{"id":10042115,"date":"2025-08-01T08:33:14","date_gmt":"2025-08-01T12:33:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vanyaland.com\/?p=10042115"},"modified":"2025-08-04T04:34:11","modified_gmt":"2025-08-04T08:34:11","slug":"billy-dean-thomas-unveils-a-protest-bop-called-minding-my-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vanyaland.com\/2025\/08\/01\/billy-dean-thomas-unveils-a-protest-bop-called-minding-my-business\/","title":{"rendered":"Billy Dean Thomas unveils a ‘protest bop’ called ‘Minding My Business’"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In the Boston music community — and in their hometown of Harlem — Billy Dean Thomas<\/a><\/strong> needs no introduction. But the emcee is gearing up to reintroduce themselves this fall anyways, because frankly, the world could use the education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thomas’ forthcoming record, October’s MX<\/em>, 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.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the vision also includes basic respect and space for their identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“This song is a commentary on feeling villainized by the very systems and people that have caused you harm,” Thomas told Vanyaland<\/em>. “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\u2019s a protest bop.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thomas previously teased the tune with an Instagram Reel<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tune in below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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