Some people knew him as Mos Def. Others know him as Yasiin Bey. Laila! has always known him as dad.
Laila! set the record straight in a conversation with Complex's Jordan Rose, confirming she is the daughter of the legendary MC.
"Yes, he is my dad, y'all. The rumors are true; no, I'm kidding. But yes, he's my dad. He's my dad," the 18-year-old said with a laugh.
Laila! shared the interview on her Instagram Stories and mentioned her father, writing on Thursday, "lmaooooooo dad the rumors are true @yasiinbey."
While she cannot recall a particular lesson, in terms of music, that she learned from her father, Laila! recalled instances when the 50-year-old Black Star rapper would acknowledge her as an artist doing her own thing.
"I don't know, I guess, like, I kind of just always been my own, like, artist in a way," she explained. "And like, that's the cool thing, because I feel like as a kid, like whenever we would just jam sesh and like vibe out, me and him, I don't know, I always had my own style, I always had my own thing going on. And he's always just been like, 'Okay kid, I see you.'"
Laila! discussed how supportive her parents have been on her music journey during her interview on Way Up with Angela Yee, noting that her mother Jessica Chong is her "momager."
"I'm so blessed because I've had parents and family and a support system, but especially my parents, they've always been so supportive of everything that I've wanted to do," the "Not My Problem" singer said. "They never question what I want to do. My mom, my dad, you guys have always just been like, 'Okay, that's what she's gonna do. That's Laila!' And I feel like that's always made me feel like I can take on the world, or I can show the world who I am because I've always had that in my life. ... I've always just felt so incredibly supported."
As far as standing on her own as an artist and not leaning on her dad's name, she said, "I guess I just never led with it because I just didn't want my talent to be diminished. ... And I'm proud of my family, I'm proud of who my dad is, and it's never something—I know I'm my own person, I'm my own artist. And I just didn't think that was something that I had to mention in order to, you know, get people to care about my music or care about who I am, you know, and he's very proud of me."
Laila! also confirmed her first full-length project will be dropping in September.