In the Boston music community — and in their hometown of Harlem — Billy Dean Thomas needs no introduction. But the emcee is gearing up to reintroduce themselves this fall anyways, because frankly, the world could use the education.
Thomas’ forthcoming record, October’s MX, refers to the gender-neutral honorific — a meaningful title for Thomas, who is a non-binary artist. To launch the record’s rollout, they released the single “Minding My Business” earlier this week (July 30), a muscular proclamation of their M.O. That artistic vision prominently features a prosperous future, which comes across through impassioned lines like “I’m praying for six zeroes on dotted lines.”
But the vision also includes basic respect and space for their identity.
“This song is a commentary on feeling villainized by the very systems and people that have caused you harm,” Thomas told Vanyaland. “No matter how much you try to stay focused and out of the way, people like me are treated like a problem simply because we are Black, queer, and don’t conform to the status quo. All in all, it’s a protest bop.”
Thomas previously teased the tune with an Instagram Reel contrasting how their coworkers refer to them with the wrong pronouns, instead of using gender-neutral language. “IM JUST ‘MINDING MY BUSINESS’,” they wrote in the caption, indicating how simple it is to refer to someone correctly and move on.
Tune in below.