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Rather, he did so to combat LGBTQ discrimination on a larger scale. Nas then explained that he wasn’t “forced” to come out. However, I believe that Lil Nas X, rather intentionally or not, is opening doors for people to fully express their identities.But before Nas could answer, Hart interrupted him. The heterosexist and homophobic comments that he's receiving should give us an idea of the everyday violence that LGBTQ+ people experience from people fighting to maintain a heteronormative culture from which they benefit.Īs a straight cis-male who grew up in the popular cultural that reinforced the heterosexist idea that my sexuality is superior, I cannot speak through the lens of LGBTQ+ people.
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Even if it seems like he's taking it in a lighthearted, humorous fashion, the oppressive and violent backlash that he has received is not normal.Īlso: After teasing panini collaboration, Lil Nas X and Gordon Ramsay get cooking Outside of his music, Young Thug is a respected hip-hop artist known for his appreciation (or appropriation) of queer culture, despite the idea that hip-hop and the black community uniquely have a homophobia problem.Īctual black openly gay artists, specifically successful black cis-men, like Frank Ocean and Tyler the Creator, and now Lil Nas X, have seen the increasing support for their sexuality within the black music community, however the backlash and violence still exist.įor simply existing as a highly influential queer artist in heterosexist society, mutually reinforced by its music industry, is a much-needed threat to the status quo. However, let's note that he is far from the first to break out of the box, in fact he credits another Atlanta artist, Young Thug, for pioneering the country trap genre.
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So when a young, black musician from Atlanta, a city known for its hip-hop scene, has a highly successful country hit, it rightfully deserves our attention. Of course Billboard said the decision had nothing to do with race - maybe because they have black friends - but should we not look into how Billboard and the music industry have historically contributed to racial barriers in music genres that Lil Nas X is seemingly breaking down?īarriers and stereotypical charts, like "Race Records" and its successor "Hot R&B/Hip Hop," have historically restricted black artists and listeners to a box and reinforced the racist idea that black music was made for and by black people, and white music was made for and by white people. Read this: Oppression of LGBTQ people of color hurts the foundation of Pride Month Related: Learning about our black and Latinx LGBTQ+ history necessary for survival The controversy surrounding the decision led to conversations examining the relationship between race and music genres. Yet, the song which can be argued to not even be a rap song remained on their R&B/Hip-Hop charts, where it has dominated for the last 17 weeks. The folks at Billboard determined that the country trap song, a sub-genre of country rap, wasn't country enough. Not only has his music and internet personality captivated millions of people across the country, his recent coming-out has also sparked much needed conversations around race, music and identity.īefore his sexuality made headlines, Lil Nas X attracted national attention when Billboard decided to remove "Old Town Road" from its country charts as it was rising to the top. The song is catchy enough to rile up an entire school of elementary kids and even inspire a mostly nonverbal autistic child to sing the lyrics. The massive impact that his extremely successful hit "Old Town Road" has on popular culture is undeniable. Lil Nas X, the gay, 20-year-old, black, cowboy-hat-wearing rapping rock star with the hottest song in the world, is important because he's changing that narrative. More: Lil Nas X on backlash after coming out as gay: 'Oh, I'm already getting it'Ī couple of days ago, on the 4th of July, 27-year-old Michael Paul Adams slit Elijah Al-Amin's throat stating that "anyone who listens to rap music is a threat to the whole community."