LGBT representations in hip hop music
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Homo hop is a genre of hip hop music performed by LGBT artists and performers. It has been described as "a global movement of gay hip-hop MCs and fans determined to stake their claim in a genre too often associated with homophobia and anti-gay lyrics."
Notable events in the history of homo hop include the PeaceOUT World Homo Hop Festival which was founded in 2001 and mounted for several years on the West and East coasts, and the 2006 documentary film Pick Up the Mic.
Examples of such songs include "BEN" by Adair Lion and "Animal Style" by Murs.
Frank Ocean of Los Angeles-based hip hop collective Odd Future has recently "came out" as bisexual.
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Homophobia in dancehall music
Dancehall music has come under criticism from Jamaican and international organizations and Jamaican journalists, like Ian Boyne, for homophobic lyrics. Such lyrics have been described by J-FLAG, a Jamaican gay rights organization, as one aspect of "widespread Jamaican cultural bias against homosexuals and bisexuals". A report by the human rights organization Human Rights Watch points to the widespread existence of homophobia in Jamaica.
In some rare cases, dancehall artists whose music features homophobic lyrics have had their concerts canceled. Various singers have had international travel restrictions placed on them, and have been investigated by international law enforcement agencies such as Scotland Yard on the grounds that the lyrics incite the audience to assault homosexuals. In 2003, the British LGBT rights group OutRage! called for the arrest of Elephant Man for allegedly inciting the killing of gay men in his song lyrics. He was not arrested. Many of the affected singers believe that such legal or commercial sanctions are essentially an attack against freedom of speech.
Some artists eventually agreed not to use offensive lyrics during their concerts in Europe and the US. These kind of lyrics are virtually non-existent in female dancehall artists' output.
Critics of the LGBT-movement claim that attempts to suppress such lyrics in Afro-Caribbean music represents European cultural imperialism, and are disrespectful to the traditions and religion of the region. They argue that homosexuality is almost universally reviled except in a few relatively small but wealthy countries, and that Jamaica, a relatively poorer and smaller country, is an easy target in an attempt to spread pro-homosexual propaganda.
Homophobia in hip hop culture
Homophobia in hip hop culture is the homophobic attitude from hip hop artists towards LGBT people, in the form of song lyrics that use anti-gay slurs and normalize violence against LGBT people.
In 1979, the Sugarhill Gang released "Rapper’s Delight", which is the first hip hop record to become a top 40 hit. Although their homophobia was minuscule compared to other rappers in hip hop, “Rapper’s Delight” did exhibit slights to fictional character Superman, who was referred to as a “fairy” for wearing a tight suit.
In 1986, the hip hop trio Beastie Boys originally wanted to name their debut album Don’t Be A Faggot, but their record label Columbia Records refused to release it under that title, so it changed to Licensed To Ill. Years later, the Beastie Boys formally apologized to the LGBT community for the “shitty and ignorant” things they said on their first record.
In song lyrics
Ice-T stated on his autobiography that record-label executive Seymour Stein took the exception to a homophobic line in his song "409": "Guys grab a girl, girls grab a guy/If a guy wants a guy, please take it outside". Ice-T later became one of the first rappers to condemn homophobia on raps such as Straight Up Nigga and The Tower in his album OG Original Gangster.
Many songs by rapper Eminem have been considered homophobic for his frequent use of anti-gay slurs, especially the song "Criminal" from his third album The Marshall Mathers LP (2000), which containing lines like: "My words are like a dagger with a jagged edge, That'll stab you in the head, whether you're a fag or lez. pants or dress? Hate fags? The answer's 'yes'". In an interview with Anderson Cooper on 60 Minutes, Eminem denies being homophobic and explained the frequent use of the slur "faggot" in his lyrics, that this word was "thrown around constantly" in battle rapping and he does not refer it to gay people. The album The Marshall Mathers LP was nominated for Album of the Year by the Grammy Awards 2001, which leads to protests due to the album's controversial content. At the show, Eminem performed "Stan" with openly gay musician Elton John as response.
In the lyrics of one song on rapper Trick-Trick's 2008 album The Villain, he refers to Ellen DeGeneres and Rosie O'Donnell as "dyke bitches" and says he will send a "scud missile right through their fucking cruise ship". Trick-Trick expressed his dislike towards homosexuals in an interview with music site AllHipHop: “Faggots hate me and I don’t give a fuck. I don’t want your faggot money any goddam way.”.
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