Juelz Smith, the 20-year-old son of Solange Knowles and nephew of Beyoncé, is reflecting on what it means to grow up in one of music’s most influential families.
In a February 2025 Teen Vogue interview that resurfaced on social media on September 16, Smith shared a candid story about his younger cousin Rumi Carter, the daughter of Beyoncé and Jay-Z, recognizing him not just as family but as someone stepping into adulthood.
“My baby cousin Rumi, before I went to Paris actually, and I was packing my bag and she was like, ‘Where are you going?’ I was like, ‘I’m going to Paris.’ She was like, ‘Oh, you’re going to work,’” Smith said. The moment, he explained, was the first time a younger relative treated his career with real seriousness.
Juelz Smith On Rumi, Realizing He’s Famous
Smith noted that recognition from the next generation of the Knowles-Carter family carries weight. “They’re asking me questions like, ‘You drive now?’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’m 20 now. I ain’t the same 15-year-old when you were born, you feel me,’” he added, pointing to the shift in how his younger relatives see him today.
For Smith, the exchange represented more than just playful family conversation. It underscored his evolving identity, both as an artist carving out his own path and as a role model within a dynasty that has shaped global pop culture.
“That type of stuff warms my heart,” he said. “Just knowing that my younger folks in my family look up to me and I’m a role model to them.”
The anecdote highlights Smith’s growing awareness of legacy and responsibility within the Knowles-Carter lineage. While Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s children, including Rumi Carter, are growing up under the spotlight of one of the most powerful families in entertainment, Smith is navigating his own journey as a creative and cultural figure. Recognition from Rumi, he suggested, symbolizes his step into adulthood and the validation that comes with it.
In a family where artistry and influence stretch across generations, Smith’s reflections reveal how even casual family interactions can carry deeper meaning, reinforcing the importance of legacy, independence, and identity.
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