Young MA rapper comes out as a lesbian: ‘I just need to be myself’

Brooklyn rapper Young MA has opened up about her sexual orientation saying ‘I just have to be myself’.

The rapper, whose track ‘Ooouuu’, was remixed by Nicky Minaj, broke onto the scene in summer 2016.

Speaking to the Fader, Young MA says she has to “express” herself.

She says: “Life is too short. I need to just be myself, express myself,” she said.

“In New York City, it’s popular. I used to think to myself, Man, there’s a lot of gay people out here. And it had me comfortable, it was like, I can be myself! I used to still try to hide it, until it was really overwhelming — there were just too much girls attracted to me!”

In the interview she says she wants to be open about her sexual orientation but that she doesnt want it to define her.

“I hear from all different people, not just people like me, or lesbians. It be straight people, it be grown men, it be grown women, people that have been sick or depressed that say, ‘Oh, you made me want to go do what I want to do for myself and chase my dreams.’ That’s my purpose.”

A Grammy-nominated rapper who came out as gay earlier this year, ILoveMakonnen in January said doing so was the “best decision” he’s made.

Hip-hop star Frank Ocean won praise previously after he referred to his relationship with a man on his debut album.

Ocean regularly speaks out on LGBT issues, penning a tribute to those lost in the Orlando Pulse mass shootingwhich left 49 dead.

Kanye West – who contributed to Boys Don’t Cry with a McDonald’s themed poem of his own – has spoken out in support of Ocean, praising the star for combatting homophobia in the music industry.

• Dec 01 2023

16 TV stars you grew up watching who later came out as LGBTQ+