A group of friends went to the Ricky Martin concert last weekend in Miami and said it was epic! They almost caught some of his sweat as he bounced and gyrated around the stage. He's sexy, talented, a humanitarian, and he's family. Now does one of those things make him a little better or seen as to be better by default? Does being a gay or LGBT singer make everyone see you through rose colored glasses and give you more awards than your counterparts? This is what Rapper Wale (pronounced Wall-aye) stated just this week.
Rapper Wale has claimed the Grammy award-winning artists Frank Ocean and Sam Smith owe their success to their sexuality, during a recent interview.
On 21 October, the Washington DC rapper was a guest on Power 105.1 FM’s radio show, The Breakfast Club, where his hour-long interview covered depression, his career and his support for Black Lives Matter. A recent VH1 discussion about homosexuality in hip-hop was also discussed. When host Angela Yee asked Wale about whether gay artists can be successful in hip-hop, Wale was supportive at first, but went on to suggest that their sexuality would work to their advantage.
“If a dude was gay, man, he’d get a Grammy,” Wale said. “They’re gonna make fun of them. They’re gonna throw their Twitter jokes … but in the next three years there’s probably gonna be a dude who’s not even gay that’s just like ‘Man, this is my last resort’ … But nah, I would sign a gay rapper if he was dope. ‘Go ahead man, go do that thing, go do them Versace fashion shows.’
“People are probably going to go bad on me for saying this, but it’s an advantage to be gay in this country right now, that’s just the fact of the matter,” he said.
Referencing R&B singer Frank Ocean, Wale said that while the artist had a lot of talent, he still “got pushed to the moon” during his album as a result of his bisexuality. “He got the Grammy joint, everything … People look at it like you a hero, you a pioneer.”
Adding that he thought homophobia was “corny”, the rapper went on to discuss Sam Smith, suggesting that fellow artists such as Tank and Miguel are unable to achieve the same levels of success.
“He’s talented enough to do it. I’m just saying there’s several other people with the same level of ability.”
When Yee asked whether he thought Smith’s success was as a result of his race rather than sexuality, Wale responded: “I think it’s both, I think it’s a double whammy. Gay and white right now is pushed to the moon.” – theguardian.com
The full interview inserted below is about an hour long so watch it if you desire.
I am certainly not a Frank Ocean fan. I never saw his appeal and when he performed on Saturday Night Live, I actually said to many people, is he getting more attention than he deserves because of his choice to be open about his proclaimed LGBT status? In regard to Sam Smith, I do find him talented, he came out of no where, and I do believe him being out did get his name more "out" there but I do not feel his award winning ways was not assisted by his sexuality.
What are your thoughts?
Do you agree that we give singers / actors 10 extra points for Gryffindor because they are LGBT?
Do we see talented individuals as super talented and shower them with more praiseand awards than their equally talented straight counterparts?
(H/T theguardian.com)