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Lil Nas X Singlehandedly Changed How Being Gay in Hip Hop Is Perceived

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It’s remarkable how much Lil Nas X changed hip-hop in 2019.

On New Year’s Day, hip-hop star YG apologized for his ignorant views on LGBTQ people in an unprompted Tweet saying,  “it’s been brought to my attention that my old views on life was ignorant. i apologize to the LGBTQ kommunity for ever komin across like i was anything but respectful and accepting. Live. Love. Ya Life. Gang!”

YG isn’t even at the top of problematic hip-hop stars vis a vis the LGBT community and I can’t help thinking that X played a part. Highsnobiety reports: “Although it’s not clear what exactly prompted the apology or which “old views” YG is referring to, fans on Twitter are speculating the apology came following his public relationship with singer Kehlani, who identifies as queer.”

But Kehlani came out in a post Lil Nas X world.

The 29-year-old rapper was friends with the late Nipsey Hussle, who once tweeted about his problems with the gay “agenda.”

According to The Advocate, “YG hasn’t been engaged in any particular scandal about homophobia, though plenty of people he worked closely with have gotten into trouble for stating beefs with LGBTQ people. Megan Thee Stallion last year issued a public apology for old tweets where she used the word “faggot” as an insult. After a 2011 tweet went viral, she wrote on Twitter that such language was no longer part of her vocabulary, as reported by XXL. ”

“I’ve already apologized for tweets that obviously do not represent my views now. I don’t do nothing but show love to everyone so just stop,” she wrote.

It’s remarkable given Nas X’s personal journey which he spoke about with Gayle King on CBS This Morning earlier this year. In the interview, Nas X told King that as kid he prayed and prayed that he could stop being gay.

“I knew [I was gay as a kid]. Especially around my teenage years, I was just like, you know, praying, praying, praying that it was like a phase. Yeah, go away,” he told King.

He told her that although he hopes his coming out could help other teens, that for him it was easier. “I mean ’cause, me being in this position, it’s easy for me, but, like, some little boy, ten miles from here, it’s not going to be good for him.”

Pushed by King about the good he’s done by coming out, he said, “I think it’s gonna always help, you know it’s gonna. You still have a long way to go. Because … somebody who’s like, listening to me in school right now, it’s like ‘you gay cause you listening to him.’ There’s still a lot to be done of course but I do believe it’s helping.”

 

Lil Nas X, whose real name is Montero Lamar Hill,  2019 hit song “Old Town Road,” was number one on the Billboard charts for a record breaking 19 weeks earlier this year.

“Old Town Road” is in itself a unique mix of musical genres that’s part country, part R&B, part hip-hop. The video featuring Billy Ray Cyrus is also something different. It intentionally evokes the look of the legendary Mel Brook’s parody Blazing Saddles that broke down racial barriers.

Regardless, there’s no doubt that Lil Nas X carved his own individual path both as an artist and as a gay man. He’s also publicly challenged notions of masculinity in hip-hop that was inevitable given his astronomical success.

Change is never easy but it helps when the talent and sheer audacity of success propels it forward.

 

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