If ever you are fortunate enough to find your senses enthralled by the smooth, sultry voice and enlightened lyrical flow of a seriously down sister, you are, no doubt, in the presence of IAYAALIS.
No other artist expresses the essence of intellect and spirit quite like “the mad mutha eloh ” whose acronymic name, i.a.y.a.a.l.is (“i-yall-EE”) – I Am You Are And Love IS – suggests her universal purpose: to dazzle the dome and send the soul.
IAYAALIS is a creatrix – a female creator and multi-talent whose critically-acclaimed rhymes, singing voice, spoken word, poetry, prose, and visual art, have earned respect from free-thinking, progressive audiences. Several local and national publications and music compilations have featured her work.
IAYAALIS’ visual art has been displayed in prominent exhibitions at Nashville’s Watkins Institute, the Nashville International Airport, and the prestigious Cheekwood Museum. She also is an accomplished book illustrator, graphic artist, and web designer.
Musically, IAYAALIS creates a unique brand of hip-hop that, according to The Nashville Scene, merges “sensual physicality with deep spiritual insights and a distinctly feminine point of view”. It’s a sound that infuses hip-hop with occasional flashes of African percussion, dancehall rhythms and other worldly vibrations. Her infectious melodies and enlightened lyrics soar to new, uncharted heights.
IAYAALIS’ debut album “I Am You Are And Love IS…!” dawned in the spring of 2011. Released by Detroit-based independent label, EAPro , the work is a compendium of hip-hop, soul and spoken word. It is a creative collaboration with several producers, including Salle Vation, J Mink, Nadir Omowale, and Beat Kang Reavis Mitchell, III – co-creator of the Beat Thang music production system.
With each endeavor, IAYAALIS etches a permanent mark for herself and her art without compromising her artistic approach or spiritual ideals. And, as IAYAALIS told The Nashville Scene “What’s happening here is so fresh and new… I’m telling you, when somebody finally taps into that, it’s going to break wide open.”
