brown eyes. Moreover, Iggy dyed his hair blonde and styled it into dreadlocks with colorful beads. Onyx is 3ft 1in (0.94m) tall and weighs about 33lbs (15kgs).
