Rappers Who Have Come Out As Gay

Contents:

• 30 BT GAY RAPPERS (LGBTQ+ HIP-HOP ARTISTS)
• 21 BT GAY RAPPERS WHO EMBODY THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNY
• RAPPERS WHO HAVE COME OUT AS GAY
• HERE ARE HIP-HOP ARTISTS WHO EMBRACE BEG GAY, LBIAN OR BISEXUAL
• 10 PRO-LGBTQ {MARG:12PX TO 0;}@MEDIA (M-WIDTH:980PX){{MAX-WIDTH:50%;}}{FONT:NORMAL 400 1.4REM/1.5 "SOEHNE",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NONE;MARG:12PX TO 0;}@MEDIA (M-WIDTH:980PX){{MAX-WIDTH:50%;}}ONE {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;MARG-BOTTOM:54PX;OVERFLOW-X:HIDN;}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-FLEX;DISPLAY:-MS-FLEXBOX;DISPLAY:FLEX;BACKGROUND:#FFFFFF;-WEBK-FLEX-DIRECTN:LUMN;-MS-FLEX-DIRECTN:LUMN;FLEX-DIRECTN:LUMN;BOX-SHADOW:0 4PX 8PX 0 RGBA(0,0,0,0.08);MARG-BOTTOM:54PX;}{WIDTH:100%;HEIGHT:TO;} IMG{HEIGHT:100%;WIDTH:100%;OBJECT-F:NTA;}{WIDTH:1800PX;HEIGHT:1014PX;}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:18PX 24PX;DISPLAY:GRID;GRID-GAP:18PX;TEXT-ALIGN:CENTER;}{LOR:#0A0A0A;}{FONT:NORMAL 700 2.0REM/1.25 "SOEHNE",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NONE;LOR:#0A0A0A;}1 / {LOR:#0A0A0A;} A{FONT:HER;LOR:HER;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} STRONG, B{FONT-WEIGHT:BOLR;}{FONT:NORMAL 400 1.4REM/1.5 "SOEHNE",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NONE;LOR:#0A0A0A;} A{FONT:HER;LOR:HER;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} STRONG, B{FONT-WEIGHT:BOLR;}#LOVEWS - LGBTQ SUPPORT OM RAPPERS VARYG GRE OF TENSY— MUCH LIKE THE RAPPERS THEMSELV. SOME OF THE GUYS KICKED OFF THEIR REERS LETTG EVERYONE KNOW THEY WERE DOWN WH THE LGBTQ E OM THE GET-GO. OTHERS TOOK YEARS TO ACKNOWLEDGE OR EVEN EMBRACE THE MARGALIZED POPULATN. IT’S A TOPIC THAT DIDN’T EVA EVEN RAP LEGENDS LIKE BIGGIE SMALLS. IT TURNED OUT HIS SUPPORT WAS MORE PERSONAL WHEN WAS REVEALED 2011 THAT ONE OF HIS BT IENDS WAS OPENLY GAY AND THAT THE CEASED RAPPER NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WH WH A SUPREME COURT LG THAT BROUGHT MARRIAGE EQUALY TO THE USA, NOT EVERYONE IS DOWN FOR THE E FOR EVEN VOICG SUPPORT. CHECK OUT THIS SET OF RAPPERS WHO STILL MANAGED TO ENJOY THE US OF SUCCS EVEN WH, AS 50 CENT LIK TO PUT , "GAY STUFF." — JON REY(PHOTOS OM LEFT: FRAZER HARRISON/GETTY IMAG FOR C...{LOR:#818181;FONT-WEIGHT:400;}{FONT:NORMAL 600 1.4REM/1.2 "SOEHNE",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NONE;LOR:#818181;FONT-WEIGHT:400;}PHOTO BY {LOR:HER;FONT:HER;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;}{LOR:HER;FONT:HER;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;}PHOTOS OM LEFT: FRAZER HARRISON/GETTY IMAG FOR {WIDTH:1800PX;HEIGHT:1073PX;}2 / 11NICKI MAJ - NEVER ONE TO STEER AWAY OM NTROVERSY, EVEN NICKI’S BARS OOZED LGBTQ SUPPORT — HER MALE ALTER EGO WAS A GAY MAN NAMED ROMAN ZOLANSKI. BACK 2010, NICKI VOICED GREAT AMBNS BRIDGG THE GAP BETWEEN HER GAY FANS AND HIP HOP BY MG OVER A HYPOTHETIL TOUR WH LIL WAYNE, "NORMALLY, WAYNE PROBABLY WOULDN'T HAVE GAY GUYS G TO SEE HIS SHOWS MUCH," SHE TOLD OUT, "BUT THEY'RE FELY A BIG PART OF MY MOVEMENT, AND I HOPE THEY'D STILL E OUT AND SEE ME."(PHOTO: ETHAN MILLER/GETTY IMAG){WIDTH:1800PX;HEIGHT:1254PX;}3 / 11LIL B - THE BERKELEY RAPPER MA SOME SOCIAL MEDIA WAV 2011 WHEN HE TLED HIS ALBUM I’M GAY (I’M HAPPY) SOLIDARY WH THE LGBTQ MUNY. EVEN AFTER RECEIVG ATH THREATS ON SOCIAL MEDIA, HE STUCK TO HIS GUNS A CNN TERVIEW: “I HOPE THAT I N TURN SOME OF MY FANS THAT MIGHT BE HOMOPHOBIC OR SUPPORTERS THAT MIGHT BE HOMOPHOBIC AND SAY, ‘YOU KNOW WHAT? WE’RE ALL ONE PEOPLE. THIS IS LOVE.’” (PHOTO: FRAZER HARRISON/GETTY IMAG FOR COACHELLA){WIDTH:1213PX;HEIGHT:1800PX;}4 / 11A$AP ROCKY - THIS HARLEM NATIVE AND PLATUM-SELLG ARTIST IS A STANDOUT EXAMPLE OF HOW NEW HIP HOP ARTISTS ARE MORE OPEN TO EMBRACG THE LGBTQ MUNY. WH A$AP ROCKY, ME OM PURE OBSERVATN WH REGARDS TO HIS OWN LOVE FOR FASHN, “I ED TO BE HOMOPHOBIC, BUT THAT’S F**KED UP," HE TOLD PCHFORK. "I HAD TO LOOK THE MIRROR AND SAY, ‘ALL THE SIGNERS I’M WEARG ARE GAY.’” (PHOTO: TIM P. WHBY/GETTY IMAG){WIDTH:1800PX;HEIGHT:1381PX;}5 / 11MACKLEMORE - WHILE "THRIFT SHOP" WAS THE SEATTLE RAPPER’S CLAIM TO FAME, WAS ACTUALLY "SAME LOVE," HIS MARRIAGE EQUALY ANTHEM, THAT PROPELLED THE RAPPER TO BEE A MOUTHPIECE FOR LGBTQ EQUALY HIP HOP. THE POPULAR SONG WAS ACTUALLY BORN OUT OF PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, "I GREW UP WH TWO GAY UNCL ON CAPOL HILL. I WAS ALWAYS AROUND A MUNY OF GAY PEOPLE, AS A HIP HOP ARTIST, 'S STILL A TABOO ISSUE," MACKLEMORE SAID AN TERVIEW WH MIC FOR MARRIAGE EQUALY. "THAT IS CRAZY TO ME. THERE'S SO MUCH FEAR, AND SO MUCH OF DAT BACK TO RELIGN. I THK THAT WE HAVE EVOLVED AS A SOCIETY, AND THIS IS OUR TIME TO CREATE THE CHANGE THAT IS RIGHT." (PHOTO: JONATHAN LEIBSON/GETTY IMAG FOR PEPSI){MARG-BOTTOM:54PX;}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;MARG-BOTTOM:54PX;}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;DISPLAY:NONE;DISPLAY:-WEBK-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-FLEX;DISPLAY:-MS-FLEXBOX;DISPLAY:FLEX;} + .E1IATVX90{DISPLAY:NONE;}(:EMPTY){DISPLAY:-WEBK-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-FLEX;DISPLAY:-MS-FLEXBOX;DISPLAY:FLEX;-WEBK-BOX-PACK:CENTER;-WEBK-JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;-MS-FLEX-PACK:CENTER;JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;}(:EMPTY) + .E1IATVX90{DISPLAY:BLOCK;}{BACKGROUND-LOR:#0A0A0A;LOR:#FAFAFA;DISPLAY:LE-BLOCK;-WEBK-LETTER-SPACG:NORMAL;-MOZ-LETTER-SPACG:NORMAL;-MS-LETTER-SPACG:NORMAL;LETTER-SPACG:NORMAL;PADDG:2PX 5PX;TEXT-TRANSFORM:UPPERSE;PADDG:3PX 5PX 4PX 5PX;LOR:#C4FF2C;BACKGROUND-LOR:#000000;LOR:#FFFFFF;DISPLAY:BLOCK;TEXT-ALIGN:CENTER;}{FONT:NORMAL 600 1.4REM/1.2 "SOEHNE",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NONE;BACKGROUND-LOR:#0A0A0A;LOR:#FAFAFA;DISPLAY:LE-BLOCK;-WEBK-LETTER-SPACG:NORMAL;-MOZ-LETTER-SPACG:NORMAL;-MS-LETTER-SPACG:NORMAL;LETTER-SPACG:NORMAL;PADDG:2PX 5PX;TEXT-TRANSFORM:UPPERSE;PADDG:3PX 5PX 4PX 5PX;LOR:#C4FF2C;BACKGROUND-LOR:#000000;LOR:#FFFFFF;DISPLAY:BLOCK;TEXT-ALIGN:CENTER;}{WIDTH:1380PX;HEIGHT:1800PX;}6 / 11FAT JOE - THE NYC RAPPER JOED THE NVERSATN OF LGBTQ ACCEPTANCE HIP HOP WH AN ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO VLADTV THAT HE’S WORKED ON SONGS WH GAY RAPPERS, “IN 2011 YOU GOTTA HI THAT YOU GAY? BE REAL! ‘YO, I’M GAY. WHAT THE F**K!’ IF YOU GAY, YOU GAY. THAT’S YOUR PREFERENCE. F**K IF THE PEOPLE DON’T LIKE .” (PHOTO: ROB FOLDY/GETTY IMAG){WIDTH:1680PX;HEIGHT:1800PX;}7 / 11KANYE WT - KANYE WT'S OUTSPOKEN LGBTQ SUPPORT DAT BACK TO 2005, WHEN HE TOLD SWAY ON MTV ABOUT HIS PERSONAL NNECTN TO THE LGBTQ MUNY, “I WOULD E THE WORD ‘F*G’ AND ALWAYS LOOK DOWN UPON GAYS. BUT THEN MY TOLD ME THAT ANOTHER ONE OF MY S WAS GAY, AND I LOVED HIM. HE'S ONE OF MY FAVORE S. AND AT THAT POT WAS KD OF LIKE A TURNG POT WHEN I WAS LIKE, ‘YO, THIS MY , I LOVE HIM AND I BEEN DISCRIMATG AGAST GAYS." SCE THEN, RANTS AND CRAZS ASI, KANYE HAS BEEN A QUIET BUT NSISTENT LGBTQ ALLY. (PHOTO: EZRA SHAW/GETTY IMAG){WIDTH:1800PX;HEIGHT:1239PX;}8 / 11QUEEN LATIFAH - WHILE KEEPG TOTALLY MUM ABOUT HER OWN PERSONAL LIFE (WHICH HAS ALWAYS LEFT PEOPLE SPECULATG ABOUT HER OWN SEXUALY), THE RAPPER OM NEWARK, N.J., HAS BEEN STEADILY MAKG MOV TOWARDS OUTRIGHT LGBTQ SUPPORT. DURG THE 2014 GRAMMY AWARDS, SHE OFFICIATED A MASS WEDDG OF SAME-SEX UPL. EARLIER THIS YEAR, WHEN ASKED ABOUT MARRIAGE EQUALY BY PEOPLE, SHE STATED, "WHO YOU CHOOSE TO MARRY IS REALLY UP TO YOU AND ’S NOT SOMETHG YOU SHOULD BE JUDGED ON. I DON’T FD BEG GAY OR LBIAN TO BE A CHARACTER FLAW. COUPL SHOULD BE PROTECTED UNR THE LAWS OF THIS UNTRY, PERD. IT ACTUALLY ANGERS ME. IT’S NOT UNUAL SO LET’S BE ADULTS AND LET’S MOVE FORWARD." (PHOTO: FRAZER HARRISON/GETTY IMAG FOR AFI){WIDTH:1259PX;HEIGHT:1800PX;}9 / 11EMEM - THGS BETWEEN THE DETRO NATIVE AND THE LGBTQ MUNY HAVE BEEN GHT WH NTROVERSY SCE HIS BUT THE LATE '90S, BUT 2013, EMEM TOLD ROLLG STONE, “THE REAL ME STG HERE RIGHT NOW TALKG TO YOU HAS NO ISSU WH GAY, STRAIGHT, TRANSGENR, AT ALL. I'M GLAD WE LIVE A TIME WHERE 'S REALLY STARTG TO FEEL LIKE PEOPLE N LIVE THEIR LIV AND EXPRS THEMSELV.”  (PHOTO: KEVORK DJANSEZIAN/GETTY IMAG FOR MTV){WIDTH:1249PX;HEIGHT:1800PX;}10 / 11JAY Z - GOOD OL' HOV ALWAYS SIS WH REASON, AND HE DID JT THAT 2012 RIGHT AFTER PRINT OBAMA VOLIZED HIS SUPPORT FOR MARRIAGE EQUALY. MR. CARTER SPOKE TO CNN AND DROPPED A LTLE B OF TTH ABOUT THOSE WHO CHOOSE TO DISCRIMATE: “IT’S NO DIFFERENT THAN DISCRIMATG AGAST BLACKS. IT’S DISCRIMATN PLA AND SIMPLE. I THK 'S THE RIGHT THG TO DO, SO WHETHER STS HIM VOT OR NOT — AGA, ’S NOT ABOUT VOT. IT’S ABOUT PEOPLE. IT’S THE RIGHT THG TO DO AS A HUMAN BEG.” (PHOTO: THEO WARGO/GETTY IMAG FOR GLOBAL CIZEN FTIVAL){WIDTH:1800PX;HEIGHT:1304PX;}11 / 11THE GAME - BACK 2011, GAME TOLD VLADTV, “I DON’T HAVE A PROBLEM WH GAY PEOPLE. BEYONCé SHOULDA SAID, ‘WHO SHOULD N THE WORLD?’ GAYS. BEE THEY’RE EVERYWHERE AND RIGHTLY SO.” DON’T GET TWISTED, GAME’S SUPPORT FOR THE LGBTQ MUNY IS ACTUALLY ONLY RERVED FOR THOSE THAT ARE OUT OF THE CLOSET. HIS PROBLEM IS “WH PEOPLE WHO ARE PRETENDG NOT TO BE GAY.” (PHOTO: STT DULSON/GETTY IMAG)

30 BT GAY RAPPERS (LGBTQ+ HIP-HOP ARTISTS)

There has been a well-known stigma towards homosexualy hip-hop which has led to some artists’ reers beg tarnished by mors that they had associatns wh people of the same sex. While his h song “Old Town Road” was at the top of the Billboard Top 100 Chart for a rerd-breakg 19 weeks, Lil Nas X ma the brave cisn to e out as a gay rapper.

Mista Strange, a drill rapper om Bra, has shared his experience of beg a publicly gay rapper and how often leads to unrtimatn.

In one of his tracks, he touch upon this subject wh the lyrics, “Won’t let me through ‘e I’m back like Santan, Won’t let me through ‘e I’m gay like Schofield.

21 BT GAY RAPPERS WHO EMBODY THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNY

As a gay Lat female rerdg artist, Snow Tha Product acknowledg that her journey hasn’t been smooth, but she emphasiz that honty is ccial. This tweet, which was both ndid and wty, required a lot of urage to liver, particularly 2017 when beg a gay rapper was still a ntroversial topic the mic dtry. He distguish himself his mic by beg ndid about his sexualy and sex life, which is not unmon for heterosexual hip-hop artists but is not typil for gay artists.

RAPPERS WHO HAVE COME OUT AS GAY

However, tim have changed, and the artists would face backlash if they exprsed homophobic sentiments today, unlike 1996. Da Brat ced the pervasive homophobia of the ’90s for her cisn not to e out earlier and said that people like Ellen faced signifint backlash for beg openly gay.

HERE ARE HIP-HOP ARTISTS WHO EMBRACE BEG GAY, LBIAN OR BISEXUAL

However, he ultimately accepted that his happs and the value of the reprentatn as a Black gay rapper eclipsed a need for acceptance wh the hip-hop muny. She also discsed the prevalence of vlence agast butch-prentg gay women, highlightg the murr of several lbians a regn of Chile that has bee notor for s homophobic hate crim. “Beg ‘butch’ means wearg your sexualy on your sleeve, which, an age still explibly marred by homophobia, n have grave nsequenc all over the world, ” she stated.

10 PRO-LGBTQ {MARG:12PX TO 0;}@MEDIA (M-WIDTH:980PX){{MAX-WIDTH:50%;}}{FONT:NORMAL 400 1.4REM/1.5 "SOEHNE",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NONE;MARG:12PX TO 0;}@MEDIA (M-WIDTH:980PX){{MAX-WIDTH:50%;}}ONE {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;MARG-BOTTOM:54PX;OVERFLOW-X:HIDN;}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-FLEX;DISPLAY:-MS-FLEXBOX;DISPLAY:FLEX;BACKGROUND:#FFFFFF;-WEBK-FLEX-DIRECTN:LUMN;-MS-FLEX-DIRECTN:LUMN;FLEX-DIRECTN:LUMN;BOX-SHADOW:0 4PX 8PX 0 RGBA(0,0,0,0.08);MARG-BOTTOM:54PX;}{WIDTH:100%;HEIGHT:TO;} IMG{HEIGHT:100%;WIDTH:100%;OBJECT-F:NTA;}{WIDTH:1800PX;HEIGHT:1014PX;}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:18PX 24PX;DISPLAY:GRID;GRID-GAP:18PX;TEXT-ALIGN:CENTER;}{LOR:#0A0A0A;}{FONT:NORMAL 700 2.0REM/1.25 "SOEHNE",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NONE;LOR:#0A0A0A;}1 / {LOR:#0A0A0A;} A{FONT:HER;LOR:HER;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} STRONG, B{FONT-WEIGHT:BOLR;}{FONT:NORMAL 400 1.4REM/1.5 "SOEHNE",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NONE;LOR:#0A0A0A;} A{FONT:HER;LOR:HER;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} STRONG, B{FONT-WEIGHT:BOLR;}#LOVEWS - LGBTQ SUPPORT OM RAPPERS VARYG GRE OF TENSY— MUCH LIKE THE RAPPERS THEMSELV. SOME OF THE GUYS KICKED OFF THEIR REERS LETTG EVERYONE KNOW THEY WERE DOWN WH THE LGBTQ E OM THE GET-GO. OTHERS TOOK YEARS TO ACKNOWLEDGE OR EVEN EMBRACE THE MARGALIZED POPULATN. IT’S A TOPIC THAT DIDN’T EVA EVEN RAP LEGENDS LIKE BIGGIE SMALLS. IT TURNED OUT HIS SUPPORT WAS MORE PERSONAL WHEN WAS REVEALED 2011 THAT ONE OF HIS BT IENDS WAS OPENLY GAY AND THAT THE CEASED RAPPER NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WH WH A SUPREME COURT LG THAT BROUGHT MARRIAGE EQUALY TO THE USA, NOT EVERYONE IS DOWN FOR THE E FOR EVEN VOICG SUPPORT. CHECK OUT THIS SET OF RAPPERS WHO STILL MANAGED TO ENJOY THE US OF SUCCS EVEN WH, AS 50 CENT LIK TO PUT , "GAY STUFF." — JON REY(PHOTOS OM LEFT: FRAZER HARRISON/GETTY IMAG FOR C...{LOR:#818181;FONT-WEIGHT:400;}{FONT:NORMAL 600 1.4REM/1.2 "SOEHNE",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NONE;LOR:#818181;FONT-WEIGHT:400;}PHOTO BY {LOR:HER;FONT:HER;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;}{LOR:HER;FONT:HER;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;}PHOTOS OM LEFT: FRAZER HARRISON/GETTY IMAG FOR {WIDTH:1800PX;HEIGHT:1073PX;}2 / 11NICKI MAJ - NEVER ONE TO STEER AWAY OM NTROVERSY, EVEN NICKI’S BARS OOZED LGBTQ SUPPORT — HER MALE ALTER EGO WAS A GAY MAN NAMED ROMAN ZOLANSKI. BACK 2010, NICKI VOICED GREAT AMBNS BRIDGG THE GAP BETWEEN HER GAY FANS AND HIP HOP BY MG OVER A HYPOTHETIL TOUR WH LIL WAYNE, "NORMALLY, WAYNE PROBABLY WOULDN'T HAVE GAY GUYS G TO SEE HIS SHOWS MUCH," SHE TOLD OUT, "BUT THEY'RE FELY A BIG PART OF MY MOVEMENT, AND I HOPE THEY'D STILL E OUT AND SEE ME."(PHOTO: ETHAN MILLER/GETTY IMAG){WIDTH:1800PX;HEIGHT:1254PX;}3 / 11LIL B - THE BERKELEY RAPPER MA SOME SOCIAL MEDIA WAV 2011 WHEN HE TLED HIS ALBUM I’M GAY (I’M HAPPY) SOLIDARY WH THE LGBTQ MUNY. EVEN AFTER RECEIVG ATH THREATS ON SOCIAL MEDIA, HE STUCK TO HIS GUNS A CNN TERVIEW: “I HOPE THAT I N TURN SOME OF MY FANS THAT MIGHT BE HOMOPHOBIC OR SUPPORTERS THAT MIGHT BE HOMOPHOBIC AND SAY, ‘YOU KNOW WHAT? WE’RE ALL ONE PEOPLE. THIS IS LOVE.’” (PHOTO: FRAZER HARRISON/GETTY IMAG FOR COACHELLA){WIDTH:1213PX;HEIGHT:1800PX;}4 / 11A$AP ROCKY - THIS HARLEM NATIVE AND PLATUM-SELLG ARTIST IS A STANDOUT EXAMPLE OF HOW NEW HIP HOP ARTISTS ARE MORE OPEN TO EMBRACG THE LGBTQ MUNY. WH A$AP ROCKY, ME OM PURE OBSERVATN WH REGARDS TO HIS OWN LOVE FOR FASHN, “I ED TO BE HOMOPHOBIC, BUT THAT’S F**KED UP," HE TOLD PCHFORK. "I HAD TO LOOK THE MIRROR AND SAY, ‘ALL THE SIGNERS I’M WEARG ARE GAY.’” (PHOTO: TIM P. WHBY/GETTY IMAG){WIDTH:1800PX;HEIGHT:1381PX;}5 / 11MACKLEMORE - WHILE "THRIFT SHOP" WAS THE SEATTLE RAPPER’S CLAIM TO FAME, WAS ACTUALLY "SAME LOVE," HIS MARRIAGE EQUALY ANTHEM, THAT PROPELLED THE RAPPER TO BEE A MOUTHPIECE FOR LGBTQ EQUALY HIP HOP. THE POPULAR SONG WAS ACTUALLY BORN OUT OF PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, "I GREW UP WH TWO GAY UNCL ON CAPOL HILL. I WAS ALWAYS AROUND A MUNY OF GAY PEOPLE, AS A HIP HOP ARTIST, 'S STILL A TABOO ISSUE," MACKLEMORE SAID AN TERVIEW WH MIC FOR MARRIAGE EQUALY. "THAT IS CRAZY TO ME. THERE'S SO MUCH FEAR, AND SO MUCH OF DAT BACK TO RELIGN. I THK THAT WE HAVE EVOLVED AS A SOCIETY, AND THIS IS OUR TIME TO CREATE THE CHANGE THAT IS RIGHT." (PHOTO: JONATHAN LEIBSON/GETTY IMAG FOR PEPSI){MARG-BOTTOM:54PX;}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;MARG-BOTTOM:54PX;}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;DISPLAY:NONE;DISPLAY:-WEBK-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-FLEX;DISPLAY:-MS-FLEXBOX;DISPLAY:FLEX;} + .E1IATVX90{DISPLAY:NONE;}(:EMPTY){DISPLAY:-WEBK-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-FLEX;DISPLAY:-MS-FLEXBOX;DISPLAY:FLEX;-WEBK-BOX-PACK:CENTER;-WEBK-JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;-MS-FLEX-PACK:CENTER;JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;}(:EMPTY) + .E1IATVX90{DISPLAY:BLOCK;}{BACKGROUND-LOR:#0A0A0A;LOR:#FAFAFA;DISPLAY:LE-BLOCK;-WEBK-LETTER-SPACG:NORMAL;-MOZ-LETTER-SPACG:NORMAL;-MS-LETTER-SPACG:NORMAL;LETTER-SPACG:NORMAL;PADDG:2PX 5PX;TEXT-TRANSFORM:UPPERSE;PADDG:3PX 5PX 4PX 5PX;LOR:#C4FF2C;BACKGROUND-LOR:#000000;LOR:#FFFFFF;DISPLAY:BLOCK;TEXT-ALIGN:CENTER;}{FONT:NORMAL 600 1.4REM/1.2 "SOEHNE",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NONE;BACKGROUND-LOR:#0A0A0A;LOR:#FAFAFA;DISPLAY:LE-BLOCK;-WEBK-LETTER-SPACG:NORMAL;-MOZ-LETTER-SPACG:NORMAL;-MS-LETTER-SPACG:NORMAL;LETTER-SPACG:NORMAL;PADDG:2PX 5PX;TEXT-TRANSFORM:UPPERSE;PADDG:3PX 5PX 4PX 5PX;LOR:#C4FF2C;BACKGROUND-LOR:#000000;LOR:#FFFFFF;DISPLAY:BLOCK;TEXT-ALIGN:CENTER;}{WIDTH:1380PX;HEIGHT:1800PX;}6 / 11FAT JOE - THE NYC RAPPER JOED THE NVERSATN OF LGBTQ ACCEPTANCE HIP HOP WH AN ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO VLADTV THAT HE’S WORKED ON SONGS WH GAY RAPPERS, “IN 2011 YOU GOTTA HI THAT YOU GAY? BE REAL! ‘YO, I’M GAY. WHAT THE F**K!’ IF YOU GAY, YOU GAY. THAT’S YOUR PREFERENCE. F**K IF THE PEOPLE DON’T LIKE .” (PHOTO: ROB FOLDY/GETTY IMAG){WIDTH:1680PX;HEIGHT:1800PX;}7 / 11KANYE WT - KANYE WT'S OUTSPOKEN LGBTQ SUPPORT DAT BACK TO 2005, WHEN HE TOLD SWAY ON MTV ABOUT HIS PERSONAL NNECTN TO THE LGBTQ MUNY, “I WOULD E THE WORD ‘F*G’ AND ALWAYS LOOK DOWN UPON GAYS. BUT THEN MY TOLD ME THAT ANOTHER ONE OF MY S WAS GAY, AND I LOVED HIM. HE'S ONE OF MY FAVORE S. AND AT THAT POT WAS KD OF LIKE A TURNG POT WHEN I WAS LIKE, ‘YO, THIS MY , I LOVE HIM AND I BEEN DISCRIMATG AGAST GAYS." SCE THEN, RANTS AND CRAZS ASI, KANYE HAS BEEN A QUIET BUT NSISTENT LGBTQ ALLY. (PHOTO: EZRA SHAW/GETTY IMAG){WIDTH:1800PX;HEIGHT:1239PX;}8 / 11QUEEN LATIFAH - WHILE KEEPG TOTALLY MUM ABOUT HER OWN PERSONAL LIFE (WHICH HAS ALWAYS LEFT PEOPLE SPECULATG ABOUT HER OWN SEXUALY), THE RAPPER OM NEWARK, N.J., HAS BEEN STEADILY MAKG MOV TOWARDS OUTRIGHT LGBTQ SUPPORT. DURG THE 2014 GRAMMY AWARDS, SHE OFFICIATED A MASS WEDDG OF SAME-SEX UPL. EARLIER THIS YEAR, WHEN ASKED ABOUT MARRIAGE EQUALY BY PEOPLE, SHE STATED, "WHO YOU CHOOSE TO MARRY IS REALLY UP TO YOU AND ’S NOT SOMETHG YOU SHOULD BE JUDGED ON. I DON’T FD BEG GAY OR LBIAN TO BE A CHARACTER FLAW. COUPL SHOULD BE PROTECTED UNR THE LAWS OF THIS UNTRY, PERD. IT ACTUALLY ANGERS ME. IT’S NOT UNUAL SO LET’S BE ADULTS AND LET’S MOVE FORWARD." (PHOTO: FRAZER HARRISON/GETTY IMAG FOR AFI){WIDTH:1259PX;HEIGHT:1800PX;}9 / 11EMEM - THGS BETWEEN THE DETRO NATIVE AND THE LGBTQ MUNY HAVE BEEN GHT WH NTROVERSY SCE HIS BUT THE LATE '90S, BUT 2013, EMEM TOLD ROLLG STONE, “THE REAL ME STG HERE RIGHT NOW TALKG TO YOU HAS NO ISSU WH GAY, STRAIGHT, TRANSGENR, AT ALL. I'M GLAD WE LIVE A TIME WHERE 'S REALLY STARTG TO FEEL LIKE PEOPLE N LIVE THEIR LIV AND EXPRS THEMSELV.”  (PHOTO: KEVORK DJANSEZIAN/GETTY IMAG FOR MTV){WIDTH:1249PX;HEIGHT:1800PX;}10 / 11JAY Z - GOOD OL' HOV ALWAYS SIS WH REASON, AND HE DID JT THAT 2012 RIGHT AFTER PRINT OBAMA VOLIZED HIS SUPPORT FOR MARRIAGE EQUALY. MR. CARTER SPOKE TO CNN AND DROPPED A LTLE B OF TTH ABOUT THOSE WHO CHOOSE TO DISCRIMATE: “IT’S NO DIFFERENT THAN DISCRIMATG AGAST BLACKS. IT’S DISCRIMATN PLA AND SIMPLE. I THK 'S THE RIGHT THG TO DO, SO WHETHER STS HIM VOT OR NOT — AGA, ’S NOT ABOUT VOT. IT’S ABOUT PEOPLE. IT’S THE RIGHT THG TO DO AS A HUMAN BEG.” (PHOTO: THEO WARGO/GETTY IMAG FOR GLOBAL CIZEN FTIVAL){WIDTH:1800PX;HEIGHT:1304PX;}11 / 11THE GAME - BACK 2011, GAME TOLD VLADTV, “I DON’T HAVE A PROBLEM WH GAY PEOPLE. BEYONCé SHOULDA SAID, ‘WHO SHOULD N THE WORLD?’ GAYS. BEE THEY’RE EVERYWHERE AND RIGHTLY SO.” DON’T GET TWISTED, GAME’S SUPPORT FOR THE LGBTQ MUNY IS ACTUALLY ONLY RERVED FOR THOSE THAT ARE OUT OF THE CLOSET. HIS PROBLEM IS “WH PEOPLE WHO ARE PRETENDG NOT TO BE GAY.” (PHOTO: STT DULSON/GETTY IMAG)

In April 2021, Kehlani publicly me out as gay through a TikTok vio, which she joyfully exclaimed, “I am gay, gay, gay. Grammy-wng producer and DJ Kaytranada publicly me out as gay 2016 after releasg his highly acclaimed but album 99. The rapper also llaborated wh openly gay hip-hop artist iLoveMakonnen, provg that diversy and acceptance were at the foreont of his creative visn.

Although there’s a long way to go before the discrimatn agast LGBTQ+ artists be a thg of the past, the rise of gay artists is a sign that the hip-hop dtry has started to break away om the notns. He don't shy away om beg open his mic about his sexualy and sex life, which isn't unmon for straight artists to do hip hop mic, but not necsarily for a gay artist.