Juelz Santana’s birthday tribute to his daughter Bella quickly turned into an online debate.
The rapper celebrated Bella’s 14th birthday on Instagram Wednesday and shared photos of the teen alongside a sweet message.
“Happy Bday To My Baby Girl… Daddy Loves U More then U Will Ever Know…. u Got Everything U Need to Be Great.. Never follow Always Lead,” Santana wrote.
While many fans wished Bella a happy birthday, others criticized the outfit she wore in the photos, calling it too mature for her age.
Santana didn’t stay silent. He jumped into the comments to defend Bella and pushed back against critics questioning the teenager’s appearance.
At one point, he wrote, “Yall want her to dress like North West No disrespect I jus wanna know,” referencing Kim Kardashian and Kanye West‘s 13-year-old daughter.
The comparison sparked additional backlash online, with some social media users arguing that North West should not have been brought into the conversation.
“Juelz Santana could have made his point without mentioning North. She too is a kid. Mfs be foul!” one person wrote on X.
Others defended Bella, saying adults should not be criticizing or sexualizing a 14-year-old over her clothing.
“Juelz Santana posted a picture of his 14 year old daughter wishing her a happy birthday & it’s grown a@# women in the comments sexualizing her talking about why she dressed like that,” another sad.
As the debate intensified, Santana continued responding to commenters before eventually turning his comments off.
Bella is the youngest of the three children Santana shares with wife Kimbella Vanderhee. The couple, who married in 2019 after nearly a decade together, are also parents to sons Juelz and Santana Jr. Santana is also father to an older son from a previous relationship.
