Lil Nas X, the creator behind the viral clap "Old Town Road," came out in his fresh single "C7osure." In doing so, Lil Was X joins a list of other queer hip hop artists changing the song industry.
"Some of y'all already know, some of y'all don't care, some of y'all not gone fwm no more. but before this month ends i want y'all to heed closely to c7osure," the rapper tweeted on Sunday, the final day of Pride month.
He also tweeted artwork for the unattached which shows a building lit up in rainbow colors, writing, "deadass consideration I made it obvious," subtly indicating he's queer.
But Lil Nas X certainly isn't the only lgbtq+ hip hop artist. There aren't many, but the list grows longer year after year, changing the landscape of the song industry. Here are some of the top gender non-conforming hip hop artists you should also be listening to.
Lizzo
"When it comes to sexuality or gender, I personally don't ascribe to just one thing. I cannot sit here right now and tell you I'm just one thing," the "Juice" singer told Billboard. "That's why the colors for LGBTQ+ are a rainbow! Because there's a spectrum, and right now we try to maintain it black and alabaster . That's just not operational for me."
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By Hayley Van Allen
The Internet The Internet is composed of five clearly fantastic friends, two of whom are very openly gay: Sydney Bennett (Syd), the lead singer, and Steve Lacy, on guitar/vocals. Their harmony blurs the lines between funk, rap, and more traditional R&B. In Hive Mind, their newest album released in June 2018, Syd sings intimate affection songs backed by masterfully crafted tracks created by the rest of the band. Additionally, all the members also released solo labor in the last two years, and Syd’s album Fin is very male lover and very slept on mix of R&B, hip-hop, and soul. The Internet’s song Come Over has been nominated for two Essence Train Awards this year, and it can’t be advise it highly enough.
Recommended Songs/Music Videos: Arrive Over (video), Miss, Body, Smile More
Kehlani Kehlani’s rise to relative fame over the past several years has been well deserved. Her musical style mostly is a fuse of R&B and pop, but she has also strayed from that and made some bops. She openly identifies as queer, having said on twitter “i love adore, and that affection lies in every gender there is.” Much of the music on her most recent album, SweetSexySavage, is very s
The first week of June delivers a solid collection of Black-led releases spanning multiple generations and genres. Little Simz returns with her introspective Lotus, while Lil Wayne bids the long-awaited Tha Carter VI. Jazz fusion veterans Azymuth present their anniversary album Marca Passo, and Cypress Hill reimagines their classic Black Sunday with the London Symphony Orchestra. The week also features unused work from UK soul artist Omar, Montreal vocalist Dominique Fils-Aimé, Chicago experimentalist Ben LaMar Lgbtq+, showcasing the breadth of contemporary Inky music.
Little Simz — Lotus
North London-born Simbiatu Ajikawo, who has established herself as a respected voice in UK rap through Mercury Prize and BRIT Award recognition, returns with her sixth studio album spanning 49 minutes across 13 tracks. Released through her Forever Living Originals in partnership with AWAL, the record builds on the cinematic approach of 2022’s No Thank You while incorporating string arrangements and minimal percussion. Produced by Miles Clinton James, the album features collaborations with Sampha and Moses Sumney, with lead singles “Flood,” “Free,” and
Little Simz is in a nature of her own
We're closing off 2021 re-sharing some of our favourite pieces of the year. In July, Little Simz met Candice Carty-Williams.
When she’s not demonstrating, Little Simz likes to be the observer, not the observed.
Right now, however, she’s focused on the camera in front of her – reshaping her prolonged body with ease on the roof of artist Morag Myerscough’s colourful Hoxton studio – and is clearly feeling that all the eyes in the vacuum are on her.
She suddenly asks: ‘Can we have some song, please?’ directing the request at nobody in particular. At first it makes me wonder if the 27-year-old musician is reserved. I realise, though, as she carries on, that it’s more of a hyper-awareness that she’s being eyeballed by a community of people that’s making her uncomfortable.
‘Because I’m a performer or whatever it is, in front of the camera or on stage, people always expect me to have this edge around me,’ she tells me later. ‘That’s all they know about me, when I actually don’t.’
Always watching
I think about what I know about Little Simz. She was bo