Dear Mama: Hip-Hop’s Most Important Moms

In case you've forgotten, Mother's Day 2013 is upon us. Mothers play a huge role in all of our lives, and for our favorite rappers, their influence frequently comes through via their rhymes. It's no surprise that rappers love their moms, sharing personal moments that we all can relate to. With that in mind, let's take some time to celebrate of some of the most visible mothers hip-hop has to offer, from Donda West to Afeni Shakur.

Afeni Shakur

Aside from birthing one of the greatest MCs of all time (Tupac), the always-eloquent Afeni Shakur is also a former Black Panther, a successful businesswoman and an active philanthropist. Rather than pocketing the money made from her son's posthumous releases, Shakur used it to found Amaru Records and the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation.

Voletta Wallace

A Jamaican immigrant, Voletta Wallace raised her son The Notorious B.I.G. to be one of the best lyricists of his generation. Since Big's passing, Voletta Wallace has remained in the public eye, accepting his VMA award for the 1997 hit "Hypnotize" and being interviewed in a range of documentaries about her son. With a reported net worth of over $40 million, you better believe Ms. Wallace stays "pimpin' an ac' with minks on her back."

Donda West

Kanye never shied away from celebrating his mother through his music, which made the news of her untimely death in 2007 all the more heart-wrenching. Aside from inspiring some of the best music Yeezy has ever made, Donda West was also a noted scholar and a former chairwoman of Chicago State University's English department.

Gloria Carter

We all know her voice from the intro to "December 4th" off Jay-Z's first "last album." Gloria Carter raised one of the planet's most successful businessman all on her own, and we hear she's not a bad grandmother to baby Blue either.

Debbie Nelson

If you know Eminem's music, you are no stranger to the topic of his mother. For better or worse, Debbie inspired a lot of emotion in Em's music. She also recently wrote a memoir entitled My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem, which details her relationship with her son in his rise to worldwide fame.

Sandi Graham

Sandi's been the subject of a number of memorable Drizzy verses ("The Calm," "Successful,"), and Drake hasn't been shy about showing her off. She's been seen by her son's side at a number of red carpet events. How cute!

Kendrick's Lamar's Mom

When listeners first heard an older couple arguing on K. Dot's critically lauded debut good kid, m.A.A.d city, they expected the skit to be acted out. But the voices heard on the LP are the Compton rapper's real parents. His mom's van was also featured on the cover of good kid. Shout out to the caravan!

Myra Anderson

Big Sean's mother is a major part of his life. Not only does he shout her out as an inspiring force behind his music, the duo's also launched a non-profit called The Sean Anderson Foundation (named after Sean), which aims at assisting school-aged kids in the Detroit area.

Tommie Roberts

It takes a boss to birth a Bawse, and we have Tommie Roberts to thank for bringing the world the one and only Rozay. According to reports about Ross' background, she apparently sponsored her son and helped him get his rap career off the ground after he left college. We're sure he's paid her back tenfold.

Cheryl Harris

Earl Sweatshirt's mom famously sent him to Samoa amidst Odd Future's burgeoning success, and everyone was really upset about it, so much so that she received misguided death threats and her son was forced to speak out against his fans. But, post-Samoa, you can definitely hear a marked increase in insight and maturity in Earl's content. Maybe we have Mama Sweatshirt to thank for that?