ĭuring what was considered third-wave feminism, there was an infusion of Black feminist thought into hip-hop by way of Black women in the genre who emphasized issues of race, gender, and sexuality. Years later, the Beastie Boys formally apologized to the LGBT community for the "shitty and ignorant" things they said on their first record. In 1986, the hip hop trio Beastie Boys originally wanted to name their debut album Don't Be A Faggot, but their record label Columbia Records refused to release it under that title, so it changed the title to Licensed to Ill. Sugarhill Gang's 1979 song " Rapper's Delight", the first hip hop record to become a top 40 hit, referred to fictional character Superman as a " fairy" for wearing a skin-tight garment. The disco scene which was derived from disco music was known for its vibrant nightlife that was considered a haven for those in the LGBTQ+ community, particularly LGBTQ+ youth of color.ĭespite these origins, early hip-hop artists expressed anti-LGBTQ+ sentiments and epithets common of the time in their music. Disco music, which contains origins within Black American culture, had an impact on hip-hop from samples to early hip-hop fashion.
Hip-hop was developed in the late 1970s following the popularity of disco. There has also been an increased presence of LGBTQ+ allies in the mainstream hip hop community, such as Jay-Z, Murs, Kanye West, XXXTentacion, Jack Harlow, Kendrick Lamar, Macklemore, and Ryan Lewis. Many artists have contributed to the increased visibility and social acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community's presence in hip hop music, most notably Frank Ocean, who penned an open letter addressing his sexuality in 2012. Some have supported the identification of a distinct phenomenon of "LGBTQ+ hip hop" as an important tool for promoting LGBTQ+ visibility in popular music, while others have criticized it for essentially ghettoizing their music as a "niche" interest that circumscribed their appeal to mainstream music fans. Īrtists who have been labelled as part of the genre have, however, varied in their acceptance of the terminology. Rather, the terms are defined by a direct engagement with LGBT culture in elements such as the lyrical themes or the artist's visual identity and presentation. These subgenre labels are not marked by any specific production style, as artists within it may simultaneously be associated with virtually any other subgenre of hip hop, or may also make music that falls outside the subgenre entirely. Labels such as homo hop or queer hip hop group all artists identifying as members of the LGBTQ+ community into a subgenre of hip hop based solely on their sexuality.
However, since the early 2000s there has been a flourishing community of LGBTQ+ hip hop artists, activists, and performers breaking barriers in the mainstream music industry.
Slang that uses homosexuality as a punchline such as "sus", " no homo", and "pause" can be heard in hip hop lyrics from some of the industry's biggest artists. Attitudes towards homosexuality in hip hop culture have historically been negative. Hip hop has long been portrayed as one of the least LGBT-friendly genres of music, with a significant body of the genre containing homophobic views and anti-gay lyrics, with mainstream artists such as Eminem and Tyler, the Creator having used homophobia in their lyrics. LGBT representations in hip hop music have existed since the birth of the genre despite blatant discrimination. West Coast hip hop, queer theory, third wave feminism, pop-rap, bounce music