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Young M.A. theGrio.com
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 21: Young M.A performs during the TIDAL’s 5th Annual TIDAL X Benefit Concert TIDAL X Rock The Vote At Barclays Center – (Photo by Steven Ferdman/Getty Images for TIDAL )

Young M.A. has been all over these last few months promoting the release of her debut album, Herstory in the Making.

The project has been well received. Many have applauded her for her unapologetic lyrics, and how boldly she represents the LGBTQ community in Hip-Hop. While she would seem to be on cloud 9 with all of her success, the sure icing on the cake for the Brooklyn-based rapper has to be the fact that she has made herstory as the first LGBTQ+ rapper to cover Out magazine.

READ MORE: GLAAD taps ‘Pose’ star Angelica Ross to host presidential candidate forum on LGBTQ Issues

The rapper, who was born Katorah Marrero, has earned the Rapper of the Year title in Out’s 2019 “100 issue.”

In the article, Young M.A. states that she has wavered back and forth about talking about her sexuality and gender identity. Admittedly, she said that it almost caused her to opt of the Out feature, revealing that she stopped addressing how she self-identifies “a few years ago.” Still, despite her unwillingness to talk about her personage, she continues to get questioned about her take on issues surrounding the LGBTQ community and Hip-Hop. Eventually, she realized why the questions come up and why it is important that she speaks out.

“At first I believed in the whole identity thing,” she said.

“I just got to a point where I was like, at the end of the day, nobody can make no rules on what I decide to do. ‘Yo listen, don’t call me this. Don’t call me that. I do what I want. I love who I love. I want who I want.’ And I’m not the only one. There’s a lot of people in this world who just choose not to identify.”

“But then I was like, ‘No. I get it. It’s not [about] labels. [It’s] expressing oneself. It’s a magazine that shows your expression of who you are and what you represent.”

Those dynamics, she said, goes well with her life trajectory and her booming career.

READ MORE: Lil Nas X on why he didn’t intend to come out as gay publicly and the perfect way he deals with bullies

Ahead of her Sept. 26 release of her debut studio album, the rapper spoke to Hollywood Unlocked and gave a shoulder shrug of sorts about the ‘Old Town Road’ hitmaker’s defining moment to let the world know his truth.

“Honestly, to me, I ain’t really know if he came out because the way he went about it… like, ‘Is he gay?’” Young M.A said around the 16-minute mark. “I wasn’t clear. But, in a way, I think maybe he did it in a smart way where it left you clueless… But to me, I think he is.”

However, there is no confusion to be had because Lil Nas X has come out and opened up about being gay and even recently appeared  on The Shop: Uninterrupted and dropped knowledge about his decision to come out in the midst of his history making success.

Lil Nas X explains he wasn’t “forced” to come out and made the decision to be forthcoming about his sexuality because “growing up [he had been taught] to hate that s**t.”

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