Album Review: Ten Fold by Yaya Bey

Standing as a quintessentially personal manifestation of collaboration, Yaya Bey's Ten Fold touches the heartstrings with its visceral songwriting and the distinct presence of her late father.

Courtesy of Big Dada.

The solar eclipse of this year is a full-circle journey for Yaya Bey. Seven years ago, her life was steeped in newlywed bliss as she journeyed to behold the complete eclipse in Nashville, marking her honeymoon. However, soon after, her life took an unfortunate detour, spiraling into despair. Today, Bey is in a different place, recently remarried and no longer penning her songs from a place of personal chaos.

After releasing her critically acclaimed 2022 album, Remember Your North Star, and its subsequent epilogue, Exodus the North Star, both masterpieces examining the nuanced dynamics of grief and self-love, Bey has re-emerged, giving birth to Ten Fold. The album grapples with the emotional whirlwind of expectations, pressure, and self-doubt that assailed her amidst her burgeoning career and her father’s demise. Her father, Ayub Bey, was a renowned rapper and producer, famously known as Granddaddy I.U, recognized for his collaborations with the Juice Crew and his debut album in 1990, Smooth Assassin. 

Setting the stage with an understated introduction, Ten Fold glides elegantly on a soothing soul-jazz rhythm, presenting a distilled glimpse of Bey’s life post her premiere album with Big Dada. One moment aglow with pride, the next moment grappling with irritation and mourning, Bey gives voice to her struggle, saying, “I got all this money, and I’m still fuckin’ broke.” A reference to her fresh publishing deal, she reminisces about the memory of her father and mourns the financial burden of his parting. The musical journey of the album shadows this progression, with Bey embracing the darkness of these circumstances only to find her way back into the light. 

Bey uses her music as a medium to fight her sorrow, calling upon her father’s voice as a source of solace and guidance. Even in his physical absence, he lives on through Bey’s fabric of sound that celebrates his influence on her journey. The track “Yvette’s Cooking Show” emerges as a poignant reflection on love shrouded in the loss. The artist tranquilly muses on her eternal bond with her father, strength in the face of adversities, and the steadfast belief in his legacy. 

Ten Fold oscillates like a tree swaying in the wind, marking Bey’s playful defiance against tribulations. We see manifestations of this defiance in “The Evidence” and “Sir Princess Bad Bitch.” The album progresses through a series of recollections and affirmations, every track steeped in introspection and sultry rhythm. Despite critiques of disconnectedness, Bey’s skill in production and tracklist flow coalesce to present a narrative that is as natural as it is poignant, with each track representing a point of departure and arrival in a musical journey. 

Never drowning in the dark crevices of her psyche, Bey glides through Ten Fold in a space ripe with creativity as she threads through the intricacies of her pain. Her narrative is balanced by a brilliant production team that includes Corey Fanville of Butcher Brown, Karriem Riggins, and others. On “Iloveyoufrankiebeverly,” we hear a joyous piano suite, a reference to the legendary Maze funk artist Frankie Beverly, whose timeless anthems continue to galvanize Black American celebrations. 

Ten Fold encapsulates the triumph of personal connections and shared experiences. Another track “Eric Adams In the Club” delivers a critically perspicacious view of the world, juxtaposed with the haunting notes of “Chrysanthemums,” which symbolize growth from adversity. Bey nods to the commercial norm yet refuses to be confounded by it.

The collection continues to maintain the spontaneous and raw sensation of her previous work, with Bey embarking on a journey of self-realization through her buoyant sonic choices. Her songs may not rival symphonies in length or complexity, but they do not need to. As Ten Fold unveils, Bey is revealed as an evolving persona, navigating through the constant flux of the present and the uncertainties of the future. Channeling the profound loss of her father into something transcendental and relatable, the album takes listeners on an empathetic journey to savor the lingering sense of anguish, offering solace through shared experience.

Great (★★★★☆)

Favorite Track(s): “Chrysanthemums,” “Iloveyoufrankiebeverly,” “Career Day”