Brooklyn indie rapper Young M.A—born Katorah Marrero—is unique among her peers. While her low voice, stud swagger, and off-the-charts machismo may give the impression she uses alternate pronouns, the artist has made it clear she’s perfectly at home in her assigned female gender. She named her 2017 EP Herstory, after all, and followed that up with last year’s critically acclaimed Herstory in the Making. Dedicated to her brother, Kenneth Ramos, who was stabbed to death by a former friend in 2009, Young M.A’s first full-length is a hazy rollercoaster ride through her journey to rap stardom, losing people along the way, and developing some deep-seated trust issues. (After her certified platinum single “OOOUUU”—found on the Herstory EP—garnered loads of attention from labels, she turned them all down, opting to start her own imprint, M.A Music.)
The extremely raw and personal album makes it plain that Young M.A has the range to be both hard and vulnerable and can rap about pretty much anything. She discusses growing up in Brooklyn, being affected by street violence, her romantic relationships, mental health challenges, and her willingness to arm and defend herself and her loved ones.
