Los Angeles genre-bending artist Yalee just dropped his highly anticipated single “Paper Cups, Paper Plates Part 2” featuringhis longtime collaborator and fellow Ohio native Kvng Shad.
Yalee is known for his unique blend of piano-led R&B and rap. “Paper Cups Paper Plates Pt. 2″ is a reflective, hook-heavy gut punch that turns everyday struggle into vivid, unforgettable imagery. Built around the instantly sticky line “paper cups, paper plates,” the song zooms in on a single mother skipping her own meals, kids growing up too fast, and an artist grinding from instant noodles in the cabinet to real numbers on the board. Straddling melodic rap and raw confessional, the hook spins like a memory you can’t outrun: paper cups, paper plates, noodles, grace. With a delivery that lands like a late-night prayer over an almost empty plate, “Paper Cups Paper Plates” makes the hunger for better feel just as real as the faith.
Beyond the studio, Yalee brings the same honesty to his life and business that he puts into his records. He’s toured with Mac Miller, launched the Dear Cloudz merch line worn by celebrities as an extension of his mental health advocacy, and founded the unisex skincare brand Selfieo Skin to champion self-care.
Yalee is a Los Angeles based artist carving out a distinct lane across hip-hop, soul, and alternative R&B. Known for his vivid storytelling and striking imagery, Yalee’s music plays like scenes drawn from his experiences that translate as powerfully visually as they do sonically. His sound, a signature style often described as “Hood Soul,” blends the grit of trap and hip-hop with the emotive melodies of R&B. Yalee’s records fuse raw, street-rooted stories with soulful introspective vocals, creating an atmosphere that feels authentic and deeply personal. His work often draws comparisons to songwriting icons such as Adele and J. Cole.
Born in Dayton, Ohio, Yalee was immersed in music from an early age. With a gospel-singing mother and a rapper father, his parents laid the foundation for the duality in his sound. Yalee gravitated toward storytelling, naturally blending rap with soulful vocals as a way to process what he was going through. Yalee’s upbringing was defined by both struggle and strength. Life changing tragedies in his childhood, such as witnessing two of his friends die right in front of him, left a lasting imprint on Yalee and shaped him into the artist he is today.
It was when Yalee moved to New Jersey that he began building incredible momentum very early in his career, breaking through with his 2013 debut mixtape Remember My Name, followed by the viral 2015 record “Pretty Girl Dance, Pt. 2” ft. Fetty Wap, and embarking on a tour with Mac Miller. Yalee expanded his sound through projects that followed like 10 Hours Away: You Was Never wit Me Sleepin in My Buick (2017) and Hood POP (2020). Other standout records “Pokema-N-Go 2.0” and “My Type” highlighted Yalee’s fluidity across styles and audiences. In 2021, Yalee began the evolution beyond his early trap foundation, shifting toward more personal, reflective music with deeper meaning and narrative focus. By 2023, Yalee opened this new music era with the powerful soul-barring EP, My Outside Is Different. Every song on the project is rooted in a series of personal experiences that reshaped Yalee’s life. The EP was accompanied with a poignant and deeply moving four-part short film that follows a young boy navigating faith, systemic pressure, and personal tragedy, from morning prayer to a tense police encounter that ends in a life-altering shooting.
In 2024, Yalee continued that direction with “Ghetto Prayer” ft. Maria Drea, a poignant song that captures the struggle between faith and the harsh realities of street life. This thematic duality is mirrored in a sonic fusion that pairs the church-inspired foundations of gospel piano and organ with the gritty, rhythmic intensity of modern trap production. The same year, Yalee also released the melodic confessional “Paper Cups Paper Plates,” using the imagery of paper cups, paper plates, instant noodles, and lines about “mom skipping meals so her kids could eat” for a deeply personal story about poverty, survival, and the power of love even in the hardest of circumstances. Yalee’s musical delivery effortlessly shifts between melodic phrasing and understated rap, with a slightly behind-the-beat cadence that adds weight and sincerity.
Beyond his music career, Yalee is a strong advocate of mental health, a focus reflected in his Dear Cloudz merch line which is increasingly worn by celebrities. He is also expanding into lifestyle and commerce with his clean, unisex skincare line, SelfieO Skin.
As an artist, Yalee’s message is simple: “I just want to be someone I wish I had growing up.” By speaking openly about his struggles and flaws in his music, he creates an honest environment that helps others feel understood.
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