I admit, I first heard Young M.A through her “Ooouuu” music video. The Hennessy made me thirsty. The Chinese takeout made me hungry. However, the party wasn’t why I stayed; I stayed because of Young M.A.
“If that’s your chick, then why she texting me/Why she keep calling my phone speaking sexually/Every time I’m out, why she stressing me/You call her Stephanie/I call her Headphanie (ooouuu),” my speakers blare.
Regardless of my mood, her sound zapped me into an instantaneous hype. Whether she emphasized her prowess or asserted her dominance, I was transfixed.
In a male-dominated industry, Young M.A was what hip-hop heads and mainstream media needed. She rapped about the typical: power, money, struggle, and survival. However, her delivery was different. Check out her video for “Eat” below.
Young M.A. “EAT”
How was “Ooouuu” so different? According to Vogue and Young M.A, “The success of ‘Ooouuu’ may offer a blueprint for other rappers in M.A’s city … ‘I always stressed the fact that we needed that sound again. I continuously tried to knock on the door. “Yo, this is New York City: What’s up?”‘”
It took the world a few years to answer. When Young M.A released “Brooklyn (Chiraq Freestyle)” in 2014, Dr. Boyce Watkins alerted the public. “Whatever adult who signed her is encouraging her to send violent, negative, genocidal energy into the community that may get her killed and is killing her own people,” he critiques.
His concerns should’ve covered more than one artist. After all, commercialized musicians (e.g., the Weeknd, Drake, Nicki Minaj, Iggy Azalea, and Gucci Mane) profited from suggestive lyrics, too.
However, I can’t complain about Dr. Boyce Watkins. He was right about one thing. Young M.A possessed talent, in more ways than one. She delivered quality content, openly discussed her sexual orientation, and was unapologetic about her desires. She never changed for anybody — not even her record label. In my opinion, she has balls bigger than her competition.