LGBTQ representation in hip-hop
Many artists have contributed to the increased visibility and social acceptance of the LGBTQ community's presence in hip-hop music, most notably Frank Ocean, who penned an open letter addressing his sexuality in 2012.
[3] There has also been an increased presence of LGBTQ supporters in the mainstream hip-hop community, including Eminem,[12][13][14] Jay-Z,[15] Murs, Kanye West,[16] XXXTentacion,[17] Jack Harlow,[18] Kendrick Lamar,[19] Macklemore, and Ryan Lewis.
Sugarhill Gang's 1979 song "Rapper's Delight", the first hip-hop record to become a top 40 hit, referred to fictional character Superman as a "fairy" for wearing a skin-tight garment.
The ideas of black queer and lesbian feminism influenced hip-hop during a moment when politics surrounding sexuality, gender, and race were shifting.
[25] Although more radical queer politics were influencing more mainstream areas of music and society, discrimination remained and LGBTQ artists continued to face marginalization and barriers in airtime and commercial success.
[28] In 2018, rapper Eminem made headlines when he apologized for the first time in his career for previously using homophobic slurs, saying that he now realized "[he] was hurting a lot of other people by saying it."
[39][40][41] Initially coined by Tim'm T. West of Deep Dickollective,[37] the term "homo hop" was not meant to signify a distinct genre of music, but simply to serve as a community building tool and promotional hook for LGBTQ artists.
[38] Notable events in the 2000s included the PeaceOUT World Homo Hop Festival, which was founded in 2001[45] and mounted annually until 2008, and the 2006 documentary film Pick Up the Mic.
[47] One of the first mainstream artists to speak out publicly against anti-gay discrimination in hip-hop was Kanye West in a 2004 interview with Sway Calloway on MTV News.
Andre Benjamin, primarily known as André 3000 in hip-hop duo OutKast, has also been noted to wear clothing considered "androgenous" or "gender-bending" while performing as he would be seen in bright, colorful pieces traditionally seen worn by women.
In 2008, Andre was quoted at the debut of his men's wear fashion line addressing the opinions of his clothing choices told by Observer: People feel like, just because you like to dress well … that don’t mean you’re gay!
[57] As for openly queer artists part of the hip-hop genre, Lil Nas X faced backlash in 2021 for the music video made for his song "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" with most of the controversy coming from parents along with religious organizations claiming the video was "inappropriate" and "harmful" considering he has built a fanbase of younger children since his release of the song "Old Town Road".
Lil Nas X has publicly shared the purpose of the music video is to openly embrace his sexuality while making the effort to bring awareness to the oppressive culture towards the LGBTQ community.
[58] The artist took to twitter to further address the controversy while also sharing a letter to his 14-year old self describing his coming-out journey:[59]Dear 14 year old Montero, I wrote a song with our name in it.
[62] After conducting dozens of interviews, Hurt sees a continued pattern of homophobia, the objectification of women, and the domination of other men, all linked as the means through which one asserts their masculinity over another.
[61] The construction of this specific masculinity in hip-hop has made it difficult for artists who don't fit the stereotypical image of a hyper-masculine straight male to succeed.
[61] Some scholars have attempted to categorize different types of female hip-hop artists as a means of increasing their representation within the genre, such as Cheryl L. Keyes' formulation of the "Queen Mother", "Fly Girl", "Sista with Attitude" and "Lesbian" rapper archetypes in Empowering Self, Making Choices, Creating Spaces: Black Female Identity via Rap Music Performance.
[63] Some successful female artists, such as Nicki Minaj, have attempted to make space within the male-dominated genre by aligning themselves with stereotypical black, hypermasculine hip-hop traits in their music and performance.
"[61] Syd, another queer masculine hip-hop artist, has received significant backlash from the LGBTQ community for her refusal to identify with the term "lesbian".
"[68] She has also been criticized for her music video, "Cocaine," which is a cautionary commentary on the dangers of drug use, but which has been accused of depicting an abusive same-sex relationship between two women.
[61] This tension is exemplified by an example in Hurt's documentary, in which rapper Busta Rhymes walks out of his interview when he is asked a question about homophobia in the rap community, saying, "What I represent culturally doesn't condone [homosexuality] whatsoever.
In an interview with Anderson Cooper on 60 Minutes, Eminem denied being homophobic and explained the frequent use of the term "faggot" in his lyrics, that this word was "thrown around constantly" in battle rap, and that he does not use it to refer to gay people.
On December 11, 2017, rapper Tyler, The Creator tweeted "dear god this song is horrible sheesh how the fuck",[74] which fans quickly realized was directed at Eminem's new single at the time, "Walk On Water".
[77] One particular example was in the song "Tron Cat", where Tyler states: "Rashes on my dick from licks of shish-kebab sagets, in some Kanye West glasses screaming out, fuck faggots!"
This achievement was noteworthy for LGBTQ hip-hop as it marked the first time an openly gay White rapper earned a Top 10 single on the Billboard Club Play chart.
His revelation was seen as a significant moment for the LGBTQ community in hip-hop, and it helped pave the way for greater acceptance of queer artists in the industry.
[87] During the performance, Le1f rapped "Wut," a popular track from his EP Hey, while accompanied by a group of backup dancers, producer Moody, and Blood Orange.
The article talks about topics, aesthetics and challenges of LGBTQ hip-hop in Angola, Argentina, Cuba, Germany, Israel, Serbia, South Africa and the USA.
A Winter 2016 article from Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education looked at how utilizing the art-form helped challenge traditional notions of hip-hop and sexual identity.
[8] Black queer male artists in hip-hop gaining mainstream acceptance are relatively new—preceding Nas X by less than a decade—including Frank Ocean (with his 2012 album Channel Orange), Tyler, the Creator, ILoveMakonnen, Brockhampton frontman Kevin Abstract and Steve Lacy.
