Is hip-hop ready for the rise of the queer rapper?

With its masculine posturing and aggressive lyrics, mainstream hip-hop has rarely been welcoming of homosexuality, whether it was the lyrics of Eminem in the early 00s or past proclamations by the likes of The Game and others.

   On the heels of Frank Ocean addressing widespread rumours about his sexual orientation, it appears new waves of fearless young rappers are claiming their space in the world of hip-hop that has always been notorious for its homophobic and sexist constructions. Even in a scene where domestic violence and sizzurp- sipping receive the ‘Only god can judge me’ excuse, it appears boy-on-boy action is the only taboo left in hip-hop leaving us with the question is homophobia in hip-hop at a tipping point?

­Well 2012 seems to be the year of change full of New York gay rappers who are stepping out and sticking two manicured fingers up to the notion that hip-hop has no room for them.  This year has seen forward-thinking mainstream rappers like Frank Ocean, A$AP rocky and Nicki Minaj create a fertile soil for these self-coined “queer rappers” who have the talent to match the hype.

    If you’ve flicked through the pages of Vogue recently you’ll of come across Zebra Katz and in case you haven’t, he’s the butch rapper who emerged blinking from the New York underground on the bright lights of Rick Owens fashion show in Paris.  His single Ima read has created a bit of a buzz with its menacing minimal and bass-heavy chant that has become the queer raps crossover hit.  First listen Ima read sounds like a pro-education anthem but a closer look reveals it’s so much more than ‘reading’ but the art of sophisticated insulting that is massive in the underground ball culture. Ojay Morgan the man behind Zebra Katz grew up in these balls that flourished mainly during the 1980s, the scene and its eccentric styles were captured beautifully in the documentary ‘Paris is burning’, a big influence on Madonna, a world that created refuge for the most disenfranchised of minorities. 

 Another rapper to emerge from the ball culture is gender-bending Mykki Blanco who has barged onto the hip-hop scene after spending two years gestating his gender-fluid mc in New York’s gallery scene. Blanco channelled his newfound creative flow into making club-focused hip-hop tracks that are chock-full of tongue in cheek put-downs that would give Azealia banks a run for her money.

 The sky’s the limit in a culture that doesn’t fear failure because it’s not aiming for mainstream success. It appears the ball scene and its offsprings will carry on doing what they’re doing, whether the world is watching or not. It’s just a question of whether mainstream hip-hop is ready to adapt to the massive influence of queer rap on their universe.