Young M.A's 'Red Flu' EP Is the Party Before the Storm

BY Daniela CamposPublished May 22, 2020

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Only months after debut album Herstory in the Making, Brooklyn emcee and entrepreneur Young M.A isn't slowing down but only perfecting her craft even more. She originally planned to put out five tracks on the Red Flu EP, but instead released seven, saying that her fans deserved more to tide them over before her next album. With most of the EP produced by Mike Zombie — save for Benjamin Lasnier's "Angels vs. Demons" and "Savage Mode" by NY Bangers — Red Flu consists of straight bangers while M.A packs a punch with every bar.

While rapping about relationships isn't new to M.A, intro track "Dripset" finds her taking a more scathing approach, rapping, "Had to leave that bitch before she played me, my feelings hurt, I can't even lie that was my baby, but fuck love, love is just a bitch that never paid me." She displays a careless, resilient attitude of having her own back and not needing people around that don't deserve her energy.

But even with hints at vulnerability, you can still hear her hunger, just like on everything she puts out. She flexes with lines that also talk about her pain, which ties together the EP once you come to understand her point of view on life. While talking truths about people fake flexing and her brother's passing, she remains grateful and works hard at what she does. She has no time for the fake and stays focussed in her lane.

She does flex herself a lot in this EP though, making it more of a turn-up EP before dropping her album, where she'll inevitably get more emotional. Whether sipping Hennessy at 10 am on "Quarantine Party", or taking shots at fakes on "Trap or Cap," her skilful raps tie them all together.

Nevertheless, in tracks such as "Angels vs Demons", she admits that no matter how good her life is, she isn't afraid to admit to relapsing to her "old ways" and dealing with the pain life brings her way. It seems like this entire EP is a flex, hints at remaining struggles with trust and intimacy, as well as praise to God all in one. In Red Flu's short runtime, Young M.A covers lots of ground, rapping about the good and the bad — hunger, anger and aggression alongside riches, success and happiness.
(M.A Music)

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