Hip-hop has a special affinity for dogs. Snoop Dogg morphs into a Doberman Pinscher in his 1993 music video for “Who Am I (What’s My Name).” DMX—who has the name of his deceased pooch Boomer tattooed across his back—growls and barks like a dog on tracks every chance he gets. And Bow Wow remained on-brand with the titles of his first three albums, letting the doggone puppy puns fly (Beware of Dog, Doggy Bag, Unleashed). Rap has even co-opted best friend into a term of brotherly endearment (see: dawgs).

Cats get love in rap, too—although they’re often used as innuendo. “Freaky with the sticky icky/Baby give me kitty-kitty,” XXL Freshman alum Aminé raps on his 2016 song “Caroline.” Perhaps there’s no greater example of hip-hop’s fondness for felines than Run the Jewels’ 2015 remix album Meow the Jewels, which replaces the musical elements of Run the Jewels 2 with cat sounds. And how many MTV Cribs episodes have featured fish tanks? (Missy Elliott once flaunted a chair that replaces armrests with small aquariums.)

Still, outside of these common domesticated pets, rappers have taken a liking to animals on the more exotic end of the spectrum—even making companions of some of them. From Tyga to Vanilla Ice to Young Thug, hip-hop artists have kept tigers, monkeys and even a kangaroo as furry friends.

YoungBoy Never Broke Again had a tiger at one point. In 2017, he shared video outside his home walking around with a baby tiger. He picks up the feline who continues to “meow” while the rapper’s dog appears to be very curious of his owner’s new pet.

Then there’s Big Boi, who is the proud owner of some very unique owls. At one point, he was in possession of four of the flying species.

XXL takes a look at 12 rappers who decided to bring an exotic member of the animal kingdom into their homes.