I’m looking forward to the day when black queer men are seen.” “We’ve gotten used to seeing white queer men become megastars. But people had to warm up to it and sometimes the collective warm-up can take more time than we think,” said singer-songwriter Iman Jordan (Rihanna, “Empire”). “Frank Ocean was the beginning of the revolution. Ocean, who sprung from the rowdy, L.A.-based hip-hop collective Odd Future, went on to become a Grammy-winning star and in-demand collaborator for Jay-Z, ASAP Rocky and Travis Scott. I don’t have any secrets I need kept anymore,” he wrote. In 2012, avant-garde R&B-hip-hop singer Frank Ocean broke ground by boldly writing about falling in love with a man on the eve of releasing his breathlessly hyped debut album “Channel Orange.” “I don’t know what happens now, and that’s alrite. This moment isn’t some blip, because it’s not a blip in society.” “I don’t have any secrets I need to keep anymore” “But with entertainment becoming more accepting, music is going to be right there. “We know folks in our community have always been religiously conservative, and being gay is still seen as taboo,” said Ebro Darden, the global editorial head of hip-hop and R&B for Apple Music and host of “Ebro in the Morning” on New York’s Hot 97 radio station. Slang such as “sus” and “No homo” and “Pause” that use queerness as a punchline have been thrown around casually for years.īut as the old guard has been replaced with a younger generation unconcerned with rigid labels and unbothered by genre, today’s rap and R&B scene isn’t as exclusively heteronormative as it once was. In fact, an entire lexicon dedicated to pointing out discomfort with gay men has permeated rap lyrics. Rap culture has always been powered by unbridled machismo, and one would be hard pressed to not find a gay slur embedded in the lyrics of any of the genre’s most famous architects. Hip-hop’s refusal to embrace anything queer has been a blemish on the genre for as long as its been around. But this is still a genre that has never been supportive of change.”īefore the viral sensation of “Old Town Road” turned Hill into a pop star and gay icon, hip-hop was already reaching a turning point in its inclusivity, as more young black men exploring sexuality and interrogating masculinity in their work are getting mainstream attention. “We are finally starting to see queer black men celebrated in the genre.

“It’s hard to be out in genres where being gay, or expressing your sexuality, is frowned upon,” added platinum rapper and singer iLoveMakonnen, born Makonnen Sheran, who rose to fame as a protégé of Drake and came out as gay in 2017. Stream “SORRY NOT SORRY” below.“Lil Nas X re-imagined an image of the Wrangler-wearing, horseback-riding man’s man into a young black representative of youth culture, got the attention of two traditionally macho cultures and then came out on the last day of Pride,” said Roy Kinsey, a Chicago-based librarian and rapper at the forefront of Chicago’s queer rap scene. “I got two words: Fuck ’em.” As his alter-egos each depart the stage throughout the video, the final seconds find him in a fist-fight with one last Tyler, seemingly putting those past issues to rest. “Sorry if you gotta dig for info I don’t wanna give/ So you stalk, make up fibs, just to talk about my private life ’cause you’re weird.”īut one thing Tyler won’t apologize for on “SORRY NOT SORRY” is the success he’s built for himself: “N****s claim you arrogant when they can’t relate to moments of feelin’ great,” he spits. He begins by lamenting on how he’s treated his family and old friends: “I’m sorry that the four minutes where you see your son could feel like a chore,” he says.Īs the track progresses, he begins to unpack criticisms he’s faced since entering the public eye, such as coming into his sexuality and whether or not he faced “real struggles” growing up: “Sorry to the guys I had to hide/ Sorry to the girls I had to lie to,” he raps. Over a sleek instrumental, Tyler rattles off some long-overdue apologies in what appears to be chronological order. The video for “SORRY NOT SORRY” begins with velvet red curtains that open to a stage production starring a whole army of Tylers from eras past: On first pass, we notice references to the covers of Flower Boy, Cherry Bomb, Igor, Wolf, and of course, CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST. Tyler, the Creator has never really been one to ask for forgiveness, but he’s making up for all the apologies he’s missed on the new single “SORRY NOT SORRY.” Out now with an accompanying self-directed music video, it’s another cut from the upcoming deluxe edition of Tyler’s 2021 album CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST. The post Tyler, the Creator Confronts His Past on New Single “SORRY NOT SORRY”: Stream appeared first on Consequence.

Tyler the creator sexuality