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Yeah, he uses it in a meathead way that is no different from what exits the mouth of some troglodyte when he beats the fuck out of some gay kid on the street. After the 1950196th time you use it, you are complicit in the narrative of violence against queers that continues to oppress. Caricature or not. This shit applies to Odd Future as much as it does to fucking Francis Harold and the Holograms or Brainbombs. That narrative is still giving the average dumb consumer teenager in America a big high, like it empowers them, it's hard, they see it as something radical. I think Tyler should be free to say whatever the fuck he wants to - but there should be critical engagement. I'm not saying he IS 100% a homophobe, but I get a bit irked that he's blowing up along very old, very tired prejudicial tropes.
There ARE queer rappers. Queer cultural production is still pretty fringe, but in hip hop it's extreme. I know of House of Ladosha, Sissy Nobby and a lot of his crew from New Orleans, Le1f, Sin, Yo Majesty!, and a couple really local underground people in the NYC/Philly area who are very involved in the ball community (see: the film Paris Is Burning, an essential though dated film and I have issues with representations in it, but that's a whole other conversation). I think a lot of the gay MCs I've come across are speaking to a very local, exclusive audience - just by virtue of who is going to understand half the shit they're talking about. I'm gonna find some good tracks for everyone and post them here.
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