A product of Detroit’s eastside, where she grew up on Conner and Whittier, DeJ Loaf is a quiet visionary with fearless bars and impeccable taste – one who has made cracking into a mostly male-dominated scene without ever raising her voice look easy.

After losing her father at the tender age of four, she transformed her pain by going all in on music, recording in basements and uploading mixtapes to DatPiff while attending Detroit’s

Southeastern High and then (briefly) Saginaw Valley State.

She didn’t have any label backing her.

There was no fancy industry cosign.

But it didn’t matter.

She was so talented that she caught on all the same.

DeJ released “Try Me” in 2014, a soft, melodic track that felt more like a warning than a song.

The beat was relaxed.

Her tone was calm.

Yet her message?

Deadly.
The song went viral practically overnight, making its way onto the radio and clear across the country – especially after Drake did his part by reposting it.

Suddenly, Detroit was on the map with a new hip-hop darling: DeJ Loaf, an artist who didn’t have to rely on gimmicks or being the loudest voice in the room in order to get her point across.

Much like the late Aaliyah before her, Dej’s style is “tomboy drip” in nature.

Think: bomber jackets, baggy pants, oversized jackets, jerseys.
That said, her sound is still very ethereal in nature, proving she’s never been the type to follow trends.

Instead, she is one.

On tracks like “Sell Sole,” “No Fear,” “Liberated,” and “#AndSeeThatsTheThing,” she expertly blurs the lines between rapping and singing, proving vulnerability can be just as powerful as chaos.

From there, she went on to work with fellow Detroit icons like Big Sean, 42 Dugg, and Eminem as well as hip-hop legends like Lil Durk, Future, Meek Mill, and more.

For proof of her impact, look no further than “Detroit vs. Everybody,” a track that shows her holding her weight alongside some of the greatest in the game, or “Me U & Hennessy,” which quickly became a slow jam anthem.

Through it all, DeJ always stayed true to who she was: intentional, raw, and above all else, firmly rooted in the city that made her.

Even in light of her newfound fame, Dej has she never left the city behind.

She still shows love to rising local artists, speaking candidly about the challenges of the industry and its expectations of women and the struggles that come along with independence.

In short:

DeJ Loaf may not fit the mold—she cracked it wide open and made something new entirely.

She’s not just a rapper. She’s Detroit’s quiet storm—cool, clear, and always commanding the room.

Victoria Jackson (Editor In Chief)

Victoria Jackson is a lifelong student and sharp-eyed documentarian of all things Detroit, from its rich musical roots and cultural icons to its shifting neighborhoods, storied architecture, and underground legends. With her finger firmly on the pulse of both the city’s vibrant past and its rapidly unfolding future, she brings a deeply personal, historically grounded lens to every piece she writes.

Published on: September 24, 2025