Cordae Amari Brooks (néDunston; born August 26, 1997), known mononymously asCordae (formerlyYBN Cordae andEntendre), is an American rapper. He began his career as a member of the hip hop collectiveYBN.[3]
His 2019 debut studio album,The Lost Boy, peaked at number 13 on theBillboard 200 and was met with critical acclaim. At the62nd Grammy Awards, it was nominated forBest Rap Album, while its single, "Bad Idea" (featuringChance the Rapper), was nominated forBest Rap Song.[4] After the group disbanded in 2020, he dropped the "YBN" from his stage name. His second studio album,From a Birds Eye View (2022), matched the chart position of his previous, and was met with similar critical reception.
Brooks was born inRaleigh, North Carolina. He lived in nearbyZebulon, until he was 9 years old, when his family moved toSuitland, Maryland, where he was mostly raised.[3][5] As a young child, he took an interest in music after his father playedclassic hip hop artists such asRakim,Nas,Big L, andTalib Kweli.[6] He began writing raps around the age of fifteen. As he got older, he researched artists through YouTube, attempting to find music like his father played.[7]
Brooks became more interested in pursuing a rap career as he grew older. He prioritized his studies, but often became distracted by writing lyrics. He graduated from high school in 2015 and decided to attend college atTowson University. He dropped out in 2018, explaining that college was "bigger than him" as a first-generation student, and he was mainly doing it for his mother. He moved to Los Angeles shortly afterward.[8]
He released three mixtapes as a teenager under the name Entendre:Anxiety (2014),I'm So Anxious (2016), andI'm So Anonymous (2017).[9][10][11]
Cordae began taking his rap career seriously in early 2018. When visiting Los Angeles, he hung aroundYBN Nahmir and YBN Almighty Jay, whom he'd met through social media. Nahmir had reached out to Cordae after hearing a song by Brooks, the only member of YBN who hadn't been introduced through video games.[12] Cordae said he already felt like a part of YBN, and so changed from "Entendre" to "YBN Cordae". He also said that Entendre had been a name that he'd wanted to change for while: "I was just always around Nahmir and shit, those were just like my brothers... And, I was thinking, yo, I need to change my shit to like, Cordae, and shit, my actual first name. I was already "YBN" without the social tag".[7]
In May 2018, Cordae released his first single, which he called his "introduction to the world": a remix of the 1999 song "My Name Is" byEminem. He released the song along with a music video viaWorldStarHipHop on YouTube. He then released "Old Niggas" as a response to "1985" by J. Cole, followed by the tracks "Fighting Temptations" and "Kung Fu".[13][14][15]
In May 2018, Cordae made his debut live performance at the annual Rolling Loud music festival, where he performed with YBN Nahmir and YBN Almighty Jay. He performed with the duo again at the 2018 XXL Freshman Show in New York City, after Nahmir was announced as an inductee of the yearly freshman class.[16] Brooks was then announced to be joiningJuice Wrld on his North American WRLD Domination tour from May to September 2018, along withLil Mosey and Blake, ended up reaching 28 cities.[17]
Soon after, it was announced that the YBN collective would make a month-long tour in Europe.[18] Brooks said he would release singles until his debut project was complete.[19] On August 2, 2018, Nahmir and Cordae released a video for their single "Pain Away".[20] On August 12, YBN Nahmir announced that an official YBN Mixtape featuring the trio would be released September 7, 2018.[21] Cordae released the music video for his single, "Scotty Pippen", on August 23, 2018.[22]
On January 28, 2019, Cordae released a music video for a new song, "Locationships", on his YouTube channel. In March, he released "Have Mercy", the lead single from his debut studio album,The Lost Boy.[23] He was named as one of the members ofXXL's "2019 Freshman Class" on June 20.[24] Cordae released "Bad Idea" and "RNP" as the second and third singles from the album,[25][26] and finally the album itself on July 26, 2019.[27] The album landed YBN Cordae two nominations at the62nd Grammy Awards:Best Rap Album andBest Rap Song for the single "Bad Idea".[4] In November, YBN Cordae announced that he would be headlining "The Lost Boy in America Tour", which began in January 2020.[28]
2020–present: Disbanding of YBN,From a Birds Eye View, andThe Crossroads
On August 6, 2020, YBN Nahmir announced on Twitter that the YBN collective had disbanded after a period of tension during which he and Cordae had stopped communicating.[29][30] Cordae subsequently dropped the YBN from his stage name and asked YBN Nahmir for his blessing of the name change.[31] On August 27, Cordae released a new single, "Gifted", featuringRoddy Ricch.[32][33]
On April 22, 2021, Cordae released the EPJust Until..., featuringQ-Tip andYoung Thug, in anticipation of his second studio album.[34] On October 7, 2021, he released the single "Super".[35]
Cordae at the 2023 Lyrical Lemonade Summer Smash event
Cordae is featured byNF in the song "Careful", is the third song of the albumHope, released on April 7, 2023. This song reached theBillboard Hot 100 for a week and landed on position 85.[39][40]
In July 2023, Cordae performed on theLyrical Lemonade track "Doomsday" alongside the late rapperJuice Wrld; the song is the first single off the Lyrical Lemonade debut compilation albumAll Is Yellow (2024).
On November 15, 2024, Cordae released his third studio album,The Crossroads.[41]
Respect Magazine opined in 2018 on Brooks' trajectory as a rapper. "He is a mix of the old and new school, and the deliverance and perception of his music sets himself apart from the new generation of rappers these days. We get a clear glimpse of this in his music videos for "Old N*ggas," 'My Name Is,' and 'Kung Fu,' which all have over 5 million views onYouTube. He is building a solid buzz for himself day by day, and letting the world know his bars and rhymes are ahead of his time. He has yet to drop a project proving such."[47]
Revolt TV said in 2018, "There's always going to be artists who go against the grain and manage to generate conversation without being mundane or routine. Cordae is the result of perfect timing, a need for change and managing to bridge the gap between aesthetic and talent. He's theGohan of the YBN collective, appearing docile and juvenile but displaying a 'mastery' over words that seems at odds with old-school "hip-hoppers" belief about his age group. It is yet to be seen if his talent warrants the praise he's receiving."[48]
Cordae has atongue thrust.[49] Before leaving college, he worked at a localT.G.I. Friday's in Maryland. He toldAdam22 on the No Jumper podcast that he "hated" it and that he knew he was destined for more.[50]
He began dating tennis starNaomi Osaka in 2019, whom he met at aLos Angeles Clippers game.[53][54] On January 11, 2023, they announced that they are expecting their first child.[55] On July 7, 2023, the couple welcomed a baby girl.[56]
In September 2024, Cordae revealed via his Instagram story that he legally changed his last name from Dunston to Brooks.
On January 6, 2025, Naomi Osaka announced she and Cordae were no longer in a relationship. Osaka stated there was "no bad blood" between the two and that Cordae is "a great person and an awesome dad".[57]
"Bad Idea":"NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. July 1, 2019.Archived from the original on April 9, 2025. RetrievedAugust 3, 2019.
"RNP":"NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. August 5, 2019.Archived from the original on July 8, 2021. RetrievedAugust 3, 2019.
"Gifted":"NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. September 12, 2020.Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. RetrievedAugust 3, 2019.
"The Parables":"NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. December 7, 2020.Archived from the original on December 1, 2024. RetrievedAugust 3, 2019.
"Dream in Color":"NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. May 3, 2021.Archived from the original on April 5, 2025. RetrievedMay 1, 2021.
"Super":"NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. October 18, 2021.Archived from the original on March 19, 2022. RetrievedOctober 16, 2021.
"Sinister":"NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. December 13, 2021.Archived from the original on December 14, 2021. RetrievedDecember 11, 2021.
"Today", "Chronicles" and "Parables" (Remix):"NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. January 24, 2022.Archived from the original on November 12, 2024. RetrievedJanuary 22, 2022.
"Two Tens":"NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. February 6, 2023.Archived from the original on December 14, 2024. RetrievedFebruary 4, 2023.
"Careful":"NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. April 17, 2023.Archived from the original on November 27, 2024. RetrievedApril 20, 2023.
"Doomsday":"NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. July 3, 2023.Archived from the original on June 30, 2023. RetrievedJuly 7, 2023.
"Saturday Mornings":"NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. August 5, 2024.Archived from the original on August 2, 2024. RetrievedAugust 2, 2024.
"Summer Drop":"NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. September 9, 2024. RetrievedSeptember 6, 2024.
"No Bad News":"NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. November 22, 2024. RetrievedNovember 22, 2024.
