While the support of celebrities like Drake has certainly gotten Dej a lot of attention, she didn't need it to succeed: Her drive comes from within. Wiz i fuck with u but just dej was fine rock dat all white when im feeln godly. Before quitting to focus on her music, she worked as a janitor at a Chrysler plant. She started writing in elementary school and hasn't stopped since. Dej grew up in the projects of East Detroit, where her father was killed when she was four. She's clearly a fighter-since childhood she's struggled with chronic asthma that's nearly killed her several times. Perhaps the most influential artist of the 20th century, Pablo Picasso may be best known for pioneering Cubism and fracturing the two-dimensional picture plane in order to convey three-dimensional space.

All Jokes Aside boldly reaffirms her purpose with track names like 'Im Gon' Win' and 'Goals.' She's refreshingly confident (for good reason), railing against those who try to undercut her on tracks like 'Bitch Please.' 'Im Gon' Win' is more complicated than its title might suggest-it plays like a self-affirmation, that, indeed, she's going to win and 'make something out of nothing.' She raps through murky, thick beats that sound almost sinister, mumbling 'Everybody wanna be somebody' in the same breath as 'I'm gonna win.' Winning hasn't come easy to Dej Loaf-she's still fighting for her own success, reminding listeners, 'Don't act like I ain't special, I'm a blessing.'

Dej loaf try me art