Kanye West Calls for End to Gay Bashing

[synthesis]

http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/music/article.a...9990004&cid=918 (http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/music/article.adp?id=20050818124809990004&cid=918)

Kanye West Calls for End to Gay Bashing

NEW YORK (August 18) - Kanye West says "gay" has become an antonym to hip-hop - and that it needs to be stopped.

During an interview for an MTV special, the 27-year-old rapper launched into a discussion about hip-hop and homosexuality while talking about "Hey Mama," a song on his upcoming album, "Late Registration."

West says that when he was young, people would call him a "mama's boy."

"And what happened was, it made me kind of homophobic, 'cause it's like I would go back and question myself," West says on the show, "All Eyes on Kanye West," set to air Thursday night (10:30 p.m. ET).

West says he changed his ways, though, when he learned one of his cousins was gay.

"It was kind of like a turning point when I was like, `Yo, this is my cousin. I love him and I've been discriminating against gays."'

West says hip-hop was always about "speaking your mind and about breaking down barriers, but everyone in hip-hop discriminates against gay people." He adds that in slang, gay is "the opposite, the exact opposite word of hip-hop."

Kanye's message: "Not just hip-hop, but America just discriminates. And I wanna just, to come on TV and just tell my rappers, just tell my friends, `Yo, stop it."'

West, whose debut disc "The College Dropout" won a Grammy for best rap album, will see his second record in stores on Aug. 30.

[Hampton]

It's a nice sentiment, and while I agree with him, I don't think it will do anything unfortunately. From what I've seen on other forums, people just assume that he is gay for saying what he said.

Also, his new album leaked a day or two ago. Pretty dope.

[synthesis]

This article may not seem very remarkable to the average member of Revolutionary Left, but this is a pretty important moment in the history of the ideology of hip-hop.

I hate to make generalizations, but it would be hard to disagree with someone saying that the majority of the hip-hop community (often microcosmic of the larger community) is pretty definitively homophobic, with most artists harboring prejudice ranging from the mild disgust of 50 Cent to the militant, unabashed hate of artists like Jamaican-born Bushwick Bill of the legendary Geto Boyz.

For Kanye West to make a statement like this is pretty revolutionary, especially when he was the only hip-hop artist to even think about releasing a song like "Jesus Walks" as a major single.

[BitchBrew]

Very good initiative, although I'm not sure it will have much effect.

I usually don't like he's lyricks, mostly because it's so fuckin religous, but I gues he has good intentious. But it seems to me that he's verry active like within the main stream hip hop sceen of America, which in my oppinion is just capitalist sexistick shit.

[synthesis]

Originally posted by [email protected] 19 2005, 11:37 AM
Also, his new album leaked a day or two ago. Pretty dope.
How does it compare to College Dropout?

[Eastside Revolt]

I'm not a big Kanye fan. For similar reasons that I've been listening to KRS less lately. Too much godbable. :P

However they both seem to represent (in some ways anyhow) a more progressive side to Hip Hop culture. They both condemn two of the things that bother me more about Hip Hop than all the god/organized religion = freedom rhetoric, and that's: Homophobia, and xenophobia.

Now I just wish Kanye would break away from rockafella. :D

[Urban Rubble]

Well, I pretty much agree with Hampton, I don't think that the effect of this will be more along the lines of "Well, Kanye and his pink polo shirts must be gay" rather than "Maybe I should re-consider my own stance".

But at the same time, I do see it as a pretty dramatic step in the right direction. Regardless of what you think about the guy, the fact is that he's big right now, and big means influential.

[Hampton]

I hate to make generalizations, but it would be hard to disagree with someone saying that the majority of the hip-hop community (often microcosmic of the larger community) is pretty definitively homophobic, with most artists harboring prejudice ranging from the mild disgust of 50 Cent to the militant, unabashed hate of artists like Jamaican-born Bushwick Bill of the legendary Geto Boyz.

I think this is sad but true. Even after it came out that 50's mom was a lesbian he still said he disliked to hang around gay people. His macho posturing seems to know no bounds as is the case with many rappers. Kanye is a step in the right direction, I'm just not sure how many people will be willing to follow him.

[Dr. Rosenpenis]

I'm glad he included the bit about all of American (and Western, and probably global) society discriminating against gays. It's definitely not only the hip-hop scene. They get blamed for too much as it is.

Cool stuff. I'll try to pick up his album.

[Nothing Human Is Alien]

He's not revolutionary at all..

And he's not the "first" rapper to denounce this, just the first to do it on MTV.. mostly because most of the others who denounce it don't get played on MTV!!

check out Paris, Dead Prez, Sun R.A., etc..

[BitchBrew]

Originally posted by [email protected] 19 2005, 11:27 PM
He's not revolutionary at all..

And he's not the "first" rapper to denounce this, just the first to do it on MTV.. mostly because most of the others who denounce it don't get played on MTV!!

check out Paris, Dead Prez, Sun R.A., etc..
WORD!

[Ian]

Why's your name *****brew?


I doubt Kanye West will get dissed for this, he's worked with so many people that anyone who did diss him would be a bit of a nobody

[Ian]

Plus he's not the sort of artist to be on the receiving end of a 'diss track'

[synthesis]

He's not revolutionary at all..

Kanye is not revolutionary. His statement is quite revolutionary if you have some concept of the climate it comes from.


And he's not the "first" rapper to denounce this, just the first to do it on MTV.. mostly because most of the others who denounce it don't get played on MTV!!

check out Paris, Dead Prez, Sun R.A., etc..

I hate to say it, but those artists have little-to-no ideological influence in the hip-hop community. The only people who take what they say seriously are the people who already agree with it; they're preaching to the choir.

And while they certainly make great songs, the entirety of, say, Revolutionary Vol. 2 or Bush Killa will never have an inkling of the ability to sway minds as a single pop song with radio like "Mosh" or "Why" - again, sad but true.


I doubt Kanye West will get dissed for this, he's worked with so many people that anyone who did diss him would be a bit of a nobody

That's true in a sense. Kanye certainly has the clout right now to make a controversial statement like this; his presence behind the mixing board virtually guarantees a Top Ten single.

The problem is the subject matter. Homosexuals are the last group most anyone in mainstream hip-hop wants to be caught actively defending; thus, defense of Kanye from the community will likely omit the topic at hand and take the form of defending Kanye as an individual, but not his opinions.

[Anti-establishment]

Originally posted by [email protected] 19 2005, 07:16 PM
Now I just wish Kanye would break away from rockafella. :D
As do I, but the Roc's more or less anyhoo.

[BitchBrew]

Originally posted by [email protected] 20 2005, 12:41 AM
Why's your name *****brew?



Well, I'm verry mixed in my political Ideas and my lifestile, so I got inspired by the title of Miles Davis album *****es Brew, because it's a "*****ie brew" of diffrent musical influenses. I would say that my lifestile and intrests could be called a "*****ie brew".

[Nothing Human Is Alien]

@ DyerMaker "When one finds himself on the side of the majority in America, one needs to reflect on his possition" - Mark Twain

[guerillablack]

They bleeped out white man and white girl in both his songs and he rather address homosexuals then white people censoring his music? The censorship of his songs has been in discussion and if he woulda came on air to argue it, man, that would've been phenomonal. Instead he wants to end the call for gay bashing. I disagree in slang gay is opposite of hiphop gay is opposite of "straight" or alright. An usually has a hint of "gayness"

John:"How was the play"
Billy: "It was okay" or "It was straight"
John" How was play"
Bob: "It was horribly waccck" "Shit was gay

All falls Down
Drug dealer buy Jordans, crackhead buy crack
And a white man get paid off of all of that
Gold Digger

But you stay right girl
But when you get on he leave yo ass for a white girl

It's a myth that the hiphop community or black community is more homophobic than other communities.

[bunk]

Kanye grew up in a middle class area, i think he has influence in some of the mainstream but on the large he's not tuning in with how things are.