Yummy Bingham

Straight from Forty Projects on the Southside of Jamaica, Queens, a young lady with more experience in the music industry than people twice her age is poised to take the field running.

19-year old Yummy is music royalty. The godchild of both R&B legend Chaka Khan and “New Jack Swing King” Aaron Hall, Yummy has been surrounded by music since birth. Her father, noted music producer Osborne “Dinky” Bingham, Jr., has worked with New Edition, Kylie Minogue, Changing Faces, Bobby Brown and the ground-breaking trio Guy (he also served as the music director for the group).

Despite her pedigree, she was not born with the musical equivalent of a silver spoon in her mouth. Everything she has achieved thus far is a product of her tenacity and drive. “I can’t quit,” says Yummy. “I don’t even know how. When I want something, nothing is going to stop me.”

Her story begins, like many before her, in the church. But unlike some singers, it took her some years to understand her gift. “I never sang when I was young,” explains Yummy, who actually started out as the drummer in her church. “Maybe in the shower or with a group of people. But never alone.” In third grade, a music teacher noticed Yummy’s unique vocals and enlisted her for a solo in a school concert. “I grew up around music but I was still nervous about being out there on my own. I had been constantly told that my voice was different. I didn’t understand what that meant until I saw the impact I had on people when I sang.”

Although music continued to be a part of her life, the majority of her childhood was dedicated to survival, not performing arts. In her early childhood, she lived in the housing projects of Queens with her parents and later moved around often with her mother. At ten, she was taken away from her mother due to allegations of abuse.

“From the age of 10 until 14, I was a wreck,” explains Yummy. “I was doing any and everything.” Refusing to shy away from her story, Yummy readily admits that at a very young age she was involved in activities shocking enough to fill a hardcore rap record. “It’s not pretty where I’m from,” she says. “Robberies, drug-dealing, shootouts, fights. I’ve been in it, around it and through it all.” At fourteen, when most young people are just beginning to get into trouble, Yummy opted out of the street life. “It wasn’t for me,” she says definitively. “I was just sick of doing wrong.” Recognizing her fate opened up doors quickly.

By junior high school, a demo she produced with her father caught the ear of Kay Gee, a veteran of rap group Naughty By Nature and producer for multi-platinum acts like Jaheim, Next, and Zhane. Kay Gee slipped Yummy into a group with two other young ladies and dubbed them Tha Rayne. Before the group separated, they gained accolades for their vocal contributions to Jaheim’s hit record “Fabulous.” The confines of the group stifled her creativity and eventually Yummy decided to strike out on her own. “Being a part of a group was a great introduction to learning the music business. We completed a record; went on promotional tours. Although ultimately, it didn’t work out for us, I don’t regret one minute of it. I’m applying those lessons to everything I do right now.”

As a young girl at her father’s knee in the studio, she met many people who called on her father for help with music. One of those people would become Rockwilder, the hip-hop super-producer noted for his work with Redman, Janet Jackson and Missy Elliott. “I was so honored that we were able to re-connect after all these years and he wanted to work with me. I’d been following his career all my life and I knew I wanted to work with him.” Rockwilder freely admits that as an accomplished producer he doesn’t have to experiment with new artists, declaring, “If I’m going to experiment, it’s got to be someone who is new, has the potential for longevity and has a tremendous voice. And of course the family connection made it a beautiful match.”

Rockwilder’s magnetic, ear-shattering beats coupled with Yummy’s melodic sound results in a frenetic, freewheeling approach to music. “She’s bringing something extra,” Rockwilder explains. “She’s young, so her sound has that slight youthful quality. But she’s also bringing powerful vocals that an older crowd will appreciate. And then, she’s from the streets and she’s been through the struggle and she’s not toning that down, which brings her a whole new audience.” Rockwilder is not just Yummy’s producer. Together, they are a creative team who feed off each other to bring out the best in each other and her album, First Seed, reflects her story-telling infused with their energies: “playful, edgy, melodic and soulful.”