Yung Baby Tate knows that the best party tracks are the kind that make you feel good about yourself. It’s why her single “I Am” gave rise to 2020’s most viral affirmation. TikToks and Instagram videos abound with the song’s opening credo: “I am healthy, I am wealthy, I am rich, I am that bitch.” Thousands of people recorded selfie camera meditations to the track, the pandemic equivalent to having clubs jumping the world over. The song helped her debut on Rolling Stone‘s Breakthrough 25 Chart at Number 11.
For Tate, whose real name is Tate Sequoya Farris, seeing the song succeed meant sharing something special. “It feels amazing to be a part of people’s self-love journey,” she said. “I Am” is from the 24-year-old singer’s latest EP, After the Rain, which was released in December. A collection of songs about rebuilding yourself from the ground up, the record was inspired in part by a particularly painful breakup. “After you’ve gone through something super messed up, and the rain has just been drenching…” she explains. ”I was telling these things to myself, to remind me that the rainbow is going to come back out.”
Even the record’s more somber moments, like the 6lack-assisted “Let it Rain,” don’t succumb to despair. Tate finds a way to make heartbreak something to dance to: The song’s moody chorus feels at home over its submerged club production. Despite quarantine, it’s easy to imagine the song playing soundtrack to a particularly ecstatic night out. “I’ve always loved to tell stories in my music,” Tate says. “Even if they’re not stories that I have gone through.” Her skill hasn’t gone unnoticed. Last spring, she signed to Issa Rae’s Raedio imprint at Atlantic Records, and her music has been featured on Rae’s Emmy-nominated series, Insecure.
Tate went to performing arts school when she was younger, and she has studied, and excelled, in everything from music to choreography. As a teen she started using her mom’s old computer to make beats, and before long she was uploading songs to the internet. Her first EP, 2015’s ROYGBIV, is described on her Bandcamp as a “sonic journey through a rainbow, written, produced, and sung by Tate.” It’s an ambitious idea executed gracefully; Tate’s emotional tenderness shines through. After a string of solid EPs, Tate released her debut, Girls, in 2019. The album was a proof of concept, an exploration of the kind of empowerment central to Tate’s music. “Oftentimes I say that I make music for the girls in the game, but the boys can come if they want to,” she says.
Tate welcomes the back-and-forth that comes with being on social media — she famously drew attention with a Nicki Minaj remix, “Babytron,” in 2019. There’s an inherently collaborative spirit that drives her output, especially when it comes to uplifting the coming generation of female artists. Girls featured a broad scope of young female MCs, from Bbymutha to Mulatto. “I Am” features Flo Milli, who’s on her own rapid rise to stardom, and Tate recently appeared on the Zimbabwean-born rapper Tkay Maidza’s “Kim,” an elastic ode to the woman who famously broke the internet.
Tate is also a talented performer: In the video for her single “Rainbow Cadillac,” the choreography is as spellbinding as her voice, which modulates effortlessly between singing and rapping. We cut from Tate, flanked by equally adept backup dancers, to Tate and her crew in a drop-top Cadillac. It’s a playful fantasy that gives credence to one of the track’s standout lines: “If it wasn’t for corona, I’d pack this club.” She’s right.
Quarantine hasn’t been easy on Tate, she admits, but part of the process of working on After the Rain was working through that difficulty. “I think I found my mojo again and was like, ‘Look, we’re just gonna power through this and get creative,’” she says. “I’m blessed to have been able to find a way to still have my music permeate, even though we can’t be out and performing.”
It’s also given her time to sharpen her own vision. She says she’s excited about the new music she’s recording. “I’m going way more into an R&B space, which I’ve been kind of hinting at for a long time,” she says. “You know, I’m not just a rapper. I’m an artist.” She’s also seeing this year as a time to grow: “I think it’s an appropriate time to just be more real, more honest, more truthful.”
TrueMendous describes her debut album as the best project she has ever created, and she’s eager for fans to finally hear it. Misdiagnosis of Chyvonne Johnson, released on April 1, marks a major step forward for the Birmingham artist after building momentum through a series of EPs and mixtapes.
“I’d never created an album before,” she shared. “I had to make sure it stood apart from everything I’ve released in the past. Listening to it from start to finish, I feel like it’s stronger than anything I’ve made so far. Everything about it is on another level. All the elements made it better.”
That vision extends beyond the music itself. From the visuals for the new tracks to the album artwork designed by Father of Cain—which also appears on new merch—every detail has been carefully considered. Although the writing process wrapped up months ago and the final mixes were completed last summer, taking time to plan the rollout proved valuable.
“It’s frustrating to sit on music, but it makes me even more excited to release it,” she explained. “It’s good, too, because I get to plan the music videos properly and figure out the best way to put it out there.”
The album was shaped by a mix of Birmingham-based producers and collaborators from her label, High Focus. “It’s great to have a team that pushes and supports you,” she said. “They help amplify your voice without making it feel toxic or stifling.”
The album title is inspired by Lauryn Hill, one of her biggest storytelling influences. Following the success of her 2020 HUH? EP, expectations are high. That EP led to unexpected opportunities—Adidas used the beat from “Sweetheart” in a campaign, while “Hmm” landed on the FIFA 21 soundtrack. She also appeared in major ads for Pepsi Max and McVities.
This time, she’s aiming for more film placements. “‘Cause A Scene,’ which has an animated music video, would be perfect for a wild fight scene,” she said. The track kicks off the 17-song record, which blends rap, R&B, and pop, showcasing her versatility. “I’m a bit of a chameleon,” she explained. “I love adapting to different sounds.”
She even made the tough decision to remove some songs from the final tracklist for the first time. The result is a mix that ranges from the nine-minute “Selfish Behaviour” to a 99-second burst of energy on “You Don’t Wanna.” “I don’t plan song lengths—it just feels right,” she said. “When the lyrics ended with the beat, it felt like the perfect close.”
This variety keeps listeners engaged, appealing to fans who enjoy both long, intricate stories and quick, punchy tracks. “If you’re good enough as an artist, it doesn’t matter how long the song is,” she added. “If Drake put out a 30-minute song, people wouldn’t just stop listening halfway.”
Lyrically, the album blends her personal experiences with stories inspired by friends and documentaries, creating a unique and heartfelt perspective. “My older songs were all story-based,” she said. “I used to tell other people’s stories through my voice as a narrator. It’s only in the last two years that I’ve started opening up more about myself.”
The final track, “Yvonne’s Daughter,” is her most personal yet. For someone who admits, “I don’t reveal anything about anything,” it’s a raw look at her relationship with her mother. Family ties keep her grounded in Birmingham, even as her career grows in London.
“Birmingham’s slower than London,” she reflected. “It doesn’t lack talent—it just needs to be seen and heard. London has the labels, A&Rs, and events. I go back to Birmingham to slow down.”
That calm may not last long, with more projects in the pipeline and global ambitions ahead. She’s particularly excited about performing in places where fans don’t speak English but still know the lyrics.
“More than anything, I just want the album to do well,” she said. “I know how much effort went into it, and it’s a really good project. I’m confident and comfortable with it, and I can’t wait to see how people respond.”
Misdiagnosis of Chyvonne Johnson by TrueMendous is out now on High Focus Records.
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