Since its initial inception, hip-hop has visibly changed in the mainstream. The early days of the genre saw groundbreaking songs from Grandmaster Flash and The Sugarhill Gang. We all know of the highly publicized feud between the Gods of the east and west coasts (Biggie & Tupac).
The early 2000s brought us "crunk" rap, spearheaded by Lil Jon. The 2010s will likely be known in the world of rap as the "trap" era. Basically, it's hard to not acknowledge that hip-hop isn't the same as when it began.
Change isn't unique to hip-hop. Every genre has morphed to keep listeners engaged (praise God nu-metal died off). However, hip-hop seems to have been given a new face: a gay face.
Since the mid-2010s, there appears to be an undertow of gay culture working its way into mainstream hip-hop. A few news outlets and music critics have seemed to pick up on this; the most recent being Anthony Fantano of TheNeedleDrop.
In 2013 we saw openly bisexual singer Frank Ocean receive two Grammy awards for his album "Channel Orange." Kevin Abstract, of the rap group Brockhampton and co-star of "Boy Band" on Vice TV, graphically raps about homosexual oral sex and only sleeping with straight men. This year, there was much speculation about the sexual orientation of Tyler, the Creator, who rapped about "kissing white boys since 2004".
Aside from openly queer rappers or rappers with questionably queer lyrics, we've also seen self-proclaimed heterosexual rappers portray extreme characteristics of what is the classic idea of "feminine". Young Thug stunned many by appearing on the cover of his album "Jeffery" in a lilac dress and hidden under a feminine parasol.
Lil Uzi Vert dresses in very feminine clothing and carries a purse. Other rappers such as Ugly God and Lil Yachty have also been questioned due to their use of vibrant colors in their clothing and music promotion.
It's odd, given the stigmas of rap culture, to associate queer life and hip-hop. A quick internet search on the complaints of hip-hop will paint the opposite picture of "gay-friendly". The main gripes laypeople have had with rap is that the genre glorifies misogyny, drugs, and intense objectification of women.
How is it that rap has now seemed to be overtaken by a "gay agenda"?
To answer my own question: rap hasn't been overtaken by a "gay agenda". There is no one behind these artists pulling the puppet strings and making them rap about being gay or forcing them to wear dresses on the covers of their albums.
The reason for a stronger queer presence in rap is due to a few factors. First, the LGBT community has come a long way to present to everyone that it's normal to be gay. This has led to a lot more people, like Frank Ocean and Kevin Abstract, being able to feel comfortable promoting themselves as gay/bi rappers.
Second, the widening acceptance of the LGBT community has allowed non-gay rappers, like Lil Uzi Vert and Young Thug, the freedom to do things that used to be perceived as no-nos in rap.
The last reason there is a higher representation of gay culture in rap goes a little deeper than the first two. Rap has always been a "boys club". There are obviously fantastic female rappers, but the roots of rap are male-dominated. Often, male-dominated societies bring with them a nuance of homo-eroticism that has nothing to do with being gay.
The men of the Roman empire engaged in sex with each other, over the Roman females, because the men thought they had more in common since they were the sex that received a formal education. Fraternities have a homo-erotic undertone because of the types of bond these young men have to make with each other.
This is the same thing happening with hip-hop. Male rappers are surrounding themselves with other predominantly male rappers. Straight men don't have to "peacock" around each other alone because there isn't a female presence that is subconsciously reminding them to puff out their chest and be the more dominant male.
In the rap world, surrounding yourself with other male rappers probably leads to these men letting their guard down and producing material or throwing out ideas that they might not in a less accepting environment.
Rap will continue many of the same traditions it has already set in place. I'm sure there will be no shortage of misogyny and drugs in the hip-hop world this year. But, with the changing times, it's also not going to be shocking to see gay culture make a steadier rise in the genre.
