Do you love rap? And when I mean rap, I mean some hard core/lyrics type of rap (or hip-hop in general). Then, have you heard of the newest rap sensation YOUNG M.A?
If you haven’t, she should be on your playlist and the topic of discussion among you and your peers.
She’s definitely the hottest thang in the streets.
1. So who is Young M.A?
A lyricist and female rapper who hails from Brooklyn, New York City. She became best known for her YouTube video ‘Brooklyn (Chiraq Freestyle)’.
However, she became even more popular when she dropped her 2016 hit single ‘Ooouuu’, before going on to release a debut mixtape called Sleepwalkin’ and a debut project called Herstory.
2. 50 Cent is her MAJOR influence
Whenever she’s asked about her influences in interviews, the answer is always 50 Cent. According to Young M.A., it was 50 Cent’s ‘Wanksta’ record that caught her attention, but it was his song ‘Many Men’ that inspired her to rap.
Young M.A.’s love for 50 Cent runs so deep, she even admitted to it once by posting on Facebook, ‘Anyone who has beef with 50 Cent, has beef with me.’
3. She knew she was gay in her first grade
It was at a very young age that Young M.A. realised she liked girls. According to the rapper, she started becoming aware of her preferences in her first grade.
During an interview with The Breakfast Club, Young M.A. said she was always a tomboy and even played tackle football with boys.
But while Young M.A. is all about being herself, she doesn’t just want to be known as a gay rapper.
‘We are all people… don’t label me as an LGBT rapper or a female rapper… I don’t like to be labeled… I know I’m a dick,’ she told Angie Martinez once.
3. She’s still very much unsigned
With a single that has gone to number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, you would think Young M.A. would be signed to a record label, but like many of the new rappers today, Young M.A. is fully independent.
In an interview with DJ Clue of Power 105, the rapper said she has been in talks with LA Reid, RCA Records and Atlantic, but hasn’t decided on a label yet.
Don Jazzy needs to have a word with her!
4. Her YouTube views are pretty impressive
Yeah, she’s not like every other rapper, the video for her single ‘Ooouuu’ boasts over 109 million views in a space of five months.
This excludes her other videos which have between 10 to 11 million views each within two to three months of release.
5. She turned down a major role on ‘Empire’
The Empire character Freda Gatz would have been known as ‘Betty Bars’ if Young M.A. accepted the role.
According to Young M.A., she had a meeting with show creator Lee Daniels, and the character would have been based on her.
‘They was trying to put me in the show instead of just having me as a special guest or anything like that,’ she told Rolling Stone.
‘I wasn’t comfortable because I was working so hard before that, and just to jump into something so fast because it seemed like a great opportunity at the time, it didn’t make sense on what I was trying to do.’
And guess it paid off finally, because she would’ve been known as Betty Bars and not Young M.A.
6. She got the Beyoncé co-sign
In September, celebrating her 35th birthday, Beyonce posted a video on Instagram thanking her family, friends and fans and she used ‘OOOUUU’ in the background of the video.
The next month, at the final stop of Beyoncé’s Formation tour, Young M.A. got to open up for the pop star.
‘Seeing the amount of people in the crowd singing my song, I was mesmerized by it,’ she told Billboard.
And not just that, her shows are ALWAYS lit!
P.S: She has a thing for Hennessy too, which inspired her Instagram handle ‘HennynHoes’.