“deadass thought i made it obvious” — How an admission of gay changed the game

“deadass thought i made it obvious” — How an admission of gay changed the game

Written by: J. Stokes – July 11, 2019

Social strings pull in many directions. Clip the ends to receive your blessings.

Lil Nas X, the mastermind behind “Old Town Road,” which currently sits at №1 on Billboard Hot 100 in its 13th week, shared a message with Twitter fans recently which read:

“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 listen closely to c7osure. 🌈🤩✨”

Many immediately understood his message, given the rainbow imagery displayed in addition to choice lyrics from Lil Nas X’s song “C7osure (You Like),” which read, “True say, I want and I need to let go, use my time to be free.” He later followed this by tweeting two photos, one zoomed in on rainbow imagery with a caption saying, “deadass thought i made it obvious.” With this follow-up tweet, it became clear Lil Nas X identifies as gay.

The Atlanta native disclosed his sexuality on the final day of June, today known as LGBT Pride Month. He would later say during an interview withBBC Americathat he considered keeping this secret but ultimately decided to refrain from hiding part of his identity. In the aftermath, Lil Nas X received both praise and disapproval via social media. With almost 2 million followers on Twitter and over 3.2 million via Instagram currently, his announcement spread like wildfire. Also, by marketing himself as a rapper, singer, and country artist, made apparent in his newly released EP entitled 7, Lil Nas X subjected himself to certain questions from both the urban/hip-hop community and country music industry.

Points to consider

Homophobia and homoppresion, defined by Hiebert (2016) as “using the social power of moral and legal codes to take from LGBTQI people their dignity and liberty to express themselves sexually and enjoy the fruits of their love” (Hiebert, 2016, p. 490), has been and is still visible in hip-hop culture. Nevertheless, artists including Tyler the Creator, Frank Ocean, and Young M.A, all of whom have been vocal about their homosexual/queer lives, have maintained relevancy within this community. Still, Rodriguez (2018) purported there exists a queer stereotype in Black and hip-hop communities where gays are welcomed if “they remain quiet about their sexuality and repress any effeminate behavioral characteristics” (Rodriguez, 2018, p. 232). Thus, being gay is tolerated just so long as a masculine persona — good physical strength, aggression, boldness, and heterosexual demeanor — is upheld.

Country music, on the other hand, is characterized as maintaining more rigidity over time. Whereas urban/hip-hop culture has had some semblance of homosexuality spanning several years — see “My Girl” by Young Dro, released in 2006 — it reportedly took country music until 2010 to have an openly gay musician. According to Rasmussen and Densley (2017), the genre “is thought to be representative of dominant White male heterosexist culture” (Densely, 2017, p. 191). Moreover, Hubbs (2015) stated that country music eliminates “any possibilities of sexuality beyond the hetero sphere” (p. 72). Lastly, given country music’s stereotypical appealto southerners and westerners, many of whom are more conservative in nature, it makes sense that talk of LBGTQIA+-related topics would be difficult to convey. Despite this, however, there exist several, though in the minority, country artists that have openly come out as gay.

No strings attached

Lil Nas X occupies a unique space given his race, age, and unorthodox approach to his artistry. It will be interesting to see how he navigates these multiple identities as a gay man within today’s music industry. First, as a Black individual he would typically identify with hip-hop culture due to its significance in the Black community. Partially identifying as a rapper furthers this idea. However, Lil Nas X was initially introduced to the world via “Old Town Road,” a song he classified as country though it was heavily influenced by trap music — a derivative of hip-hop. The tune originally debuted at №19 on Billboard’s Hot Country chart but was later removed in a controversial ruling, leading many to accuse mainstream country music of racism and discrimination. His EP 7 also houses arguably another country song, entitled “Rodeo.” Will Lil Nas X’s participation in multiple music genres, diametrically opposite genres to be exact, be impacted by his sexual orientation?

Though tricky, artists have successfully managed careers in both hip-hop and country music, such as rapper Nelly. Unlike Lil Nas X, however, Nelly began his career as a hip-hop artist, thereby cementing his status within that community. Gaining success based on a country song but also identifying as a rapper likely makes it difficult to find one’s place in the music industry. Therefore, it should be questioned if coming out as gay will have some added effect on mainstream appeal? Otherwise stated, how will Lil Nas X fare in the music industry as a gay man with no solid base while catering to music genres that are traditionally opposed to homosexuality?

Second, though Lil Nas X has pushed the envelope with his musical style it is uncertain if he will do the same with his lyrics. This is important to consider given hip-hop culture’s desire for artists to maintain a certain masculine persona and country music’s rigid demeanor. To be fair, country singer Kacy Musgraves in her song “Follow Your Arrow” sang, “Make lots of noise, kiss lots of boys, or kiss lots of girls if that’s something you’re into.” Thus, lyrics depicting homosexual activity has been displayed in that genre before. However, Musgraves is an attractive White woman. Would the same type of lyrics be accepted in country music by Lil Nas X? What about hip-hop? Only time will tell.

Despite hinting at LBGTQIA+ support through imagery on his EP’s cover art and lyrics within certain songs, Lil Nas X has not explicitly referenced gay behaviors or characteristics. On his song “Rodeo,” for example, he sings, “I’ma call you later on, baby girl, don’t you forget, I’ma take you from this party, we might go and have some sex.” Instead of celebrating gay identity, these lyrics conform to heterosexual norms. Moreover, in the music videofor his hip-hop track “Panini” there is imagery of a seemingly romantic — later turning troublesome — interaction between a male and female cyborg.

---

Despite multiple questions surrounding Lil Nas X’s future in the music industry as a Black male artist with no allegiance to any specific genre, one area working in his favor is age. At 20 years old his career is taking off during a time where stigmatization of the LBGTQIA+ community outside of music, though still present, is waning. For example, more Americans are supporting same-sex marriage than in the past. Therefore, Lil Nas X may not see his success diminish, just so long as he continues making catchy, universal music. Moreover, he exists in an age where the internet has allowed diverse opinions and personalities to flourish. This space is what gave “Old Town Road” mass appeal initially.

It is unlikely that Lil Nas X’s sexual orientation will stop his ability to reach and captivate a widespread audience, even in the absence of mainstream support. According to Aronoff and Gilboa (2015), the internet helps people feel more confident to express “themselves and to explore what it is like to be gay” (Aronoff & Gilboa, 2015, p. 433). Given this understanding, it is likely that Lil Nas X, while upsetting some, has and will continue creating a space where other members of the LBGTQIA+ community pursuing or currently in the music industry, and beyond, will be able to live their truth unapologetically.

**Feel free to chime in and share your thoughts on this piece. Our comments section is wide open!

References

Aronoff, U., & Gilboa, A. (2015). Music and the closet: The roles music plays for gay men in the “coming out” process. Psychology of Music, 43(3), 423–437.

Hiebert, D. (2016). Is it homophobia or homoppression?. Canadian review of sociology= Revue canadienne de sociologie, 53(4), 488–492.

Hubbs, N. (2015). “ Jolene,” genre, and the everyday homoerotics of country music: Dolly parton’s loving address of the other woman. Women and Music: A Journal of Gender and Culture, 19(1), 71–76.

Rasmussen, E. E., & Densley, R. L. (2017). Girl in a country song: Gender roles and objectification of women in popular country music across 1990 to 2014. Sex Roles, 76(3–4), 188–201.

Rodriguez, N. S. (2018). Hip-hop’s authentic masculinity: A quare reading of fox’s empire. Television & New Media, 19(3), 225–240.