The year-old artist who infuses pop, hip-hop and country to create his own distinguished sound, facetiously defended his shows of femininity. His responses must be praised not only for its realness but his awareness of what his art and presence signify as a queer musician in the industry today.
As queer artists especially those of colour produce heartfelt and unapologetically vulnerable tracks in the hip-hop arena, we are witnessing a reinvention of the standards for this genre. As a lover of the art form, witnessing its odyssey into a more open field where young men and women of colour, representing the LGBTQIA community can become chart-toppers and Grammy winners is both a cultural and personal feat.
Growing up in the Caribbean, hip-hop was always considered the successor of Reggae, Jamaican Ska, Rock steady and Soca. To me, hip-hop says:. It is not about me being better than you or you being better than me. No topic seems to be off-limit and no artistic decision seems to be curtailed. Encouraging listeners to not just experience harsh, sometimes unrelatable realities but portraying similar journeys so that every aficionado can see themselves represented in one facet of a larger story.
While hip-hop originated with both a socio-cultural and political function in delineating the conditions of the street, African American communities and national injustices of black and brown people; it has become a global cultural export. These topics are undeniably worthy of profound conversations, but they must not be done in insolation to other relevant intimate topics.
It is reductive to say that hip-hop has NEVER exposed fans to any kind of vulnerability from its artists. In the early 90s, s and even late s, artists did explore emotional abuse, grief, familial loss and disappointment in a way that resonated with listeners to this day. Their lyrical emotional expressions were seen as a brief respite, monetary glimpses into their glamourous, badass lives. However, his cold delivery is symbolic of the third-person narrative style where he is relaying the story but never positioning himself to feel on the track.
