Wraps n’ Raps began as a celebration of hip hop and crown adornment in a series of performance tutorials on social media. These videos, defined by fun and speed, quickly went viral. They started an exciting dialogue in the online community, revealing a demand for high-quality head wraps that anyone could learn to shape as beautifully and as quickly as Yaya did in those 60-second Reels.

She set out on a mission, dreaming, brainstorming, traveling to Ghana and Indonesia, supporting small businesses in warm, welcoming communities, and creating something fresh and innovative with the blessing of the longstanding and ancient. Her team, a diverse group of designers and artists, shared her vision and worked tirelessly to bring it to life. This new venture is more than just a fashion brand. It is a celebration of culture, creativity, and self-expression.

Her vision was to make Wraps n’ Raps a place where people could find pieces that resonated with their personal style and cultural pride. These are limited edition pieces with periodic merchandise “drops,” including traditional prints from around Africa and Asia, as well as original, signature prints. Wraps n’ Raps is also intertwined with Yaya's personal passion for rapping, which found a new home in this venture.

What emerged from this 9-month gestation period was a new kind of head wrap: fabric with 3 out of 4 stiff hems that are more obedient and more easily shaped than plain fabric. We call this “The Leading Edge” (patent pending).

Our more subdued, super soft jersey wraps without The Leading Edge are made to hug the head and support the wearer in their day-to-day activities.

Both styles are ethically sourced, meticulously crafted, and infused with potent meaning. These are affirmations as well as decorations. They are invitations to indulge in your beauty, your pride, and your freedom to set the standard for how you show up in the world. They have the magical, mystifying power to uplift the wearer’s spirit, and to inspire respect, admiration, and devotion from those who receive the transmission one emits when wearing these beautiful crowns.

We at Wraps n’ Raps have already set intentions for each pattern, which can be read in the product descriptions, and each wrap has been attuned to the frequency of Universal Life Force Energy by Yaya, who has also been a Reiki Master since 2010. When you receive your wrap, please feel free to infuse it with your own vibration and embed it with an intention that means something to you.

May we always stand tall and firm in the truth of who we are.

Thank you for being here.

Love,

The Wraps n’ Raps Team

About Yaya DaCosta      

New York born and bred, Yaya DaCosta is known as an actor, a model, and a birth worker, and she now is adding the title “business owner” to the list.

Yaya fell in love with acting in middle school due to an impactful drama teacher, actress Ann Willis Ratray. At just 11 years old, she was cast in educational films. After performing in school plays during boarding school and at Brown University, she has gone on to showcase her dynamic talent with powerful performances across film, television, and stage.

DaCosta can currently be seen as Andrea Freeman, a cut-throat prosecutor, in the second season of “The Lincoln Lawyer.” She recently starred in Fox's drama series "Our Kind of People" from writer/executive producer Karin Gist, executive producer Lee Daniels, 20th Television, and Fox Entertainment.

She spent six seasons as April Sexton on NBC’s drama “Chicago Med.” DaCosta starred in the jazz biopic “Bolden,” opposite Nelsan Ellis, Ian McShane, and Gary Carr. In 2015, she played the title role in Lifetime’s Angela Bassett-directed Whitney Houston biopic, “Whitney.”

Additional film credits include Lee Daniel’s critically acclaimed film “The Butler,” with Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, and David Oyelowo; Oren Moverman’s acclaimed film “The Messenger,” with Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster; Lisa Cholodenko’s Oscar-nominated “The Kids Are All Right” opposite Mark Ruffalo; Joseph Kosinski’s “Tron Legacy;” and Shane Black’s “The Nice Guys,” opposite Ryan Gosling, Matt Bomer, and Russell Crowe.

DaCosta has also appeared in “In Time,” “Big Words,” “Mother of George” and John Sayles’ “Honeydripper,” co-starring Danny Glover and Charles S. Dutton. She reunited with Dutton in the telefilm “Racing for Time,” which he also directed. DaCosta began her professional acting career as the lead in Liz Friedlander’s “Take the Lead,” opposite Antonio Banderas.

She has had guest-starring roles on a variety of TV series, including the final season of “Ugly Betty,” as well as appearances on “House,” “Body of Proof,” “Army Wives,” “Mercy,” “Law & Order: SVU,” and “Eve.”

DaCosta’s theater work has included the passionate portrayal of Olivia in the Sonnet Repertory Theater’s production of “Twelfth Night,” and a co-starring role with Leslie Uggams in the Signature Theater Co.’s revival production of Leslie Lee’s “The First Breeze of Summer,” directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson. For her performance, she was honored with a Vivian Robinson/AUDELCO Recognition Award for Excellence in Black Theatre.

In addition to acting, Yaya participates in speaking engagements at universities on subjects ranging from environmentalism to diversity and representation in the arts. She holds a B.A. in International Relations and Africana Studies from Brown University. A perpetual learner, one of Yaya’s other passions is birth work, having been a prenatal and postpartum doula since 2010. She is a proud mother of one and an advocate for maternal health.

As an avid wearer of head wraps since childhood, Yaya has tapped into her gifts of creativity and attention to detail to create her long-awaited line of head wraps. She launched Wraps n’ Raps as a symbol of the freedom to reclaim the art of sacred crown adornment.