Our 207th Dad in the Limelight is Thomas Rankins Jr. I want to thank Thomas for being a part of this series. It has been great getting connected with him and now sharing him with all of you.
1) Tell me about yourself, (as well as how you are in the limelight for my readers knowledge)
Greetings everyone, my name is Thomas Rankins Jr. I am a Christian Rapper by the name of Da Answer that currently has three albums released and a fourth in production, all under my independent label Truth Music Records/Ministries. My latest release is entitled “Truth Music” and has been featured on radio all across the world and on television networks such as BET, Showtime, TCT, TBN, JCTV, and more. My family and I were also just featured in October 2011, on two episodes of legendary game show “The Family Feud”. (Our episodes will rerun on December 23rd on WUAB and on March 16, 2012)
2) Tell me about your family…
I have a beautiful wife of 5 years that is an established author by the name of Brandy “BrandyWine” Rankins. We have four amazing children, which consists of three boys and one girl: Jah’Mir who is 8 yrs old, Toma’rez who is 7 yrs old, Braelyn who is 4 yrs old, and our princess Brielle who is 3 yrs old.
The most challenging thing for me as a father is maintaining a balance Family, Work, School, Music, and Ministry. Even with family alone I find myself struggling to divide time properly for my wife and children individually, as well as corporately. By the grace of God alone, we have made it this far.
4) What advice would you give to other fathers?
The advice I would give to other fathers is to never forsake your family. This can be difficult when you have big dreams and aspirations on top of finding a way to provide income prior to the manifestation of your ultimate goals. When you have those busy moments, it is very important to express your love and appreciation to your family at the very least and do things whenever you can that allows them to see how significant they are to you. Say “I love you” everyday and speak life into them constantly. Let them know that you see what they are doing.
5) Seeing that you (or your position) are in the limelight, how have you come to balance parenthood and outside life? If you are currently not in the limelight per se, please still answer this in regards to how you balance parenthood and outside life.As far as balancing being in the limelight and parenting goes, I do my best to include my family in any projects I can so that they can feel a part of what’s going on with me. This isn’t always feasible but I look for the opportunity often to incorporate them both. I also try to empathize with their frustrations when I’m really busy and have been away from them a little longer than usual.
I’ve learned from other fathers that I’ve interacted with to do my best to have patience with my family. I look at the way other fathers deal with their wives and children and try to apply the good things in my own home and weed out the bad. Viewing other fathers also allows me to examine myself and actions when they aren’t always as clear to me. I guess it’s easier to evaluate your actions when you see them in someone else so I always try to be the one on the outside looking in with things I believe will continue to help me to grow.
7) What else would you share regarding your experiences as a father thus far?My experience as a father has been very rewarding. There is nothing like seeing your children prospering and taking after your better qualities. One of my sons said “Daddy, I was telling my friends that they need to stop listening to all of that bad stuff and be more like you. You are my hero.” He also quoted some of my lyrics that I assumed was over his head. That is the greatest thing I could ask for not only as a father, but a musician as well. I love my babies. They are all very smart, special, and unique in their own right.
8) What have been the most memorable experiences that you have had thus far as a parent?
The most memorable experience I’ve had as a parent is when I received an award for being “Cleveland’s Finest Father/Leader 2009.” It was that much more special because my wife nominated me and explained why her and our children believed I should be chosen. On top of that, she had them all make me individual award themselves. Of all of the great things God had done and places He has taken me thus far, that is what I hold nearest to my heart. In addition to that, our family has weathered a boatload of storms and, though the ship may have been wrecked, the Lord has kept us and always has given us a song. To all the readers, stay encouraged and believe that you can do all things through Christ.
If you have any questions for Thomas, please leave a comment here and I will make sure that he gets them so that he may be able to respond!
——————————————————————————————-
New to the Divadom?
Please Subscribe to my RSS Feed! Subscribe in a reader
Questions?Drop me a line at dadofdivas@gmail.com
