92% of LGBTQ members consider themselves music fans, yet why does there seem to be a notable lack of music targeted towards the LGBTQ community? There isn’t a lack of rappers, and there definitely isn’t a lack of demand, considering the LGBTQ community numbers over 18.6 million members; however, most LGBTQ rappers aren’t given the public attention that their talent awards them. 

With Lil Nas X and Frank Ocean bringing LGBTQ rappers to the front lines and making tidal waves in the news, it’s become exceedingly difficult to be unaware of the current social climate, with the advancement of social media, unless you are quite literally, living under a rock. Like most music, songs made by LGBTQ rappers are meant to pull emotions out of the listeners, “It makes me feel [wonderful],” Senior, Xen Gregory said, “I feel like it helps me think like, ‘I can also… one day in my life become like, you know… big…’. [Maybe] not like them… but I can definitely… do [numerous] things in life that can probably… inspire other LGBT people… I know [heaps] of… people in the community are… [terrified] of doing things because they’re afraid of [the backlash].” On the bright side, Xen shared their hope that “more and more artists [will be] coming out and being more public about their sexuality.”

Another student, sophomore Messiah Robinson, shared that “In middle school… [other students] would think just because [an artist] is gay, and I’m Bi, that I [must] listen to them.” The problem with up-and-coming LGBT artists is that they don’t always have a completely positive impact, nevertheless “it’s making people…okay with it. Before Lil Nas X came out… I heard people talking, and when he [finally did], they were like ‘Oh I didn’t even know he was gay’… I feel like no one really knows how other people are… [some] people [will] hate him, [although] not everyone hates.” 

Of course, not everyone is going to like a specific artist, and that’s okay, you can’t shove everything down someone’s throat, although extending an olive branch can move mountains, and that’s what this article is meant to achieve. A person’s life experience is greatly improved when you increase your range of experiences. 

Next to this article, there will be a quiz about which LGBTQ rapper you should try to give a listen to, so go give that a look, and who knows, maybe they’ll be one of your new favorite artists.