Malika Haqq’s Ex and Baby Daddy, O.T. Genasis, Already Has a Lot of Experience Being a Good Dad

After Malika Haqq revealed that she’s expecting her first child, we weren’t terribly surprised to find out that her ex, O.T. Genasis, is the father of her baby. But, TBH, the fact that the rapper dated Malika is one of the main things a lot of Kardashian fans know about him. So who is O.T.? Scroll down to learn more about the musician.

O.T. Genasis’ real name is Odis Oliver Flores.

Before he became a rapper and chose his stage name, O.T., 32, grew up as Odis. He was born in Atlanta, Georgia to parents who had emigrated from Belize. Later, he grew up in Long Beach, California, and eventually he reinvented himself as the rapper we know now. “Genesis means the beginning. But I put the A instead of the E because I didn’t wanna be criticized in church and nothing like that,” he told Billboard in 2016 about his stage name. “And it means the beginning, but in my city I’m the only person that’s on the West Coast that has a different sound, so I was thinking to myself, ‘This the beginning of a new sound, a new person.’ That’s why I came up with that name for myself. And O.T. just comes from me traveling a lot, being out of town, trying to just make a living. … O.T. is for overtime, O.T. is for outta town.”

He’s already a dad.

On “CoCo,” the rapper references his relationship with drugs — buying, selling and using them. But he left that life behind when he became a parent. “I made a promise that I wouldn’t have to do shit like that no more,” he told Rolling Stone in 2014. “At the end of the day, I have a son. He’s in preschool and you know, nah. I can’t do that.” Now, his son — whom he affectionately calls “Lil Gen” — is growing up, and O.T. says they’ve got a lot in common. “Just like his pops 💪🏾,” the musician captioned a photo of his son in the car. “Apple don’t fall too far.”

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On social media, the father has also opened up about what it was like when his son was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. “I remember when you couldn’t speak,” he wrote on Facebook in 2018. “I remember when you would get frustrated because the words you wanted to say wouldn’t come out of your mouth. I remember me being in denial. I remember the hard times at speech. I remember you being sensitive and afraid to touch or feel certain things. I remember how hard it was for you to play with other kids. I remember the doctor telling me your son is AUTISTIC. You’ve [come] a long way, and you’re the only person I can depend on, the only person who makes me happy. I love you more then you’ll ever know. I’M A HAPPY FATHER.💙💙💙💙💙💙”

You’ve definitely heard his songs.

His first big hit, “CoCo,” went totally viral when he released it in 2014. The music video has racked up over 250 million views on YouTube and inspired all kinds of Vines when it became a meme. But he’s also had some other major smashes, like “Cut It” which has over 200 million views on the music video. His song “Everybody Mad” was also featured in Beyoncé and Jay-Z‘s On the Run II tour. In the “Lemonade” singer’s Netflix special, Homecoming, which chronicled her performances at Coachella 2018, you can see her get down to the hit during a dance break.

He dated Malika for years.

Though their romance was on-and-off for years, the two were first linked in 2017 before their recent split. Despite its ups and downs — the rapper admitted on Facebook in March 2018 that he was “always in trouble” with his boo — there was a lot of love there. “To the world you may be one person, but to me you’ve become my world,” he wrote on Instagram in October 2018. “My life has changed with you in it. Before you, I was lost and confused and didn’t know how to let my guard down. You know I always play you love songs, but now I know what the songs actually mean. I came in thinking I had it figured all out, but you gave me the structure I needed to stay balanced. As men, we often have PRIDE that makes us not wanna do certain things. I would do anything in this world for you. YOU and only YOU made me a better man and want to be a better man. You’re not only my partner but my best friend.”