Is Hip Hop Ready for a Gay Rapper?

Cruising on twitter, there are a growing number of LGBT artist emerging. Ironically and in this authors opinion most notably are Gay Rappers Cocky Da Homo MC and Sissy Rich who have tackled the grueling task of immersion into the Rap Game. There has been long unspoken rule that "Gay Rappers" are not welcome in the game (at least not openly gay). Speculation surrounds "The Game", "Soulja Boy", "Fifty Cent", and even rap mogul "Lil Wayne" although many of this artist have little indication of this on the 16s or have stated otherwise. In June 2011, San Francisco Bay Rapper Lil B "The Based God" released a mixtape entitled "I'm Gay" which sparked countless speculation about The Based God's sexual orientation. Snoop Dog in a recent interview stated that "hip-hop is ready for an openly gay rapper in 2012". In December of 2011, Kanye's West's protege "Frank Ocean" revealed that his first love was a man. (To check out music by Frank Ocean visit www.frankocean.com) Russel Simmons commented "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?. I am profoundly moved by the courage and honesty of Frank Ocean. Your decision to go public about your sexual orientation gives hope and light to so many young people still living in fear. These types of secrets should not matter anymore. His gifts are undeniable. His talent, enormous. His bravery, incredible. … Frank, we thank you. We support you. We love you.”(Russel Simmons) So the question is, which underground gay rappers are ready for commercial exposure? In reality, Rappers have always played a unique role in pop culture. In the last 10 years Rap and Hip-Hop has certainly taken on a much more "commercial" and "popular" look. Sissy Rich currently boasts over 218,000 followers on the social network twitter. To this authors knowledge, No major labels have approached Sissy Rich or Cocky Da Homo MC who boast similar followings on twitter. Cazwell produces what some would call gay retro hip-hop. Cazwell is currently followed by 24 thousand users but has a long history of not considering himself a member of the "Rap Game". (To check out music by Cazwell visit www.Cazwell.com) LE1F gay artist from NEW YORK currently has over 5,000 followers.(Check out LE1F at http://facebook.com/le1fny). Both carry the "VERIFIED" twitter badge. Josef Eugene "Tha Prodigal Son" has been an upcoming "Gay Rapper" since 2011. Josef Eugene "Tha Prodigal Son" currently boasts over 11,000 followers on the social network twitter. Josef is the first Gay Rapper to emerge from South Carolina. Josef started the label Dream Chaserz in 2012 and signed Skyy Blue after the duo produced a few singles in Columbia, SC. Skyy is set to release her second mixtape "Baby Blue 2" in the next few weeks. (www.babyblueskyyz.bandcamp.com) In July 2012, Dream Chaserz released a collaboration with Cocky Da Homo MC entitled Compete. The beat was produced by Misunderstood and is a modern retelling of "Anything you can do I can do better." The single has received rave reviews via the social network twitter. (Listen Here) Is Josef Eugene ready to become a mainstream Gay Rapper? You decide? www.soundcloud.com/josefeugene www.reverbnation.com/josefeugene www.facebook.com/josefeugene www.twitter.com/josefeugene Android App coming soon!