IS HIP-HOP READY FOR A GAY MALE RAPPER....

Recently, I went walking around the neighborhood with my dog and I came across a young man, approximately in his teens, dressed in skinny jeans, knee high boots, and a Louis Vuitton knock-off purse. While he stood at the bus stop, bobbing his head and mumbling the words to Rick Ross’ “B.M.F,” a somewhat random thought came across my mind: the mere fact that this gender-bending young man could even dare walk out the house – let alone in this mostly working class neighborhood – without fear or threat of violence, says a lot about the newer generation’s views on sexuality and hip-hop.

Of course, a lot of us “old heads” might not quite understand the correlation between the two, or for that matter, the young man’s womanly fashion sense in general. To be honest, I didn’t understand the latter myself. What is most obvious is that many in this newer generation of hip-hop heads are ditching the traditional social and cultural constructs governing identity and defining their femininity, masculinity and sexuality on their own terms.

Gone are the days of baggy oversized jeans and timberland boots, in comes the days of metro-sexualism and androgyny. It’s hard to say for sure what this all means for the hip-hop culture in particular, but one thing is for sure, only time will tell what outcomes this new wave of indefinable sexuality will have on society overall.

However, some archaic habits and beliefs die hard. Just last week 50 cent, “Wankster” rapper and overall egomaniac, got himself in some hot water about a tweet he sent on Twitter, in which he implicitly and allegedly endorsed gay teen suicide. To quote 50, “If you a man and you are over 25 and you don’t eat pu**y just kill your self damn it. The world will be a better place. Lol”

The tweet had created a stir on a number of blogs as well as in the gay activist communities, who felt that it was not only homophobic but in poor taste considering three tragic stories about gay teen suicides including Tyler Clementi, the Rutgers University student who committed suicide after privacy invasion by fellow classmates.

Let me be the first to say that 50 cent is a prime example of why I believe that not everyone should be eligible for Twitter accounts. I mean, doesn’t he have an album to record or tour to go on or something? He spends more hours tweeting than a teenage girl.

Nevertheless, as much as it pains me to have to defend him, I have to say that whoever thought that 50’s tweet was advocating for homosexual males to actually go out and kill himself, is really reaching – I mean really reaching.

But this is to not let 50 Cent totally off the hook. Back in 2004, he once said that he didn’t like having gay people around him because he’s “not comfortable with what their thoughts are.” Not the most politically correct thing to say, especially considering that his mother was bisexual.

As conflicting as that is, 50 Cent represents a long tradition in hip-hop culture of hyper- masculinity, which often translates into violence, misogynistic and of course, homophobia. Terms like “no homo” – an often overstated affirmation of an individual, particularly male, commitment to heterosexuality has been the most recent demonstrated of its relatively uncomfortable relationship with homosexuality.

Yet much like the world around it, hip-hop is slowly evolving.

Prompted by the coming out of a gay cousin, hip-hop Superstar Kanye West recently spoke out about anti-gay bias in hip-hop including his own music, proclaiming that hip hop was supposed to be about “breaking down barriers, but everyone in hip-hop discriminates against gay people.

Not to mention the growing number of openly gay, lesbian and bi-curious rappers, making their way not just on the underground scene but also the mainstream stages. Hip Hop artists like Nicki Minaj, the new It Girl in hip hop at the moment, is not shying away from her bi-curiosity, often incorporating gay-friendly themes into her lyricism. And while this self-proclaimed Barbie is mums on whether her gay persona is real or just played for entertainment purposes, she has still managed to captivate audiences, scoring the first number single by a female on Billboard’s top rap hits since 2003 and create a cult following among gay and straight youth alike.

But while hip-hop has welcomed her as its first openly bisexual female emcee, she believes the culture is still not ready to accept a bisexual or homosexual male rapper. In a recent interview with OUT magazine, Minaj said that there are already plenty of gay rappers in the industry, although hiding in the lyrical closet. However, she fully expects a high profile hip hop artist to come out in the future.

The hyper-masculine terrain will make for a brutal out coming party for male rappers, who dare the public spotlight. But much like the rest of society, which struggles to reach such milestones as the elimination of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and the ban on gay marriage, the day of the out and proud gay rap star is upon us. Hip Hop has always been about going against the social norms and there is no greater rebellion against the social hip hop norm than a gay, male rapper.

http://atlantapost.com/2010/10/06/is-hip-hop-ready-for-a-gay-rapper/