Perhaps his attitude to women hasn’t changed so radically. What about homosexuality? “I don’t have a problem with gay people. I got some gay homies.” He looks round the room and laughs. “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.”
He recently spoke out in support of gay marriage in America. Does he think that Frank Ocean coming out is a sign of progress in the rap world? “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 motherfucking tough-ass dudes, then all of a sudden say, ‘Hey, man, I like you.’ You know, that’s going to be tough.”
Thoughts on Snoop’s take? It’s worth noting that the NFL in particular has struggled with this issue.
Report: Chris Brown allegedly brawls with Frank Ocean
Authorities are investigating allegations that Grammy-winning singer Chris Brown assaulted a man in a West Hollywood parking lot.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department says deputies responded to a report Sunday night of six men fighting.
The department says the altercation, reportedly over a parking space, “allegedly led to Chris Brown punching the victim.”
The “victim” wasn’t identified but the celebrity website TMZ, which first reported the incident, says the fight also involved Frank Ocean, a nominee in the upcoming Grammy Awards. He later tweeted that he “got jumped by (Brown) and a couple guys.”
Photo: File photo of Chris Brown (Kevin Winter / Getty Images file)
Doesn’t Chris Brown have handlers? Someone telling him that it’s a bad idea to get into fights in parking lots? Sounds like a nihilist.
Polarizing rapper Tyler, the Creator took to FormSpring last night to share his thoughts on fellow Odd Future member Frank Ocean’s recent announcement regarding his sexuality. “He told me a long time ago,” said Tyler, adding,”It was just funny cause i was getting bashed as a homophobe or whatever and I kept saying dude how am I one?” Of course, as is expected with the internet nowadays, not everybody was as supportive. Noisey saved us the effort of collecting hate-filled tweets, comedian Lil Duval probably lost a few fans thanks to comments he made, and some people still think it’s just a marketing gimmick. (photo via InFlexWeTrust; ht @RESPECTmag) source
ninja-toes asks: "He was careful, however, not to describe himself as gay." Admitting you're bisexual is not the same as being careful to avoid labeling yourself as gay. You do a disservice to the bisexual community with comments such as that, because in doing so, you reinforce the denial of a community that has to constantly fight for recognition. Bisexual erasure is a very big problem even within the gay and lesbian community, so please consider your choice of words more carefully in the future. Thank you.
» SFB says: To be clear, the post was simply rewording what the source Reuters article said: “But he did not specifically call himself gay.” If you read Frank Ocean’s letter, he didn’t label himself in any form — neither gay nor bisexual. He just said his first love was a man — a love that initially wasn’t reciprocated. You have a fair point about bisexual erasure, but on the other hand, he didn’t label himself as bisexual, and we were trying to avoid giving him a specific label, as he didn’t give himself one. Keep in mind that it’s difficult to balance concerns like these; even minor turns of phrase can be misinterpreted. — Ernie @ SFB
Today is a big day for hip-hop. It is a day that will define who we really are. How compassionate will we be? How loving can we be? How inclusive are we?Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons • Discussing R&B artist Frank Ocean’s decision to publicly reveal that his first love was a man. (He did so in a Tumblr post, posting an image that was initially intended for the record sleeve in his upcoming album, Channel Orange.) That makes him one of the few mainstream hip-hop musicians to openly discuss having a same-sex relationship. He was careful, however, not to describe himself as gay. While Simmons and fellow Odd Future cohort Tyler, the Creator (who has himself faced heat for using homophobic slurs) were quick to give Ocean credit, a quick Twitter search shows that not everyone agrees. But considering hip-hop culture once birthed the catchphrase “no homo,” this seems like a pretty big step.
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