(AllHipHop News) A$AP Rocky is one of the hottest rappers in the industry right now. His latest album Long.Live.A$AP landed at number one on the charts and since then he has become a fixture at fashion shows and mainstream media outlets, but despite all that success the Harlem native continuously has to addressed one area of criticism that he cannot seem to avoid- the perceived “gay thing” because of his fashion choices.
Late last year Rocky appeared on BET’s 106 & Park in what many thought was a women’s dress. He later explained that the attire was a high fashion oversized designer t-shirt, but that didn’t stop the critics from pouncing on the “Fashion Killa” performer for his abstract apparel.
“Fashion was a natural thing to me,” Rocky is quoted telling Interview Magazine according to a report by the New York Daily News. “It was just one of those things that helped me be an individual … and it helped me get the attention that most people try to get with publicity stunts or by doing other crazy things.”
But does what a person choose to wear represent their sexual preference, and does it even matter? Rocky says it shouldn’t.
“One big issue in Hip-Hop is the gay thing. It’s 2013, and it’s a shame that, to this day, that topic still gets people all excited. It’s crazy. And it makes me upset that this topic even matters when it comes to Hip-Hop,” says Rocky.
A$AP Rocky also tells Interview that the Hip-Hop community’s negative focus on homosexuality is a black eye on the culture.
“It makes it seem like everybody in Hip-Hop is small-minded or stupid — and that’s not the case,” says Rocky. “We’ve got people like Jay-Z. We’ve got people like Kanye. We’ve got people like me. We’re all prime examples of people who don’t think like that.”
In the March 15th edition of Rolling Stone A$AP Rocky even called himself “the least homophobic cat in rap.”
Rocky wants to not only represent a new more socially progressive emcee, but he wants his fans to join him in being more accepting of different lifestyles too.
“I treat everybody equal, and so I want to be sure that my listeners and my followers do the same if they’re gonna represent me,” says Rocky. “And if I’m gonna represent them, then I also want to do it in a good way.”
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