Katorah Kasanova Marrero, often known as Young MA, is an American Hip Hop musician, lyricist, and YouTube celebrity (Young Me. Always). On April 3, 1992, in Brooklyn, New York. Latifa, Young MA’s mother, is Jamaican, and her father, who was imprisoned when Young MA was one year old, is Puerto Rican.
Young MA’s mother moved her family to Chesterfield, Virginia, when he was seven years old, so that his children would have better opportunity and access to better school facilities, as well as to get away from violence. The musical style was influenced by Young MA’s mother and upbringing. Young MA began writing rhymes and songs in her schoolbooks when she was nine years old. Her mother also bought a karaoke machine to promote and practice her daughter’s talents. Young MA was the lead singer for the rap group “Moneymakers” during her time in Virginia.
Young MA’s family returned to New York when he was 16 years old. On September 26, 2009, tragedy rocked Young MA’s family when her brother, Kenneth Ramos, was stabbed to death. His death had a significant impact on the artist, prompting him to take a break from music.
Young MA released her first single, “Brooklyn,” in 2014. Two years later, she released “Ooouuu,” which went quadruple-platinum (selling four million sales) and peaked at no. 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 and no. 16 on the 100 Best Pop Songs of 2016. The hit single earned her BET and MTV Artist of the Year nominations, as well as Hip-Hop Artist of the Year, Best Female Hip Hop Artist (2017), and Best New Artist. In 2017, she was nominated for Breakthrough Artist by the Libera Awards and Best New Artist by the MTV Video Music Awards.
Young MA and her mother founded the Kweenz Foundation in 2018 to “assist folks in her East New York community in overcoming the grief and pain that comes with the loss of a loved one.” The artist was featured in Forbes’ 30 under 30 list the same year. Young MA has also earned a proclamation from the city of New York.