Yaya DaCosta is a woman who loves to rap song lyrics while wrapping her hair. Back in 2023, she posted an Instagram reel of herself wrapping her hair while rapping Lil’ Kim’s verse in “Crush On You” in celebration of hip-hop’s 50-year anniversary. Now, it’s like she’s been summoned into the hair community by releasing her newest hair wrap line, Wraps ‘N’ Raps.
“I set out to answer the call,” DaCosta tells ESSENCE, as “the leading edge” to why she wears a wrap when she steps out of the house. However, the inspiration behind her wraps line dates back to when she was little. From seeing her mom teach dance classes and wrapping her hair for shows to a hair wrapping ceremony at her aunt’s wedding, this is when the lore was planted in her head.
In the Wraps ‘N’ Raps package, customers receive an electronic box with a video to learn the history of head wrapping. Then from there, clicking the buttons leads to tutorials for four different hair wrap styles. As for the patterns, a range of energetic colors––like purple, orange, and green––meet geometric prints adding personalized designs to the intimate tradition.
Being born in the Bronx, New York, hip-hop culture was an influential factor in her life. For the brand’s name, she honors hip-hop culture and rapping, while acknowledging the ritualistic practice of head wrapping. “These head wraps and lyrical raps are opening up new doors for me,” DaCosta says. “I’m just allowing them to open and allowing myself to walk through them.”
For the 41-year-old actress, head wrapping is a form of self-love honoring more than just hip-hop, but a tribute to African culture and the history of the diaspora. “This is about building community and healing,” she says. “I notice women start to cover their heads because they’re on a journey of self-love and reclaiming their identity and deciding how they want to show up in the world.”