When Fly Zyah won the WKYS Verses at six-years-old, she told radio host Little Bacon Bear that she opened the window and chanted her own name, “Zyah! Zyah!” Now at the age of 10, you can hear crowds chanting her name whether she’s performing at music festivals or being featured on the news.

Fly Zyah is a groundbreaking young rapper who is showing the world that young people are keenly aware of the world around them and ready to stand up for what is right. Covering topics from social justice to the youthful joy of riding bikes with her friends, FlyZyah’s music is reaching across generations.

Her record, “Dear DC,” is both a call to justice and a love letter to her city: “I’m a witness / I can see what’s going on / I hope you listen / ‘cause imma put it in my song / I know the difference / between what’s right and what’s wrong / this is business / we’ve been fighting for too long.”

In these opening lines, she is telling us that her youth does not exempt her from knowing the truth of injustice. “Dear DC,” is calling her city in, which is a display of her love for Washington, D.C. As James Baldwin says, “If I love you, I have to make you conscious of the things you don’t see.” Whether or not the city listens, she asserts, she is going to make her voice heard. 

With mentorship from her father, she began her musical journey at age two. At the age of six, Fly Zyah released her debut, “Ride My Bike,” and has since been featured on radio stations such as WKYS 93.9, WPGC 95.5, WHUR 96.3, and WPFW 89.3. In September 2021, she received the D.C. Mayor’s Arts Award for Excellence in Youth Creativity. Having graced the stage with artists such as Rapsody and Big Daddy Kane, she has received praise outside of the music industry as well, from actress Viola Davis to activist Tamika Mallory. Rapsody, one of Fly Zyah’s biggest inspirations, praises Fly Zyah’s talent, saying that the young rapper is “200 times better” than she was at that age.

The “Fly” in Fly Zyah stands for, “First Love Yourself.” It is a gift to see the myriad ways that the young D.C. rapper has been loving herself, her family, her friends, and community at large by tending to her gift and sharing it with us all. As she raps in “Dear DC,” “I always try to represent / but the city don’t represent me / I try to be the best / but you fail to see what’s in me.” Despite this, Fly Zyah has been and continues to make herself seen and show the world that she is a force for change.