Meet Yasiin Bey’s Kids: Jauhara Smith, Laila Smith and Chandani Smith

Mos Def, now known as Yasiin Bey, is a famous American rapper, actor, and activist known for his deep lyrics and influence on hip-hop culture.

He was born Dante Terrell Smith on December 11, 1973, in Brooklyn, New York City, and is 52 years old. He is African-American and converted to Islam in his teenage years, later changing his name to Yasiin Bey, a name inspired by the Qur’an.

Yasiin was raised mainly by his mother, Sheron Smith, in the Roosevelt Houses of Brooklyn during the difficult 1980s era marked by poverty and the crack epidemic. He grew up as the eldest of twelve children and step-children.

His father, Abdulrahman Smith, lived in New Jersey and had early ties to the Nation of Islam before later practicing Sunni Islam. One of his younger brothers, Ilias Bey, also known as DCQ or Denard Smith, worked with him musically in the short-lived hip-hop group Urban Thermo Dynamics.

He attended Philippa Schuyler Middle School in Bushwick, where he discovered acting through school plays and arts programs that helped him avoid street violence. He later studied musical theater at Talent Unlimited High School but dropped out in his sophomore year after moving to Los Angeles to pursue acting opportunities. He is about 5 feet 10 inches (177 cm) tall.

Yasiin Bey’s most well-known marriage was to Maria Yepes, whom he married in 1996 and divorced in 2006. They had two daughters together, Jauhara Smith and Chandani Smith. Some reports mention a brief later marriage to Alana Wyatt, though details are limited, and the relationship ended after a few years. Beyond this, his dating history is mostly unknown to the public.

He is believed to be the father of about 6 children, though only a few are publicly identified. The names most often linked to him are Jauhara Smith, Chandani Smith, and Laila Smith. Jauhara and Chandani are widely known as his daughters from his marriage to Maria Yepes, while Laila has followed a creative path of her own in music.

Jauhara Smith

Jauhara Smith is one of Mos Def‘s (Yasiin Bey‘s) daughters from his marriage to Maria Yepes. She is frequently listed alongside her sister Chandani in biographies and family overviews as one of the two children from that relationship.

Public information about Jauhara is sparse, as she has chosen to live a low-profile life away from media attention and the entertainment industry.

No widely reported career pursuits or public appearances tie her directly to her father’s artistic world. Sources describe her primarily through her family connection, noting her as a private individual in a high-profile lineage.

Laila Smith

Laila Smith, professionally known as Laila!, is Mos Def‘s (Yasiin Bey‘s) daughter who has stepped into the music scene as an R&B singer and record producer. She has publicly acknowledged her father in interviews, sharing how his support and encouragement shaped her confidence in pursuing music from a young age.

Laila has described positive early reactions from him to her creative efforts, crediting his influence for helping her feel capable of sharing her art with the world.

Unlike her sisters, Laila has embraced visibility in the industry, with her work gaining notice for its fresh sound. She is often highlighted separately in reports on Bey‘s family, as one of his children from a different relationship, and she continues to build her career independently.

Chandani Smith

Chandani Smith is Mos Def‘s (Yasiin Bey‘s) other daughter from his marriage to Maria Yepes, commonly mentioned together with Jauhara as part of the couple’s two children.

Like her sister Jauhara, Chandani maintains a very private existence, with little to no public details available about her personal life, career, or activities. Biographical references consistently identify her through this familial tie, but she has not entered the public eye or the entertainment field in any notable way.