Riding in the backseat of a luxury town car, Yummy (a nickname she got from her grandfather) points out some personal landmarks in the ’hood she still calls home. There’s the hair salon, the Mickey D’s, and her grandfather’s storefront church, where Yummy spent a great deal of her admittedly rebellious childhood before embarking on a once-deferred singing career.
Encouraged by her dad, Dinky Bingham, a producer who worked with Guy (Aaron Hall is her godfather), Yummy cut her first demo at the age of 12. In 2000, Naughty By Nature’s Kay Gee tapped her to be the centerpiece of the all-girl threesome Tha’ Rayne. After they backed up Jaheim on his 2002 hit “Fabulous,” label politics curtailed the group’s album release, which eventually led to their disbanding. Yummy kept grinding, however - guesting on De La Soul’s “Much More” and Talib Kweli’s “Black Girl Pain” in 2004. That same year, she formed the production company Muzik Park with fellow Queens native (and family friend) Rockwilder; a deal with Motown/Universal soon followed. “It’s funny how you know somebody for so long and life permits things to come full circle,” says Rockwilder about his relationship with the singer he’s known since she was 6 years old. “Yummy’s vocals and songwriting put her in a class by herself. I’m just happy to be working with her.”
And their chemistry is evident on Yummy’s sweet but street debut, The First Seed. While the brooding “Come Get It,” featuring Jadakiss, is sure to boom in the big-boy trucks, the spirited radio favorite “Is It Good to You” is an irresistible anthem for the ladies. Yummy credits her beloved Queens for inspiring much of her creativity. “I couldn’t ask for a better place to grow up,” she gushes as her ride heads for Manhattan. “It’s my home, it’s what I love.” The ghetto has been good to her.
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