“OOOUUU!” With over 10 million plays on Soundcloud and 9 million hits on YouTube, there’s an undeniable buzz surrounding up and coming artist Young M.A. Born April 3, 1992, M.A. hails from Brooklyn, New York and grew up listening to 50 Cent, Jay-Z and Eve during her Philly Ruff Ryders days. She first hit the scene with her explosive work “Brooklyn (Chiraq) Freestyle” which embodies her fierce flow. Social commentator and author Dr. Boyce Watkins, shared the video on his Facebook page, initially criticizing it for sending negative energy into the community, yet the video soon went viral around the web. “My main focus is to stay focus remain focus never change focus…” she wrote on her gram, a telling remark about her work ethic in the game.
Even 50 Cent recently took to his Insta, writing, “YOUNG MA the hottest shit out right now, her swag reminds me of my mother. 😟So offical, i dont like a lot a shit but this is Tuff. Im glad she from New York.” She responded, “Woke up to this 😳.. Damn I don’t think people understand how much this guy means to me.. I grew listening to nothing but @50cent ! The first album I ever bought was “Get Rich Or Die Trying” This guy right here inspired me to do music.. To get this type of recognition from him is an honor to me.. But this is deeper than that.. If my brother was alive to see this he would be so proud of me because he knew I was a big 50 fan! Yelling ggggg unit! thru the house 😩 who ever 50 cent had beef with I had beef with 😭😭 it’s more to this story but the moral is.. I’m thankful for this moment.”🙏🏽
The 24-year-old artist was invited as a showcasing artist for this year’s SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas and sold-out shows at Webster Hall and Baby’s All Right in Brooklyn. Young M.A. represents Red (Reprent Every Day) Lyfe, a collective of artists who formed a musical movement that’s guided by a higher purpose. In recent interviews, she’s cited heavy life experiences as her motivation for her work, including personal struggles and the loss of her brother at a young age. Receiving mixed reactions, from those questioning her originality to trolling comments about her sexuality, it looks like M.A. lives by her words, “These haters on my body, shake ‘em off,” as she rhymes on “OOOUUU.”
Haters or not, Young M.A. is on the rise. Her throwback-inspired track entitled “Summer Story” samples the classic “Top Billin'” by Audio Two, and gives off relaxed nostalgic vibes. With over half a million plays on Youtube and Soundcloud in less than a month, it’s looking more and more like a summer anthem. Find more of Young M.A.’s work by checking out her mixtape, Sleepwalkin’ and catch her spitting bars on a recent Funkmaster Flex show.
