Meet the Mother of Jay-Z’s Alleged Child Rymir — She Handed Care of Her Son over to Someone Else Before Her Own Death
Jay-Z circa 1996. | Source: Getty Images
According to Wanda’s sworn statement, she first met Jay-Z, who was then known by the street name Rock, through her friend Kaleesha Allen. “I went by the name Carmel or Precious,” Wanda wrote.
Jay-Z and Russell Simmons at a Cartier Event in New York 1996. | Source: Getty Images
Rappers The Notorious BIG and Jay-Z at a party in New York circa 1996. | Source: Getty Images
Kaleesha reportedly left the room with Jay-Z’s friend, while Wanda said she and Jay-Z went to another room. In the affidavit, Wanda claimed that the rapper and his friend — who was not named in the document — returned two weeks later to see her and Kaleesha, though the latter was unavailable.
Jay-Z at the 1998 Billboard Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada. | Source: Getty Images
Jay-Z at a Tommy Hilfiger Fashion Show in 1999. | Source: Getty Images
The affidavit was signed by Wanda, Kaleesha, and a notary public in New Jersey. It became a central piece of evidence in the years-long legal battle to compel Jay-Z to take a paternity test, which he refused.
Wanda’s fight began when she became gravely ill with a heart condition and could no longer care for Rymir, transferring custody to her godmother, Lillie Collie, in 2011. Lillie, acting as Rymir’s legal guardian, took up the case in court, alleging that Jay-Z was Rymir’s biological father.
Rymir Satterthwaite as a child. | Source: Instagram/rymir_is_here
“I was just trying to help my goddaughter’s child have a relationship with his father,” Lillie explained. “It was so hard on him because he was ripped away from his mom and had no one to call dad.”
Jay-Z at the Radio Music Awards in 2001. | Source: Getty Images
Jay-Z performing at The Sprite Liquid Mix Tour in 2002. | Source: Getty Images
Wanda told Rymir that his father was Jay-Z when he was eight, and a paternity test proved that Robert was not related to Rymir. Thus, his name was removed from the birth certificate. Despite this, the space for the father’s name remained blank, with Wanda alleging that Jay-Z was the only other possible candidate.
Jay-Z performing at the Save Mart Center on November 7, 2009, in Fresno, California. | Source: Getty Images
Jay-Z at an afterparty on February 7, 2012, in New York. | Source: Getty Images
This includes alleged efforts by Jay-Z’s legal team to dismiss the case on jurisdictional grounds. In one pre-trial hearing, the rapper’s attorneys argued that the matter should be handled in Pennsylvania, where the initial paperwork was filed, rather than in New Jersey, where the case was later pursued.
“I won’t stop fighting for this until I win, and I will win because the law is on our side. This is not going to be over until justice is served. I just want to live my life and, when it is all said and done, I hope that Jay-Z would want to be a part of my life, if that is God’s will,” he said.
In February 2023, Rymir reportedly filed a motion with the New Jersey Supreme Court to unseal documents related to the case, arguing that the sealed records were preventing him from achieving justice.
