Who Are YBN Cordae’s Parents? Here's Everything We Know About the Rap Star's Mom and Dad!

The Breakdown: YBN Cordae’s parents played an integral role in shaping his life and music. His mother, an aspiring singer, saw her dreams come full circle when Cordae featured her during his Tiny Desk performance.

Rapper Cordae might be one of hip-hop’s hottest MCs, but behind the bars, he is a family man. Cordae was born in Raleigh, N.C., but his parents raised him in Suitland, Md. His early exposure to classic hip-hop artists like Rakim, Nas, Big L, and Talib Kweli – thanks to his father – sparked his passion for music. By 15, he was penning his own rhymes.

During his teenage years, Cordae released three mixtapes. However, his career failed to take off and Cordae enrolled in college. After a short run at Towson University, he realized college wasn’t it. He packed up, moved to Los Angeles, and bet it all on music. That gamble paid off in 2018 when he linked up with the YBN collective — joining YBN Nahmir and YBN Almighty Jay – and reintroduced himself as YBN Cordae. His remixes of Eminem’s “My Name Is” and J. Cole’s “1985” got people talking.

Cordae released his debut album, The Lost Boy, in 2019, and the project earned two Grammy nominations. He has not slowed down since, and his career continues to thrive.

Behind the rapper is a supportive family. For those who may not know, Cordae’s mother is also a musician – and one of the key inspirations behind his decision to pursue a career in music.

Cordae’s mother is one of his biggest inspirations. His mother, Jennifer Dunston, had her own dreams of making it in the music industry. She once auditioned for American Idol and Making the Band, and even dropped her own original songs. While her career never fully took off, Cordae made sure her voice didn’t go unheard.

In March, he brought her onstage during his NPR Tiny Desk performance, letting her sing her song “Left Me for Dead” in front of the world. That same track was sampled on his emotional cut “06 Dreamin’,” where Cordae details the sacrifices his mom made.

“She was an aspiring singer and she just never got her big break to make it,” Cordae said. “Ironically enough ... She's living that dream through me because I'm here with y'all. I ended up sampling one of her old songs to make this song.

His father, however, is a different story. Cordae grew up mostly without him in the picture. His song “Family Matters” specifically focuses on their strained relationship; Cordae has said his father was incarcerated for much of his life.

Cordae has always kept it real about his family, especially when it comes to his siblings. One brother, Shiloh Young, also known as Simba, has had a huge impact on Cordae's life. In an interview with the GRAMMY.com, Cordae revealed that Simba is currently serving a 24-year prison sentence for armed robbery.

“He used to rap – we used to rap all the time together,” Cordae said when asked about including Simba on the track “Shiloh’s Intro.”

He added: “I felt like it was necessary, but also dope from the creative side, to include him on the intro for the album to shed some light on him and his situation.”