Wanda Satterthwaite spent her final years fighting to prove that Jay-Z was the father of her son, Rymir, following a brief encounter with the rapper in the 1990s — a fight that continued over a decade later and resulted in a complex and storied legal battle.
Before her passing, a woman named Wanda Satterthwaite claimed she had a brief relationship with Jay-Z, born Shawn Carter, in 1992. In a notarized affidavit, she detailed her claims of how their alleged encounter resulted in the birth of her son the following year.
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
The rapper allegedly traveled to Philadelphia to pick up Wanda and Kaleesha on 24th and Bolton Street. The group, consisting of Kaleesha and Jay-Z’s friend in the front with Wanda and the rapper in the back, then traveled to an apartment in Brooklyn, where she claimed they spent the evening.
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
“Shawn asked me to leave with him, but I told him I could not because my mother would be upset,” she wrote. Wanda added that she did not see Jay-Z again until she recognized him on television a year later, unaware of his real name or how to contact him.
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
When Rymir was born in July 1993, Wanda’s high school sweetheart, Robert Graves, was present and signed the birth certificate as the child’s father. However, she later became convinced that Robert was not the biological dad, as he did not look like her son.
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
The legal battle between Rymir and Jay-Z has spanned over a decade, beginning in 2012 when Lillie and Rymir formally pursued a case against the rapper. However, Wanda’s affidavit and other court documents outline a series of obstacles in their pursuit of a paternity test.
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.
Rymir has repeatedly stated that his goal is not financial compensation but acknowledgment. He insisted that he wanted nothing more than to see justice served, and that he would stop at nothing to ensure that happened.
“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.
He also accused Jay-Z’s legal team of manipulating the system to avoid taking a paternity test, which he believes would bring a definitive end to the case.
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.
The motion was denied, with the court citing jurisdictional limitations. A subsequent appeal to the Appellate Division was also rejected in May 2023. Wanda’s battle for acknowledgment from Jay-Z began when he was just a normal man, long before he became a global icon married to pop sensation Beyoncé.
By the time the court case gained traction, his legal team was swift to dismiss the allegations. Her passing in 2019 marked the end of her personal involvement in the case, but her son has vowed to continue the fight in her memory.
“Despite my efforts, Mr. Carter has never once written a letter to me to address these claims — whether to deny or acknowledge paternity […],” Rymir stated.
“If Mr. Carter values the ideals of honor and protecting children, as he claims in his letter, he should step forward with transparency. He continues to deflect and avoid,” he continued. While Rymir is yet to prove Jay-Z is his biological father, like the rapper, he pursued a music career, with a few tracks under his belt.
Rymir’s battle to prove Jay-Z is his father remains unresolved, but his determination echoes the relentless fight his mother carried until her final days. As he pursues justice, the question of his paternity remains unanswered.
