Based out of Queens, New York, Big Yaya is a rapper that has put his own unique style onto the wide popular style of drill rap. We have seen a huge wave in recent years of east coast drill rap, gaining a lot of attention and traction in mainstream media. This style generally has slower beats with hard delivery of words flowing over it, but Big Yaya has put his own personal flavor into his songs, with many sampled beats and a drill flow over them. Big Yaya is signed to WCF (WeCantFold) the label, and often features other members with similar styles fitting perfectly over these unique samples. His 2021 album “Calvin” is extremely intriguing, the beats vary greatly from song to song, and it does not feel like one continuous style of rap. Each song delivers sonic versatility opposed to certain drill albums that can sometimes be received as repetitive. In my opinion this makes the album a fun listen, and is definitely a project you should listen to from start to finish with genuine satisfaction.
His newest 2022 album release titled “I wish I was alive in the 80s” has the same recognizable sample drill style, but you can sense from the second the album starts, this sound is not the same as previous albums and has a much “harder” feeling to it. I really enjoyed getting to hear how Big Yaya creates flows to compliment extremely diverse beats. This style of rap is essential for drill to continue growing, and for different sub genres to really start thriving. If you are someone who enjoys New York style drill but do not want to feel like you’re listening to a lot of the same thing, I would definitely give Big Yaya’s songs a listen.
Written by: Kyle Johnston