abcking wrote:
^^ yea, GEORGIE PORGIE by A Tribe Called Quest ft BRAND NUBIAN recently got the boot out my collection for the same reason. Used to be alright with that song in my younger years... now its just ugly.
But that's a little different than a group dropping negative references to gay people here and there... also, its classic rap... people in general had a different outlook on homosexuality in the late 80's and 90's...
I can't let something so small taint some of the music I love so much. I'd like to think a lot of the people who took those jabs back then through their music have had realizations about the flaws in what they did, since. Cheers.
I think this is an important point to make. Rap is macho. Almost all of everybody's favorite rappers had homophobic content in their shit -- and I don't think that saying "I ain't down with gays" is that much different than using "gay" or "fag" as a derogatory term. The former is spelled out, the latter is implied; they both mean the same thing.
On "Dorian," from Shadows on the Sun, Brother Ali raps "Oh! Staggered him, just by tagging him / Mr. Tough Guy, one punch brings out the fag in him." Brother Ali is one of the most conscious, compassionate rappers out there, but he was a young kid once too, trying to establish his toughness and legitimacy in the game, just like everyone else. What's important isn't that you never have a negative thought about gay people in your life. Those things happen; what's important is that if somebody checks you, you listen. Intelligence is a journey.
Limbsical wrote:
It's good to hear someone significant in mainstream hiphop speak positively on gays. It's a start.
Does everyone consider what Fat Joe said to be "speaking positively on gays?" To me, what he said was, "Look, a certain percentage of the population is gay. Gay people aren't confined to certain regions or industries -- in every region, every industry, every population segment, some of those people are gay. If you're gay, just say that you're gay. Who cares what other people think? Plus, you open yourself up to accessing a very large market. Gay people have a lot of money and power. Lady Gaga is making a lot of money and garnering huge amounts of fame by openly appealing to them."
The "rep your set" notion is close to being a positive statement. It probably is ultimately positive. I just think that most of what Fat Joe said is much more matter-of-fact than, you know, philosophical or ethical.
No doubt, that is basically what I meant.
Gay is a matter of fact. Gay people exist. And Joe could give a fuck one way or the other. That is refreshing to hear. It's positive in its lack of negativity.
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