Portland-raised MC KayelaJ’s debut album (due out July 13) conveys the long-term process of a young person gaining the confidence to be her full self, stand up to bullies, and remove toxicity from her life. KayelaJ’s story, and her way of telling it, is vulnerable, relatable, and rare. At the top of the record, there’s a voice distorted to slow-mo that taunts the rapper, calling her the titular “dyke” slur she’s since reclaimed. KayelaJ’s D.Y.K.E., by the way, stands for Don’t Yield, Keep Enduring.
After the “For You” intro, where KayelaJ lets us know who exactly this album is for (Black people, LGBTQ+, women), the content of “Depression” gets lost in all the extra noise. However, the rapper’s extremely animated delivery and conversational flow provide the contrast necessary for songs like the similarly heavy “Depression Was Trash,” in which KayelaJ illustrates the severity of her depression while she was in the closet and grappling with traditional gender roles.
