Homophobia In Hip Hop

Man, cats don't know what it's gonna be/

Fucking with a nigga like me, D-to-the-M-to-the-X/

Last I heard, ya'll niggas was havin sex, with the same sex/

I show no love, to homo thugs/

Empty out, reloaded and throw more slugs/

How you gonna explain fucking a man?/

Even if we squashed the beef, I ain't touching ya hand.

DMX - Where The Hood At (2003)

On May 9th 2012, President Obama confirmed his belief that same sex couples should be able to get married. Though this is seen as a risky political move, Obama has received some unlikely support from Jay Z: 

"I've always thought it as something (the ban on gay marriage) that was still holding the country back. What people do in their own homes is their business and you can choose to love whoever you love. That's their business. It's no different than discriminating against blacks. It's discrimination plain and simple." (Jay Z)

Such a bold statement from a hip hop heavyweight is at odds with a genre of music that has traditionally attacked and avoided homosexual relationships, particularly between men. Wu Tang member Raekwon described his disgust towards gay culture in a 2009 radio interview: 

"My mouth is too small to suck a d*ck," Raekwon added. "How the f*ck do you convert over to do some sh*t like that? How do motherf*ckers get into that sh*t? The males? The females, they gonna do what they do. I ain't gonna front, I can't stand f*cking h*mos. That sh*t is just f*cking disgusting. They can never holla at me. Get the f*ck away from me, immediately."  (Raekwon)

Such views, unfortunately, are prevalent within the hip hop community. The DMX lyrics quoted above were taken from 2003 album Grand Champ, a record that debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 200, and the song itself was released as a single. Around 2004 Harlem native Cam'ron popularised the phrase 'No Homo' to justify the use of 'suspect' phrases while asserting that the speaker is a heterosexual. Though these events were nearly ten years ago, the attitudes expressed can still be found in much of the fan base of mainstream hip hop. In 2011, XXL Freshman Lil B received death threats when he announced a new LP titled I'm Gay. The record sold terribly, though that could be down to  factors such as the project being available for free for a short while and lukewarm critical response, rather than outright homophobia (Lil B is straight, though has pledged his support for GLAAD).

The picture however, could be slowly changing. Popular figures such as Kanye West have publicly spoken out about their previous homophobia, and how they now accept the gay community. N.O.R.E confirmed in 2009 that he is aware he has worked with gay rappers, and he has no real issue with this, while rappers such as Eminem, Juelz Santana, Game and Tyga have either defended the homosexual community, or apologised for homophobic slurs/musical content.

Perhaps the most heartening response, however, is from rap newcomer A$AP Rocky. Discussing his previous homophobia, he confirmed to Pitchfork that he now has a different outlook: 

"I'm going to be honest with you-- I used to be homophobic, but that's f*cked up. I had to look in the mirror and say, "All the designers I'm wearing are gay." I hear stories about all these industry motherf*ckers who are gay, and I don't know if it's true or not, but that sh*t don't matter. It's so immature." (A$AP Rocky)

A statement like this gives rise to the hope that the new generation of rappers is becoming more tolerant and accepting, something that ideally will be reflected in the new music being produced. It is elder hip hop statesmen such as Jay Z, however, that have a responsibility to lead the way in changing attitudes. His support of Obama's policy is a strong start.

Vado and A$AP Rocky: Putting New York Back On The Map?

It has long been lamented that New York has fallen from the position of dominance that it once held over the rap industry. Gone are the days where the city spawned multi-platinum singles and albums by the bucketload as other regions have begun to assert their dominance. If we look at some of the top selling rappers in the game (excluding Jay Z), there is a distinct lack of New York artistry:

Eminem - Detroit

Lil Wayne - New Orleans

Drake - Toronto 

Rick Ross - Miami
Kanye West - Chicago

Similarly, New York is conspicuously absent in the birthplaces of new artists breaking through:

Wiz Khalifa and Mac Miller - Pittsburgh

Wale - Washington

J Cole - North Carolina

Yelawolf - Alabama

Though it is an obvious cause for celebration that hip hop now has a range of diverse talent, it is an alarming state of affairs that the self proclaimed birthplace of rap has no obvious standard bearers to carry forward the new generation. 

In 2009 Harlem rapper Vado released his debut mixtape Boss Of All Bosses alongside mentor Cam'ron. Slime Flu followed as his first release as a solo artist, the project being well received in rap circles. Closely associated with the Dipset movement, Vado is similar in style to group leader Cam'ron. Though not quite blessed with the same charisma on the mic, the rapper is more lyrical than the majority of his Dipset brethren, comparisons can be made with New York stalwart Fabolous. Retail album Gunz n' Butta was released in April 2011, again with Cam'ron. The project was both a commercial and critical failure, attracting very little attention in terms of acclaim or sales. Perhaps with this is mind, Vado brought out sequel mixtape Slime Flu 2 without a single verse from his frequent collaborator. As he explained in an interview with HipHopDX: “Shout out to Cam but a lot of people always say ‘Yo, all your songs is with Cam. You do everything with Cam.’ So I’m branching off doing my thing. So he letting me fly. It was something we both said ‘Yo, it’s time to do.’ Once I got signed it was time to start showing I’m my own man.”

The new mixtape has received a largely positive response, the rapper branching out into non-Dipset features with Fabolous on 'Ok Y'all' and Raekwon on 'Bed Piss'. The journey to success is by no means over for the Harlem born MC, but his progress is being watched closely in New York rap circles.

Hailing from the same area of New York, overnight success A$AP Rocky was recently the subject of a rumoured $3 million deal with Sony/RCA. As he explained to Billboard Magazine: "I don't have a $3 million dollar balance in my account but the record deal was $3 million though. I got a deal with RCA/Polo Grounds for A$AP Worldwide and I got a deal with them for my solo project, my solo deal; if you combine both deals it amounts to a three million dollar deal." The A$AP Worldwide group referred to concerns the ASAP (Always Strive And Prosper) crew the rapper is currently a member of. Comprising of rappers, producers and designers such as ASAP Dee Ferg, ASAP Ty, ASAP Nast, and ASAP Twelvyy. The movement is similar to Odd Future in that the charismatic front man opens doors for the rest of the team. 

Youtube hits 'Peso' and 'Purple Swag' showcase why the rapper has garnered so much attention for his mixtape Live.Love.ASAP. Contrary to the traditional New York hip hop, the collection of tracks is much more Southern oriented in terms of sound. The beats are dripping, promethazine laced and bass heavy while the lyrics use simple, spaced out rhyme schemes much closer to the Dirty South template. In addition to success with his new label, the rapper has been nominated for the BBC's Sound of 2012 poll, demonstrating how he is also receiving attention from across the pond.

It remains to be seen if Vado and A$AP have the staying power to become fixtures in the legendary New York rap lexicon. 2012 is a huge year for both.

Vado - Slime Flu 2

A$AP Rocky - Live.Love.A$AP

Is Hip Hop Dead?

The early 2000's were the golden years for Hip Hop in terms of albums sales. Even the most depressingly average MC's could virtually guarantee a gold plaque (500,000) with every release. Fast forward to 2007, and sales were rapidly declining. For the first time in 12 years there was no rap album in the American top ten best sellers of the year. Sales of music in general suffered due to the recession, but hip hop was hit particularly hard. The ceaseless mantra of 'bitches, money and hoes' was growing increasingly stale as the gangsta rap market became saturated with cheap imitations. Consumers were crying out for something different.
The last 2 years, however, has seen a resurgence of quality music from a litany of new MC's. First up was Wiz Khalifa, fuelled by his mega hit 'Black and Yellow' and a huge underground buzz for his mixtapes. Rolling Papers sold 197,000 in its first week of release, eventually receiving gold certification. Hot on the heels of his success were standout projects Section 80 from Kendrick Lamar and Follow Me Home by Jay Rock. Though not commercially successful, the two albums displayed the wealth of young talent lurking just below the surface of mainstream hip hop.
After numerous delays, September saw J Cole finally drop his highly anticipated Cole World. Selling over 200,000 in its first week, the figures were particularly impressive as there was no particularly popular single to promote the album on the airwaves. Similarly, Wale received a remarkable career boost by signing onto Maybach Music. Compilation album We Are Maybach Music was well received, along with fellow freshmen Pill and Meek Mill, but the sales figures for sophomore project Ambition were truly remarkable. Over 160,000 units were moved in the week of release, compared to the 28,000 sold of 2008's debut Attention Deficit. Again, Ambition had no substantial single to promote. Love him or hate him, Drake is setting the standard for the rap/r&b hybrid, Take Care awarded a gold plaque within a week.

The success story of the year so far has been Mac Miller's Blue Slide Park. Despite being released on an independent label, the album debuted at number 1 on the Billboard Chart with 144,000 sold. Without substantial promotion, the rapper relied on engaging with his large internet following to great effect.
Though these figures are unimpressive when compared to the multi-platinum albums of the first half of the last decade, or indeed against continuing superstars such as Eminem, Jay Z and Lil Wayne, placing them alongside recent work from established stars is worthwhile.

50 Cent- Before I Self Destruct 160,000 (2009)
Rick Ross - Teflon Don 176,000 (2010)
T.I - No Mercy 159,000 (2010)
Game - The R.E.D Album 98,000 (2011)

Taking these figures into account, it suggests that hip hop is certainly working on a reduced scale. This is not to say, however, that the quality of music is declining. The state of the music industry is forcing labels to go look for other ways to promote their product, the creation of twitter becoming an increasingly dominant force in the hip hop world. A 'back to basics' approach, with an increased focus on creating quality free mixtapes to build a large following has yielded excellent results for artists such as Drake, Mac Miller and Wiz Khalifa. The new generation is now in a position to stand alongside the big hitters in the rap industry, with newcomers such as A$AP Rocky, Vado and Childish Gambino hot on their heels. Particularly exciting is the wide range of styles coming through the ranks. The introspection of J Cole, for example, is a world apart from the jaunty 'backpack' rap of Mac Miller.
Taking all this into account, it is clear that hip hop isn't dead. It's just smaller.