The Notorious LGBTQ

Outcasts coming together to create a united community, free from the constraints and judgments of society—this is the foundation of the two cultural powerhouses that we know as the LGBTQ+ and Hip-Hop communities. Both were, and in some cases still are, collectives of those whose culture and identity were deemed invalid by the world. Similarly initiated through underground movements, hip-hop was hidden from plain sight in abandoned buildings to avoid backlash, while LBGTQ+ communities gathered in closed settings where they could be safe from hate-driven violence. Ironically, despite historical parallels, the relationship between the two communities has been nothing short of divided. Fortunately, the dynamic is beginning to change and it’s important to not only recognize the barriers that have been broken, but also those that still exist.

Hip-Hop evolved from a collection of different mixes by pioneer MCs like Kool Herc and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five into a platform for a new generation of hypermasculine content. Notable artists who popularized this style within the genre include Biggie and NWA. Although hip-hop’s primary catalysts were social consciousness and creativity, with the tidal wave of hypermasculinity that swept the hip-hop scene came an intolerance for anything that differed from a “real man.” This attitude clashed with the LGBTQ+ community whose own culture represented a divergence from the norm, contradicting hip-hop’s extreme dedication to binary gender roles. In response to this clash of the misfits came a mass increase of homophobic musical works and verbal rhetoric, along with normalization of hate crimes against the LBGTQ+ community. This response is once again ironic, as many artists use hip-hop as a medium to speak on the very issues that intersect with the struggles of the LGBTQ+ community including police brutality, racism, health epidemics, and socioeconomic marginalization. Although today we see a huge step forward from the days of the Beastie Boyz’s “Don’t Be a F*gg*t,” and A Tribe Called Quest’s homophobic “Georgie Porgie,” there still exists the controversial utilization of a culture created by the marginalized, to alienate another community still fighting for acceptance.

Despite a turbulent past, an increasing number of artists today with considerable social traction are coming out to be a part of the LGBTQ+ community. Artists like Tyler the Creator, Frank Ocean, members of BROCKHAMPTON, Kehlani, and Young Thug are breaking down barriers that previously excluded a mass demographic from active participation. Where do we go from here? Unfortunately, there is no definitive answer. To reach a point where people can express themselves as they please despite how they identify, we must show support for artists who continue to push the boundaries of the genre. By voicing acceptance of those deemed different, and by condemning those counteracting progress, one can only hope that hip-hop and the LGBTQ+ can intersect freely in the environment they both initially strived to create: a place for the marginalized to fit in.

By Camryn McKay