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Young M.A
Music

Young M.A Is the First LGBTQ+ Rapper to Cover Out Magazine

The artist released her debut album, "Herstory in the Making," earlier this year.

At this point, making history -- ahem, herstory -- must come easy to Young M.A. After all, Herstory in the Making was the name of her debut album released earlier this year. With the Brooklyn native landing a spot on our 2019 Out100 as Rapper of the Year, she makes history, herstory, and theirstory as the first LGBTQ+ rapper to grace the cover of the magazine.

"I was like, 'Hello!'" she laughed when asked about the magazine's initial offer.

Founded in 1992, Out has long championed LGBTQ+ musicians across genres with artists of all stripes as cover stars. Rap and hip-hop artists however, though highlighted throughout the pages of the magazine and on Out.com, have often not landed such coveted print real estate. In fact, a cursory search of the Out archives shows only two other hip-hop artists have ever gotten the front page treatment -- Lil' Kim in 1999 and Nicki Minaj in 2010.

During her Out100 cover shoot and interview, M.A mentioned she hesitated saying yes to the feature, admitting that she hoped the focus of our story would not be her sexuality. The lyricist stopped labeling her identity "a few years ago," she said, but still gets asked for interviews most frequently when the media wants to talk about homophobia in hip-hop, or during Pride month.

"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,'" she added, which pairs well with where she is in her life and career."

M.A joins Sam Smith, Jeremy O. Harris, Ronan Farrow, Nicolas Ghesquiere as Out100 cover stars.

Editor's note: This article has been updated to reflect that Nicki Minaj was also a cover star.

RELATED | Out100 Rapper of the Year: Young M.A Is 'Herstory in the Making'

Tre'vell Anderson

See All 2024's Most Impactful and Influential LGBTQ+ People
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Atlantic Music; Thistle Brown (provided); Zora Sicher (provided)
Kehlani Lorde Renee Rapp
Atlantic Music; Thistle Brown (provided); Zora Sicher (provided)

Taylor Henderson

Taylor Henderson is a music, entertainment, and travel journalist based in Los Angeles, California. When he's not screaming over the latest Beyoncé album, he's dissecting pop culture, trekking up some mountain, or reading terrible YA fiction. He hopes to write a novel one day. Follow him @cornbreadsays.

Taylor Henderson is a music, entertainment, and travel journalist based in Los Angeles, California. When he's not screaming over the latest Beyoncé album, he's dissecting pop culture, trekking up some mountain, or reading terrible YA fiction. He hopes to write a novel one day. Follow him @cornbreadsays.

Music

New Music Friday: Lorde, Kehlani & more!

Plus new tunes from Kesha, Reneé Rapp, and more.

It's New Music Friday!

Kehlani Lorde Renee Rapp Kehlani; Lorde; Renee Rapp Atlantic Music; Thistle Brown (provided); Zora Sicher (provided)

June might be coming to an end, but summer's just starting to heat up – and our favorite LGBTQ+ (and adjacent) artists have released some sunshine-ready tracks.

We have a handful of new projects this week! Lorde's highly anticipated new album Virgin has finally arrived, KATSEYE is inciting some BEAUTIFUL CHAOS, Kevin Abstract's 18-track album Blush is an entire vibe, and Frankie Grande's debut album Hotel Rock Bottom reveals a new side of the icon.

Meanwhile, Kim Petras has released her experimental new SOPHIE-inspired track "Polo," Kehlani just dropped the stunning music video for her R&B summer hit "Folded," Drag Race stars Trixie Mattel and Priyanka have both hopped on new tracks, and Reneé Rapp is officially "Mad."

Scroll through to listen to this week's best new bops, and follow this writer's New Music Friday playlist on Spotify.

"Mad" - Reneé Rapp

"It's getting hard to be nice, " Reneé Rapp croons on her angsty new pop-rock track.

"Gameboy" - KATSEYE

KATSEYE is sick of the games, boy. Their new five-track EP BEAUTIFUL CHAOS is glossy pop perfection.

"Gay HBO Max Song" - Trixie Mattel

Trixie Mattel's club remix of some HBO's most iconic (and gayest) TV show quotes is an instant club classic. Read a full breakdown of the song's references.

"Folded" - Kehlani

Song of the summer? Kehlani just dropped the stunningly sapphic music video for her lush R&B song "Folded."

"10AM" - UMI

UMI's latest indie R&B love song has blessed us with a stunningly sapphic music video.

"Midnight Sun" - Zara Larsson

Zara Larsson has delivered another pop banger with her MNEK-produced dance track "Midnight Sun" with a killer chorus.

"Hotel Rock Bottom" - Frankie Grande

Franke Grande bares all on his debut album and the music video for its title track, Hotel Rock Bottom.

"Romeo" - Dove Cameron

Dove Cameron's dance pop era? The singer-songwriter is channelling Lady Gaga on her experimental new track.

"Lead By Example" - Ali Shah

Ali Shah is our latest pop boy who "goes both ways" in his steamy new music video.

"97 Jag" - Kevin Abstract

Kevin Abstract's latest is a silky smooth indie track, one of 18 bangers on his new album Blush.

"Broken Glass" - Lorde

Lorde's fourth studio album Virgin has arrived, and lyrically toys with the singer's gender expression and identity.

"XD" - Between Friends

Are you smiling yet? Between friends is ready to dance on "XD."

"Polo" - Kim Petras

This SOPHIE-inspired track is pushing Kim Petras (and her listeners) to explore the experimental boundaries of pop.

"Bed of Roses" - Teyana Taylor

Issa Rae is featured in Teyana Taylor's sweepingly romantic new music video.

"You Got Me" - The Aces

The Aces have released the breezy debut single off their upcoming sapphic disco-pop album Gold Star Baby.

"THE ONE." - Kesha

Kesha is definitely the one supplying the bangers this summer ahead of her upcoming album release and Tits Out tour.

"Without You" - Rio Romero

Rio Romero's new track is a reflective ballad on moving on.

"Fussy" - Niiva, Priyanka

Drag Race star Priyanka teams up with Niiva for their dancefloor-ready banger "Fussy."

"Ashes" - Diplo, Bailey Zimmerman

Bailey Zimmerman and Diplo team up for their new country song "Ashes."

"IRL" - Lizzo, SZA

Lizzo is back, and her new song with SZA is our outside vibe for the summer.

"Suzanne" - Mark Ronson, Raye

Raye and Mark Ronson's latest track "Suzanne" is an ode to powerful woman.

"Again? Fuck." - Alison Wonderland 

Alison Wonderland's hyperpop dreamscape is the chaos we need right now.

Here's the playlist!

Taylor Henderson is a music contributor to Out magazine. Be sure to follow 'the alphabet mafia' playlist on Spotify!

See All 2024's Most Impactful and Influential LGBTQ+ People
Artists
Disruptors
Educators
Groundbreakers
Innovators
Storytellers