Compton rapper YG has opened up publicly for the first time about being sexually abused as a child. This revelation has added a deeply personal layer to his recent music and prompted conversations around unspoken trauma in the Black community.
In a recent interview with ABC News, the rapper shared that he was taken advantage of by an older woman when he was just 14 years old. The experience, which he details in his 2024 single “2004,” remained a secret even from his family until the song’s release.
“I kept it inside for a long time,” YG said. “My family’s first time hearing about that was when the record came out.”
The artist behind “FDT” and other politically charged tracks says the response to his story made it clear he’s not alone. “Ninety percent of the people that I played it for — the men — they all had similar stories,” he explained. “That was the conversation everyone was having. It was like, ‘Yeah, I was sexually abused.’”
For YG, the understanding that he was a victim didn’t come until years later. “At the time, I didn’t think of it like that. I thought it was just something that happened. But as you grow, you start to understand things differently. And it hit me—‘I got raped.’”
On “2004,” YG confronts the trauma head-on with raw, unapologetic lyricism. The song recounts the incident in stark detail and reflects the emotional aftermath that has followed him since. “And since that day, I never looked at things the same,” he raps.
The track also touches on how the violation affected his relationships, mental health, and trust in others. Despite the graphic nature of the lyrics, YG says it was necessary to tell the story exactly how it happened to spark awareness.
“It was hard on my soul,” he says in the song. “But I had to let it out.”
By sharing his truth, YG joins a growing list of artists who are using their platforms to speak on deeply personal issues. In doing so, he not only confronts his own pain but also creates space for others—especially Black men—to acknowledge and begin healing from similar experiences.