Going into its third season, Netflix's Karma's World has become a fast favorite with children and adults alike. Through the eyes of Karma and her friends—and the aid of some pretty dope rhymes—they are able to learn about the world around them and help their community become a better place. The excitement of Karma's World continues in an all new children's book Daddy and Me and the Rhyme to Be. In the book, Karma and her dad have fun making music which prompts her to realize that her daddy has always got her back.
EBONY chatted with Karma's World creator Chris Bridges, better known to the world as Ludacris, about his new children's book, the importance of a father's relationship with his daughter and how they can find common interests to bond over.
EBONY: Karma's World highlights the special bond between father and daughter via song. How has music helped you connect with your own daughter?
Ludacris: I'm a girl dad through and through. What inspired the creation of Karma's World was initially my oldest daughter, and now, the rest of my daughters continue to inspire. A major driving force in the way I've been able to connect with my children has been music. My daughters enjoy taking a hit at writing their own songs because they see their dad doing it. Music and songwriting has helped them to develop their creative process at an early age and also allows us to build our relationship through a shared interest. That's why with this new book, I want to show a father and daughter rhyming together as a non-traditional bedtime story that speaks to the importance of this bond. It brings me joy to share with my daughters that their imagination is as diverse and as vast as they want it to be through this art form that helps promote intellectual growth, creativity and mindfulness.
What do you want kids to take away from the book?
Because of my and my daughters' love of music, I want kids to learn how simple it is to write a song and how to express themselves through writing. I want them to have faith in themselves and be able to rhyme. We know nursery rhymes but this is kind of like a new take on nursery rhymes; it takes it a step further by teaching them the fundamentals of songwriting and even beat making. And obviously, I want kids to create an even more special bond with their parents while they are reading it to them.
Why is the book especially important for Black dads?
I definitely think this book is important for Black dads because it allows us to veer away from a stereotype that pushes the idea that Black fathers are not active in their kids lives. I've been able to witness so many phenomenal Black fathers who love on their kids and teach them new things daily. So I'd really like to celebrate that. I wanted fathers and daughters to be able to have a bedtime story that is reminiscent of a connection that is unlike anything in this world.
What lessons has fatherhood taught you?
It's taught me patience and to think more about generations to come and not so much about myself. It's taught me to create better versions of myself and to positively pour into the emotional development and education of my offspring. Fatherhood has taught me that my kids and younger generations can teach me even more than I can teach them.
Watch below as Ludacris further discusses Karma's World:
