Yaya Bey on her latest album, ‘do it afraid’

When you hear Yaya Bey talk about the state of the world, there’s no question where she stands on the important issues. She’s straightforward and fearless in discussing politics, race, the economy and how all of those things tie into her music and the way her music is received by the industry, especially as a Black artist.

But that doesn’t mean her new album, do it afraid, is heavy or humorless. In fact, it’s the opposite. As the title implies, Yaya Bey is finding joy and having fun, even when it might seem difficult.

In this episode, Yaya Bey performs live and talks about all of those things, along with the making of her new record. She also talks about how working with her father, Grand Daddy I.U., had an early and lasting impact on her creativity.

This episode of World Cafe was produced and edited by Miguel Perez. Our senior producer is Kimberly Junod and our engineer is Chris Williams. Our programming and booking coordinator is Chelsea Johnson and our line producer is Will Loftus.