Michael Irvin’s son says he held back in raps to protect father’s media career

Michael Irvin’s knack for using his platform to challenge others goes beyond sports; he’s even willing to put his own family under the microscope and attempt to hold them accountable on live TV.

In an October 2023 segment on Undisputed, the Hall of Famer discussed Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant’s off-court controversies to highlight a disconnect he sees in his own son’s public persona as a rapper. Irvin pointed to his son, Elijah, who performs as Tut Tarantino, as an example of young men adopting tough street images that don’t match their upbringing.

“I got a son. He raps. His rap name is Tut Tarantino,” Irvin said. “If you ever listen to some of his raps, I’m like, ‘Oh my god. Where does this come from, son?’ You grew up in a gated community your whole life.”

Irvin, who reportedly made more than $17 million throughout his NFL career and has since worked for media outlets including ESPN, the NFL Network and Fox, added: “He’s rapping my life. ‘Cause we romanticize and fantasize about that old thug life, ghetto life, and all of that stuff. When we used to work to get away from it, now, we’ve gotten to a place, somehow, we’re running back towards it: in the music, in everything.”

Nearly a year later, Elijah pushed back on his father’s comments, saying in a recent interview, “He said I be saying crazy sh*t in my raps, he don’t know what the f*ck… He said I grew up in 20,000 square-foot [mansion], and it’s not that big I’m not gonna lie. It’s not 20,000. He gassed the f*ck out of that sh*t. It’s not even 15. You know what I’m saying? It don’t even matter…”

The mansion that Elijah grew up in might barely be 15,000 square feet, but he still has the utmost respect for his father. So much so that he avoids talking — or rapping about him — to prevent him from getting in trouble.

“I got the utmost respect for my father… A lot of sh*t that I might wanted to do, bruh, I might’ve held back,” Elijah said. “I don’t know if it’s going to f*ck up an NFL Network deal. You know what I’m saying? He not retired…I’m not finna be like promoting. I’m still going to be doing what I’m doing, but I never promoted that my dad was Michael Irvin because I did not want my father to get in trouble for the sh*t I was doing.

“It’s been [n-word(s)] around me that have known me for years before they figure out who I am. That sh*t ain’t never just made me, bruh. I be forgetting sometimes…[N-word(s)] not walking around telling motherf*ckers who their daddy is. People don’t do that.”

While Michael wants his son to own a more genuine reflection of his privileged upbringing, Elijah sees it differently, walking a fine line between self-expression and respect for his father’s career. While Michael hasn’t commented — at least not publicly — about his son’s image since last October, Elijah will keep pushing back, doing things his way but careful not to cross a line.

[BroBible, My Mixtapez on X]