‘We actually have gay rappers:’ Embracing hip-hop and its complex male queerness

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With the rise of black feminine gay rappers, male queerness in hip-hop has become less taboo.

Last May, Joe Budden and Isaiah Rashad sat down for an open conversation around the topic of mental health and sexuality in hip-hop.

The conversation was sparked by a leaked sex tape that allegedly claimed Rashad to be sexually active with men, revealing the TDE rapper perceives him to be sexually fluid. , which I found explained nuanced topics about queerness that Budden didn’t understand (such as pansexuality and sexual fluidity). Many comments on social media criticized Budden’s line of remarks. question as ignorance, But the fact that the two rappers got together to talk showed just how far the male rap industry has come.

“This is not hip-hop I got into,” Budden said in part of a conversation in which Rashad said he was comforted when the world found out about his sexuality.And that’s the problem — this isn’t Hip-hop Budden didn’t come in anymore.

Hip-hop is slowly changing when it comes to inclusion, but there’s still space left for cisgender, dominant, heterosexual, and hypermasculine men — thanks to their 2019 hit “Old Town Road.” Even two years before Lil Nas X became a household name, rap was still candid with queer male rappers. When ILoveMakonnen began identifying himself as openly gay in 2017, Atlanta rap his group Migos criticized the artist and member Quavo said Makonnen’s sexuality undermined his trap lyrics. I suggested that it was changed. Well, entering my early 20s, the last year felt like a step in the right direction for a few notable reasons. cheeky santanaconversations about queerness, like those between Budden and Rashad. And even when rappers like Lil Uzi Vert feel comfortable updating their pronouns to them/them. is showing.

An important part of this change is hip-hop’s global popularity. The genre has evolved into one that embraces artists from a variety of backgrounds, resulting in a wider fan base.

“No matter how the world turns, hip-hop will follow the same path.” Dr. Jemaine Lover King, The director of the Hip-Hop and Cultural Studies Institute at Virginia State University said: “So, as a society, we are becoming more accepting of individuals and their talents, so artists are revealing their true selves.”

This acceptance has led to notable success for some queer male rappers and has become a blueprint for aspiring queer male rappers. This is what his 27-year-old up-and-coming queer from Atlanta expressed his rapper, Benji Fetch, who shares that the closest he came to queer expression in rap growing up was Nicki Minaj. .now he We see more queer male representation.

“We actually have a gay rapper” Fetch said. “Some are charted. Some are not, but they are there and they are influential in the culture. ”

One of the biggest stories of last year was the rise of gay, black, and female rapper Saucy Santana, who represents something entirely new in mainstream rap. Initially serving as make-up her artist for City Girls, Santana branched out into rapping in 2019 with her debut single, “Walk Em Like A Dog.” She released her singles “Up & Down” and “Walk” in 2020 and became a hot topic on TikTok.

Santana also had a notable collaboration with Houston rapper BeatKing on their 2021 project. Keep it playa. Their song “Spoiled” was progressive in the sense that it allowed a masculine heterosexual rapper to collaborate with a female queer rapper. In April it was announced that Santana had signed with RCA, but the artist said he chose RCA because it allowed him to remain in control of his creative vision.

“A lot of label artist development right now is trying to find artists who are building some sort of following,” said former A&R Ricky Parker. Studio 43 He is currently Associate Director of the Mary Lumpkins Center for African American History and Culture at Virginia Union University and also teaches Hip Hop Studies. “The big part now is that you can go to labels and show your power. Who are your followers? How many streams have you done? What have you done yourself?”

Social media is one of the biggest reasons queer male rap artists are gaining prominence in the music industry. Lil Nas X is known for his Twitter presence, Santana is a hit on his Instagram Live, and up-and-coming Kidd Kenn has songs like “Drip From My Walk” and “Slide.” First recognized as a reworked and viral rapper on Instagram. By Famous Dex and FBG Duck respectively.

When these queer artists appear on your timeline, they create visibility and make the queer community more accessible. But as important as the visibility these artists are getting, it’s also the conversations they’re having, a less shared but equally important chat than Budden and Rashad’s interviews on his BET+. It took place between Big Freedia and Slim Thug. College hill: Celebrity edition series. During the informal discussion, the pair talked about gender identity and pronouns, with Freedia explaining why they use all pronouns.

“I’m gender fluid. I don’t have pronouns,” Freedia said. “It’s a new era for me too — there’s something synonymous. I grew up with friends in New Orleans, grew up with them. To my girls, I’m their sister. To my kids.” , straight or gay, I am their mother.”

Slim Thug admitted that he doesn’t spend much time with queer people, but he was happy to come to the table and learn. Although much shorter than Budden and Rashad’s interview, I found Slim and Freedia’s interaction more effective for several reasons. First, it was more like buddies talking to each other, but Budden, who called himself a journalist during his chat with Rashad, treated it like an interview. There were also instances of falsely equating fluidity with non-monogamy, and viewers pointed out why he shouldn’t have led this interview in the first place. But both are important in showing that queerness is an ongoing journey, and Freedia and Rashad stressed that they’re still learning about the terminology that comes with trying to understand their queerness.

All of these conversations are necessary for the male rap industry to remain progressive, but it’s also important to center queer voices that aren’t masculine expressions. That’s why it’s been so important, and why it’s important that Saucy Santana and Lil Nas X can also talk about their experiences. As the latter highlighted during his feud with BETblack queer men are more masculine than women and arguably more respected when they’re not openly about their sexuality in their music. That’s why I ended the set and kissed the male dancer.pain and tensionrelationship with BET as the network snatches him from their awards show.

There is also the reality that many cisgender heterosexual men also have their own unique experiences with queerness, but lack the rhetoric to adequately explain them. tried controversial song “Auntie Diaries” from the latest album, Mr. Morale & The Big SteppersThe song takes a peek into an adolescent Lamar’s mind when the rapper describes watching his transgender uncle change. However, the run fails because Lamar misgendered his uncle and uttered homophobic slurs throughout. The song’s message split social media, with some defending the rapper in the name of storytelling and others criticizing his dangerous lyrics.

Depending on who you ask, who should take responsibility for making the music industry more inclusive. Fetch stated that he felt the label had to play a bigger role in changing the male rap industry, stating: And the label intends to base it on what’s currently on the charts and what’s hot. In contrast, Parker said he sees labels as mere financial institutions, so the onus is on artists to make male rap more inclusive.

In the 20s, we see different expressions of queerness among mainstream male rappers, and candid discussions about sexual and gender fluidity with male rappers. is interesting. But as queer-her artists continue to become a part of rap, there is still work to be done to make it more inclusive.

“Patriarchal hosts having an open dialogue with members of the LGBTQ+ community is a great foundation for the development of hip-hop. [and] for the expansion of hip-hop,” said Dr. King. “And more importantly, it’s about the creativity involved in hip-hop.”

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Matthew Pittman is a reporter from Hampton, Virginia who enjoys writing about style, music and culture. Follow him on Instagram at @matt.jordan.pitt.