For the first time in hip hop history, multiple LGBTQIA+ artists are finding chart-topping success. While there have been gay or queer artists in hip hop in the past, never has there been a time in the genre’s history where rappers are coming forward, unapologetically, about their sexuality. Artists like Lil Nas X, Big Freedia, Taylor Bennett, Kehlani, ILoveMakonnen, 070 Shake, Saul Williams, Syd the Kid, Kevin Abstract, and depending on who you ask, Tyler, The Creator, have all openly shared their personal lives with fans. There has been an unprecedented amount of support shown to these artists, and singer Brandy is happy to see the progression.
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“I feel like love is the most important magic that we have in life, and wherever there’s love, that’s where I want to be,” she recently told The Advocate. “I feel like it’s important for everybody to feel loved and everybody to feel like they are accepted and they have a family of people, that we can all come together and be one person. I feel so positive about that. I’m thankful for that. I’m thankful for the love that we all can share together.”
“I feel like this is a great time to be yourself and to be accepted,” Brandy added of the shift that hip hop is experiencing with the visibility of LGBTQIA+ artists. “I just love that we’re all celebrating in that.” Watch Brandy chat with The Advocate in full below.
