Despite the spectacular performances during the 54th Superbowl all eyes were on power couple The Carters, especially during the singing of the national anthem. Jay-Z and the Beyonce caused a social media uproar by remaining seated during the National anthem. It was deemed political by some, thanks in part to his initial support of Colin Kaepernick while others were left confused due to recent partnership with the NFL and his comment "I think we're past kneeling now." To clear up the confusion, when asked if his family remaining seated was an act of protest the artist simply replied, "It wasn't. Sorry."
To his credit the artist did expand, stating that once the show began he and his wife transitioned into the professional artists that they are. Due to his partnering with the NFL, aside from getting the NFL engaged with social activism, Jay-Z also provides the league with musical entertainment featuring many Roc Nation artists, such as Shakira. Once the show began Carter says he was preoccupied with making sure everything in the show, from sound to camera angles, was going according to plan. "The whole time we're sitting there, we're talking about the performance...I didn't have to make a silent protest. If you look at the stage, the artists that we chose, Colombian Shakira, Puerto Rican J. Lo. We were making the biggest loudest protest of all," And while the choice of performers was a political statement in itself, there are reports that behind the scenes things weren't as smooth as they appeared.
Apparently before the show began Jay Z, undoubtedly at the behest of his "partners", was said to have pressured J. Lo to change a part of her performance which referenced the ongoing border crisis and the imprisonment of children. Lopez, rightfully, stood her ground and demanded the set stay. However the situation was so infuriating, at the last minute Lopez dropped out of the opening performance leading Shakira to a rushed solo opening. With this news the cracks in Carter's partnership with the league, which we all knew existed, is becoming more and more visible. Notably, Colin Kaepernick's former team the 49s lost in a last minute upset after leading the game for four quarters, so perhaps cosmic justice has been served. If you missed the performance or just want to relive the glory click below.
(Former) rapper Pastor Troy has crawled from under the rock that was dropped on him in 2020 to audition for a role on Love and Hip Hop. On Wednesday, the artist found himself prompted to share a homophobic rant about this past Sunday's Grammys and its pushing of the gay agenda. Now even I, with over 15 years of homosexual experiences, am not sure what the gay agenda is but Troy seems to be in the know. The artists comments were fueled by both Lil Nas X first Grammy win and his choice of fashion. The sight of the young black man celebrating his accomplishment was enough to cause Troy to rant on Instagram in a now deleted post.
While wrapped in homophobia, what's actually being showcased is his own insecurities surrounding his own sexuality. Numerous studies have been conducted over the years to support how homophobia often correlates with repressed sexuality, especially among men. His statement itself is contradicted by both former and recent Grammy winners who dress what society would deem masculine. Perhaps struggling with his own homosexuality, this rant could be a cry for help. Or, more likely, the "rapper" is simply using inflammatory commentary to bring attention to his less than memorable career. Like the adage goes, all press is good press, and even though the post has been deleted it will continue to live in internet infamy.
Migos member Offset has once again found himself embroiled in drama with the LGBTQ community and its supporters after the being featured as a guest on YFN Lucci new single "Boss life" in which Offset raps the line "I can not vibe with queers." This makes for the fourth instance where the rapper has been linked to homophobia since he and his group became mainstream artists in 2017. First there were the comments refusing to perform at a gay club, then came disparaging comments during an interview regarding fellow rapper Makonnen coming out, before finally being accused of not wanting to work with drag queens during a performance on Saturday Night Live.
For the interview the group collectively apologized and issued a statement that their words were misconstrued. While they denied altogether any drama unfolding with the SNL appearance. As skeptical as one was left feeling towards the group, it could not be denied that there was a level of growth attempting to be reached so we forgave and forgot.
Now that there has been collective backlash against Offset's latest lyrics he finds himself once again having to apologize. Taking to Instagram the rapper wrote:
His apology is hard to accept especially given that over the years the term queer has evolved into a slur against those who fall into the LGBTQ community. In fact if there was no ill intent behind the lyric there wouldn't be a need for an apology or explanation of usage. If it colloquially was still a synonym for weird then there would be no backlash at all.
Whatever the case, as a man engaged to a bisexual woman whose sister is a lesbian and fans are predominantly gay men, here's hoping that Offset has finally learned his lesson when dealing (not dealing) with the LGBTQ community. Maybe then the groups stylist will finally stop taking out his/her anger on their wardrobes.
