hɪz pˈɛɹənts mˈæɹɪdʒ fˈɛl ɐpˈɑːɹt dˈʊɹɹɪŋ hˈæmædiz tʃˈaɪldhʊd, ɹɪzˈʌltɪŋ ɪn hɪz bˌiːɪŋ ɹˈeɪzd baɪ hɪz mˈʌðɚ, wɪððə səpˈoːɹt ʌv hɪz pətˈɜːnəl ɡɹˈændfɑːðɚ hɪz bᵻlˈʌvd dʒˈɪduː ɡɹˈændfɑːðɚ, ɹˈælf hɑːtˈuːm hˈæmædi, hˈuːm hˈæmædi hɐz dᵻskɹˈaɪbd æz "ɐ wˈʌndɚfəl mˈæn fɹʌm bˈɑːklaɪn, lˈɛbənˌɑːn hˌuː kˈeɪm tʊ ɐmˈɛɹɪkə æz ɐ tˈiːneɪdʒɚɹ ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvən".
His parents' marriage fell apart during Hamady's childhood, resulting in his being raised by his mother, with the support of his paternal grandfather (his beloved Jidu (grandfather)), Ralph Haatoum Hamady, whom Hamady has described as "a wonderful man [from Baaqline, Lebanon] who came to America as a teenager in 1907".