![]() ![]() Throughout this controversy, there was only a muted response from the rap community itself.Īdvocacy groups such as the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation have long campaigned against the use of such language, lambasting Eminem’s hateful rhetoric and lyrics alluding to violence against members of the LGBTQ+ community.Īnd such lyrics have real-world impacts. Nevertheless, on follow-up albums he continued to use the slur. ![]() On “The Marshall Mathers LP,” he rhymed, “Hate f**s?/The answer’s yes.” In the aftermath of this controversy, Eminem performed with famous gay singer Elton John at the 2001 Grammys. ![]() Perhaps the most famous rapper using homophobic lyrics is Eminem. Indeed, throughout the 1980s and 1990s, high-profile rap groups such as N.W.A and artists like DMX similarly used pejorative language against members of the gay and lesbian community. Hip-hop has always been a socially conscious genre – but whereas it has historically challenged racial discrimination, it has slowly evolved on issues related to gender and sexuality.Īrguably one of the most poignant social commentaries on institutional racism at the time, “The Message,” released in 1982 by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, included the anti-gay slur “f**” in a disparaging context. It is still present in some rap lyrics – as indeed is true of all genres, from pop to country – but hip-hop is changing because of more progressive cultural views and greater LGBTQ+ representation. That is, hip-hop has evolved to the point where anti-gay rhetoric invites condemnation from members of the culture. But as a scholar of hip-hop and social consciousness, what interests me more is that Offset felt the need to reply at all many of his rap predecessors have not felt the need after similar incidents.Īs rap music approaches its 50th anniversary in August, I believe it is increasingly embracing challenges to – and debates about – homophobia. ![]()
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