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Frank Ocean Just Came Out: Will the Rap Community Embrace a Gay Star?

SodaHead Celebs 2012/07/05 16:00:00
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First there was Anderson Cooper. Now, it’s Frank Ocean’s turn to step out of the closet and admit his sexuality to the world. But what makes Frank’s disclosure particularly powerful is that he is one of the first rap artists to do so. Is the member of the rap group Odd Future taking a big risk putting himself out there into unchartered territory?



It is fitting that Ocean revealed his true self on Independence Day and in his statement he said, “I feel like a free man." It remains to be seen if his fans and fellow artists will embrace his courage or turn their backs on him. In the Twittersphere, some celebs have already stepped up and supported Ocean. His fellow Odd Future band mate Tyler the Creator tweeted, "My Big Brother Finally *** Did That. Proud Of That *** Cause I Know That *** Is Difficult Or Whatever." Solange Knowles’ tweet said simply, “I salute you, brave soul. Independence Day.” And Chely Wright, the first lesbian to come out in country music, said, “I can't think of a better way for Frank to celebrate Independence Day. It's spectacular."

But will the big boys of the hip hop world step up for Frank? Only time will tell. It will also take a few weeks to find out the repercussions on record sales when his debut solo album “Channel Orange” hits the streets. With love songs that use the pronoun “him,” will his fans take offense or will they push through the homophobia and start a new era in the genre? What do you think: Will the rap community embrace a gay star?
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Top Opinion

  • Joey 2012/07/05 17:32:48
    No
    Joey
    +19
    He raps about life .. and things besides hoes and money . His gayness is not the issue . It is his message.

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  • Curious... Redneck 2012/07/06 06:36:39
    Curious George
    +1
    agreed, i live in L.A. also and most of the black dudes i have known couldn't stand gays. plus since most rappers have to be "real" and "hard core" to get any respect...... in the end sucking a dick just doesn't seem to appeal to most men in general.
  • Redneck Curious... 2012/07/06 13:21:36
    Redneck
    +1
    it doesn't have anything to do with not being able to stand gays. I can associate with them just fine as long as they keep their personal activities personal. many people think about black people as being socially liberal and addicted to welfare, but that actually not true. We just hear about the ones who are. Most black people I know would rather live in adject povety than accept welfare, but I live in a rural area.
  • robbt1 Skye 2012/07/06 17:35:12
    robbt1
    +1
    Allow me to interject: based on the fact your Mom is gay, and the fact you live in LA, things are a bit more socially liberal in your part of the world. Black culture as a whole is pretty homophobic; there have been studies and such on the subject. The shunning of homosexual behavior has created something known as the "down-low" lifestyle, where many black men around the country pretend to be straight, get wives and kids even, while secretly having sex with other men rather than outright admitting to homosexuality. I'm pretty okay with homosexuality, but you should see how visibly uncomfortable anything homosexual makes my black friends. And before you start on the "But you're from Alabama!" thing: I've got black friends from New York, Ohio, Virginia, and pretty much every state of the union, and they all react the same way.
  • zcberry robbt1 2012/07/06 20:54:46
    zcberry
    Please do not waste any words talking to her she does not have a clue, she's young give her a couple of years! LOL!!!
  • Dallas ... zcberry 2012/07/09 00:01:51 (edited)
    Dallas Newton
    What does youth have to do with one's reality? She's speaking her reality like you are trying to speak yours. Personally, I think if the "homophobic" Black community can accept the whole sale degradation of Black women by rappers; They should have no problem with gays whom they do not have to associate with.
  • zcberry Dallas ... 2012/07/09 00:04:34
    zcberry
    Are you talking to me? LOL!!!!! Please .......you are a joke!!! ROTFLOL!!!!
  • Dallas ... zcberry 2012/07/09 13:56:18 (edited)
    Dallas Newton
    Dah!!! Yes! Don't want to talk about THAT. i thought so. The jokes on you. Rappers are just as darkskinned phobic, nappy headed phobic as they are homophobic. Lil Wayne is so threatened by darkskinned "hos" and "bitches" with nappy hair, he won't allow them on his set.
  • zcberry Dallas ... 2012/07/10 00:43:13
    zcberry
    What in the hell are talking about!!! MAKE SOME SENSE!!!
  • Dallas ... zcberry 2012/07/10 09:53:17
    Dallas Newton
    What I'm talking about is that these so-called homophobic Black people need to clean up their own self-hating issues before they proclaim their self-righteous hatred toward another group of people. If you listen to rap don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about. They degrade Black women. If this doesn't make sense to you, start reading the conversation about Lil Wayne hating Black women. Check out the types of women rappers choose to be with.
  • Dallas ... Redneck 2012/07/09 14:14:05
    Dallas Newton
    What are they conserving?
  • Redneck Dallas ... 2012/07/11 00:05:51
    Redneck
    Wildlife. :)
  • NYYankees 2012/07/06 02:40:19
    Yes
    NYYankees
    +1
    who cares... if his music is good i'll listen whether he's gay or not
  • CS9 2012/07/06 02:25:22
    No
    CS9
    +1
    You people are idiots. No, the *mainstream* hip hop community won't embrace a gay rapper...but, Frank Ocean is a SINGER...

    Shut up.
  • robbt1 CS9 2012/07/06 17:43:44
    robbt1
    +1
    He's also with Odd Future, which is mainly considered to have a hipster fan-base, so those people will most likely be okay with it.

    Normally, calling a singer a rapper annoys me more than you can believe, but since Frankie is part of a mostly rap group I let them get away with it.
  • Kigan 2012/07/06 02:18:11
    Yes
    Kigan
    I'm probably being over-optimistic, but it's possible.

    I'm also getting a serious sense of deja vu...like this question has already been asked about at least one other rapper.
  • shay:) 2012/07/06 02:04:19
    No
    shay:)
    +1
    As much as i want to say yes, I honestly don't think the rap community will. Altho his sexually shouldn't influence anything
  • Matt Gray 2012/07/06 01:55:54
    Yes
    Matt Gray
    Why not?
  • tobe 2012/07/06 01:43:23
    No
    tobe
    +5
    With the amount of aggression and over the top testosterone I see in the rap community, i think he's gonna have a hard time. I hope the best for the guy, I really do. I don't like rap but i am supporter of gay rights and happiness.
  • retrograve 2012/07/06 01:38:37
    Yes
    retrograve
    Yeah eventually. Thinks are gradually changing to be more accepting of them. I still barely know who the hell Frank Ocean is though.
  • Shadow_Wolf 2012/07/06 01:33:05
    No
    Shadow_Wolf
    Oh wait I didn't know it was Frank Ocean. I pretty sure everyone will accept him, but see how my opinion changed when I realized it was an awesome artist. I feel like a hypocrite.
  • Krystle 2012/07/06 01:25:17
    Yes
    Krystle
    Yea. As long as his music is good who cares who he prefers to have relations with? I don't.
  • Z-Wolf 2012/07/06 01:16:21
    No
    Z-Wolf
    +2
    That doesn't mean people won't. But the rap community as a whole has never been that gay friendly.
    gangstalicious gif
  • retrograve Z-Wolf 2012/07/06 01:39:31
    retrograve
    "Homies over hos!" lol.
  • gregaj7 2012/07/06 01:05:50
    Yes
    gregaj7
    They probably will. I won't.
  • Justin Teufel Hunden 2012/07/06 01:03:54
    Yes
    Justin Teufel Hunden
    Jay-Z rapped before Obummer spoke... So connections with music industry are made that go beyond. Now Barry is Pro-homosexuality and other so called 'artists' will support a gay rapper because it's the new thing to do. I think it's hilarious. I'd love to hear him spit words from his mouth about pleasing his partner! Lol I wouldn't listen long, but long enough to giggle at the crap our society has become. Don't start/reply with justifying and giving 2 thumbs up. Ancient homosexuality was mainly a control factor to keep the young controlled and boost the egos of the ones with higher billet. Ancient Greece -
    Pederasty. Ancient Rome - Acceptable male partners were slaves or prostitutes. Giving/penetrating was acceptable; being a receiver was not. This is typical knowledge to be found easily. Wikipedia, which I do not respect much, will show the same and be one of the first to pop-up when using search engine for ancient homosexuality. Population control. I encourage gays to keep being gay - Darwin's theory needs to speed up! Lol
  • jake 2012/07/06 00:40:08
  • mae 2012/07/06 00:36:24
    Yes
    mae
    Yes, with reservations. Queen Latifa, Missy Elliott, a few other Rappers have left us wondering by illuding to LGBT leanings, and relationships, then making statements later that prior statements were misquotes, or simply not true. How the Rap community actually deals wih this info from Frank Ocean isn't clear and it's too early to say...The Gay community will definitely support him.
  • Nekosarethebest 2012/07/06 00:24:43
    Yes
    Nekosarethebest
    That would be nice. There are actually many gay and lesbian rappers, but they aren't mainstream. I don't like rap much, but my friend was looking at a lesbian rapper on some website.
  • SOUL4REAL 2012/07/05 23:26:56
    Yes
    SOUL4REAL
    +2
    If the young man music is good,why worry about his sexual perference? That's his business maybe if those of them who's worry about his sexual perference had a life of their own, they wouldn't be worried about this young man life. Do something constructive and get a life!!
  • Jake Blanton 2012/07/05 23:12:29
    Yes
    Jake Blanton
    +3
    Of course they will... That's why they have their pants hanging down off their asses...
  • Julian 2012/07/05 23:07:01 (edited)
    Yes
    Julian
    +3
    I don't know. When I saw this question the thought crossed my mind 'what if 2 Live Crew had been gay?' Oh man, that would have been disturbing.

  • Justin ... Julian 2012/07/06 01:07:43
  • realist 2012/07/05 22:51:56
    No
    realist
    +2
    Can we stop talking about this like its an issue. Why should a demography of people who have carved their own style and ideologies out of history be required to change that to accommodate another demography of people who don't fit that style and ideology?

    Rappers physically and verbally abuse each other all the time. Mark my words, now there is a gay rapper wanting to 'break into' the scene, more will come. Not because more were there but because they now know 'gay rapper' is NEW and controversial, so money will follow easier for them. Agencies will snap the few of them up willing to give it a crack and promote them, the media will run stupid voting polls like this.

    Then one day, one will get abused verbally by another rapper on their song, or punched in a club. NO different then what happens today. But he will be openly gay, and the world will assume it was a hate crime.

    And downward we spiral...
  • KeeganTheAwesome 2012/07/05 22:42:56
    No
    KeeganTheAwesome
    +2
    I wish there was a "middle ground" option, because there are people who don't care, and then there are those who do. No community is ever united on one issue in politics.
  • Shouldhavebeenborninthe70s 2012/07/05 22:19:56
    Yes
    Shouldhavebeenborninthe70s
    dont see why not
  • robbt1 Shouldh... 2012/07/06 17:47:03
    robbt1
    +1
    Because the black culture in general and the rap culture in particular are pretty highly homophobic.
  • Dallas ... robbt1 2012/07/06 18:34:40
    Dallas Newton
    Does it rise to the level of their hatred for women; oops! I mean "hos" and "bitches".
  • robbt1 Dallas ... 2012/07/06 20:37:39
    robbt1
    Worse. Far worse. Being called a f**got is some sh*t people get killed over in broad daylight.
  • Dallas ... robbt1 2012/07/08 15:12:12 (edited)
    Dallas Newton
    Correction. I've never heard of Blacks killing from being called a "f**got". And if they kill over a word, it means someone got too close to home. But they do seem to regularly kill each other like a bunch of retards, in broad daylight. Ever heard of "Black on Black" genocide?
  • robbt1 Dallas ... 2012/07/08 17:38:28
    robbt1
    Yep.. It's pretty damn stupid.

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