Yaya Bey

“Suffering is promised to us all, but so is joy,” Queens-born singer-songwriter Yaya Bey has asserted about her life’s work, adding, “You have to have peace in that duality.” Bey knows what she’s talking about, having addressed topics like pain, persecution, power, and pride across six acclaimed studio albums over the last decade. Daughter of the late hip-hop pioneer and Juice Crew associate Grand Daddy I.U., Bey has spent her entire life immersed in song, fashioning a personal profile that blends R&B, hip-hop, jazz, soul, and dance music. On her latest album, do it afraid, made with co-producers including BADBADNOTGOOD, Exaktly, and Butcher Brown, she draws upon her family’s strong Bajan roots, even enlisting soca artist Father Philis to drop ad libs into her effervescent signature sound.

Ayanna Heaven is a Jamaican DJ and radio producer based in Brooklyn, and the founder of Good Ting, a platform dedicated to highlighting and celebrating Jamaican music. You can catch her monthly on Sounds of Heaven on The Lot Radio, and bi-weekly spinning soul and funk on WKCR’s long-running program Across 110th Street. Her sets flow seamlessly through roots and rocksteady reggae, Afrobeats, hip-hop, dancehall, and funk—reflecting both her deep passion for music and the richness of her diverse background.