By: Amanda Anderson-Niles
R&B singer Frank Ocean’s coming out was a major moment for the music industry. Frank decided to make the revelation on a blog before the release of his Channel Orange album, and would become a Grammy winner post coming out and being comfortable with no longer hiding his sexuality. While many were very supportive of the singer’s coming out, his nemesis Chris Brown feels he used the attention from the coming out and their beef to get his first Grammy win. In a recent interview, Chris says:
“I think it’s a lot of strategies people try to use when they’re up for awards. It’s a sympathy role. I don’t have to go that route. I just do my music, do my thing. So for him, it’s whatever. Love your music, bro. Have fun.”
Rapper Snoop Lion however feels Frank wouldn’t have been able to come out the closet if he was a rapper versus a R&B singer. Snoop tells the Guardian:
“Frank Ocean ain’t no rapper. He’s a singer. It’s acceptable in the singing world, but in the rap world I don’t know if it will ever be acceptable because rap is so masculine.
“It’s like a football team. You can’t be in a locker room full of motherf*cking tough-a*s dudes, then all of a sudden say, ‘Hey, man, I like you.’ You know, that’s going to be tough.”
Snoop also went on to say that he saw firsthand gays being abused by society and he feels their plights are closely similar to those of African-Americans:
“I don’t have a problem with gay people. I got some gay homies. Yeah, for real. People who were gay used to get beat up.
“It was cool to beat up on gay people back then. But in the 90s and 2000s, gay is a way of life. Just regular people with jobs. Now they are accepted, not classified. They just went through the same things we went through as black.”
I believe Snoop on one hand then I don’t because now you can’t say ish about gay people now or the LGBT coming for your a-s.
I really wish people would stop comparing gay issues to what blacks went through. Last time I checked they weren’t forced to sit in the back of the bus or sit on the balcony at the movie theaters because they were gay. These are two different struggles. And I would think both issues deserve their own lanes without being compared to the other. IJS.
EXACTLY!!!!!!!!!! You are absolutely right. I be saying the same thing. If someone wanted to they could suppress their sexual orientation but you can’t suppress your race. That’s the biggest difference. I am sympathetic with the discrimination but don’t compare like they are exactly like each other.
This!!!!
Whatever. You can’t wait for an industry of people to accept homosexuality. At some point, people have to get bold and just be real about who they are. If people don’t accept it, fine. But you won’t make progress standing still. But seeing how rap is full of people faking being thugs and drug dealers and they are really correction officers and suburban kids, I guess that’s asking too much.
He’s right. But maybe people need to pull a Frank Ocean in the rap industry to change things. It’s not like some of them aren’t gay anyway.
I was with him until he compared being gay to being black. No sir.
I don’t think it was easier for Frank to come out because he was a R&B singer…
Bottom line is you can’t be hardcore in the rap game if you swing on the same side. Rap music is extremely masculine. That’s why there hasn’t been a rapper who has admitted he’s gay – it just wouldn’t be cool. That’s why they stay in the closet like the Puffys etc…. It’s just not accepted in the rap world for men. Sorry.