Biography
Hidaiyah 'Yaya' Bey is an American R&B musician born August 4, 1990, in Queens, New York. She is the daughter of hip-hop artist Grand Daddy I.U., who served as her primary parent and nurtured her artistic development from an early age. Around age nine, Bey developed a passion for writing songs and poems, laying the foundation for her multidisciplinary creative practice. At age 18, she relocated to Washington, D.C., which she describes as her second home, where the city's cultural landscape—including museums, libraries, poetry communities, and protest movements—further ignited her artistic creativity and social consciousness.
Bey's professional music career began with her debut album 'The Many Alter-Egos of Trill'eta Brown' in 2016, which incorporated digital collage and an accompanying book, earning praise from publications including FADER and Essence. She followed with critically acclaimed projects including 'This Too...' (2019), 'Madison Tapes' (2020), and 'The Things I Can't Take With Me' EP (2021)—the latter being the first release on Big Dada's relaunch as a label dedicated to Black, POC, and minority ethnic artists. Her 2022 album 'Remember Your North Star' received 'Best New Music' recognition from Pitchfork and showcased her fusion of soul, jazz, reggae, afrobeat, and hip-hop. Her subsequent albums 'Ten Fold' (2024) and 'do it afraid' (2025) further solidified her reputation as one of R&B's most compelling storytellers.
Beyond music, Yaya Bey is a multidisciplinary artist, poet, art curator, and activist. She has created cover artwork for her own projects through intimate photo collages and self-portraits, completed residencies at Brooklyn's Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA), and served as an art curator for the PG African American Museum. She founded Sanaa, a mutual aid organization, and has worked as a street medic at protests. Her artistic practice consistently centers the Black woman's experience while maintaining a commitment to authenticity, relatability, and social consciousness. As a self-identified working-class artist, she maintains a healthy distrust of institutions and has demonstrated her independence by self-funding album recordings.
Fun Facts
- Yaya Bey is a multidisciplinary artist who creates the cover artwork for her music projects through intimate photo collages and self-portraits, blending her visual art practice with her musical releases.
- She founded Sanaa, a mutual aid organization, and has worked as a street medic at protests, demonstrating her commitment to community care and social activism beyond her music career.
- For her 2025 album 'do it afraid,' Bey fronted the entire recording budget independently without a label partner in place, manifesting the project through sheer determination and self-belief.
- Her music incorporates the soca stylings of her family's Bajan roots, reflecting her Caribbean heritage alongside her New York and Washington, D.C. cultural influences.
Musical Connections
Mentors/Influences
- Grand Daddy I.U. - Father and primary parent who nurtured her early artistic development in songwriting and music (Early songwriting and musical foundation) [Childhood onwards]
Key Collaborators
- Corey Fonville (Butcher Brown) - Producer on 'Ten Fold' album (Ten Fold (2024)) [2024]
- Karriem Riggins - Producer on 'Ten Fold' album (Ten Fold (2024)) [2024]
- Jay Daniel - Producer on 'Ten Fold' album (Ten Fold (2024)) [2024]
- Exaktly - Producer on 'Ten Fold' album (Ten Fold (2024)) [2024]
- Boston Chery - Producer on 'Ten Fold' album (Ten Fold (2024)) [2024]
Connection Network
External Links
Tags: #hip-hop, #r&b, #soul
Heard on WWOZ
Yaya Bey has been played 1 time on WWOZ 90.7 FM, New Orleans' jazz and heritage station.
| Date | Time | Title | Show | Spotify |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 30, 2025 | 01:41 | the evidencefrom the evidence | Adjacentw/ Benny Poppins |