10 Pro-LGBTQ Rappers

One love.

#LoveWins - LGBTQ support from rappers comes in varying degrees of intensity— much like the rappers themselves. Some of these guys kicked off their careers letting everyone know they were down with the LGBTQ cause from the get-go. Others took years to acknowledge or even embrace the marginalized population. It’s a topic that didn’t evade even rap legends like Biggie Smalls. It turned out his support was more personal when it was revealed in 2011 that one of his best friends was openly gay and that the deceased rapper never had a problem with it.Even with a Supreme Court ruling that brought marriage equality to the USA, not everyone is down for the cause for even voicing support. Check out this set of rappers who still managed to enjoy the fruits of success even with, as 50 Cent likes to put it, "gay stuff." — Jon Reyes(Photos from left: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for C...

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#LoveWins - LGBTQ support from rappers comes in varying degrees of intensity— much like the rappers themselves. Some of these guys kicked off their careers letting everyone know they were down with the LGBTQ cause from the get-go. Others took years to acknowledge or even embrace the marginalized population. It’s a topic that didn’t evade even rap legends like Biggie Smalls. It turned out his support was more personal when it was revealed in 2011 that one of his best friends was openly gay and that the deceased rapper never had a problem with it.Even with a Supreme Court ruling that brought marriage equality to the USA, not everyone is down for the cause for even voicing support. Check out this set of rappers who still managed to enjoy the fruits of success even with, as 50 Cent likes to put it, "gay stuff." — Jon Reyes(Photos from left: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for C...

Photo By Photos from left: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Coachella

Nicki Minaj - Never one to steer away from controversy, even Nicki’s bars oozed LGBTQ support — her male alter ego was a gay man named Roman Zolanski. Back in 2010, Nicki voiced great ambitions in bridging the gap between her gay fans and hip hop by musing over a hypothetical tour with Lil Wayne, "Normally, Wayne probably wouldn't have gay guys coming to see his shows much," she told Out, "but they're definitely a big part of my movement, and I hope they'd still come out and see me."(Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

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Nicki Minaj - Never one to steer away from controversy, even Nicki’s bars oozed LGBTQ support — her male alter ego was a gay man named Roman Zolanski. Back in 2010, Nicki voiced great ambitions in bridging the gap between her gay fans and hip hop by musing over a hypothetical tour with Lil Wayne, "Normally, Wayne probably wouldn't have gay guys coming to see his shows much," she told Out, "but they're definitely a big part of my movement, and I hope they'd still come out and see me."(Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Lil B

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Lil B - The Berkeley rapper made some social media waves in 2011 when he titled his album I’m Gay (I’m Happy) in solidarity with the LGBTQ community. Even after receiving death threats on social media, he stuck to his guns in a CNN interview: “I hope that I can turn some of my fans that might be homophobic or supporters that might be homophobic and say, ‘You know what? We’re all one people. This is love.’” (Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Coachella)

A$AP Rocky - This Harlem native and platinum-selling artist is a standout example of how new hip hop artists are more open to embracing the LGBTQ community. With A$AP Rocky, it came from pure observation with regards to his own love for fashion, “I used to be homophobic, but that’s f**ked up," he told Pitchfork. "I had to look in the mirror and say, ‘All the designers I’m wearing are gay.’” (Photo: Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images)

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A$AP Rocky - This Harlem native and platinum-selling artist is a standout example of how new hip hop artists are more open to embracing the LGBTQ community. With A$AP Rocky, it came from pure observation with regards to his own love for fashion, “I used to be homophobic, but that’s f**ked up," he told Pitchfork. "I had to look in the mirror and say, ‘All the designers I’m wearing are gay.’” (Photo: Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images)

Macklemore - While "Thrift Shop" was the Seattle rapper’s claim to fame, it was actually "Same Love," his marriage equality anthem, that propelled the rapper to become a mouthpiece for LGBTQ equality in hip hop. The popular song was actually born out of personal experience, "I grew up with two gay uncles on Capitol Hill. I was always around a community of gay people, as a hip hop artist, it's still a taboo issue," Macklemore said in an interview with Music For Marriage Equality. "That is crazy to me. There's so much fear, and so much of it dates back to religion. I think that we have evolved as a society, and this is our time to create the change that is right." (Photo: Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images for Pepsi)

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Macklemore - While "Thrift Shop" was the Seattle rapper’s claim to fame, it was actually "Same Love," his marriage equality anthem, that propelled the rapper to become a mouthpiece for LGBTQ equality in hip hop. The popular song was actually born out of personal experience, "I grew up with two gay uncles on Capitol Hill. I was always around a community of gay people, as a hip hop artist, it's still a taboo issue," Macklemore said in an interview with Music For Marriage Equality. "That is crazy to me. There's so much fear, and so much of it dates back to religion. I think that we have evolved as a society, and this is our time to create the change that is right." (Photo: Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images for Pepsi)

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Fat Joe - The NYC rapper joined the conversation of LGBTQ acceptance in hip hop with an acknowledgment to VladTV that he’s worked on songs with gay rappers, “In 2011 you gotta hide that you gay? Be real! ‘Yo, I’m gay. What the f**k!’ If you gay, you gay. That’s your preference. F**k it if the people don’t like it.” (Photo: Rob Foldy/Getty Images)

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Fat Joe - The NYC rapper joined the conversation of LGBTQ acceptance in hip hop with an acknowledgment to VladTV that he’s worked on songs with gay rappers, “In 2011 you gotta hide that you gay? Be real! ‘Yo, I’m gay. What the f**k!’ If you gay, you gay. That’s your preference. F**k it if the people don’t like it.” (Photo: Rob Foldy/Getty Images)

Kanye West - Kanye West's outspoken LGBTQ support dates back to 2005, when he told Sway on MTV about his personal connection to the LGBTQ community, “I would use the word ‘f*g’ and always look down upon gays. But then my cousin told me that another one of my cousins was gay, and I loved him. He's one of my favorite cousins. And at that point it was kind of like a turning point when I was like, ‘Yo, this my cousin, I love him and I been discriminating against gays." Since then, rants and craziness aside, Kanye has been a quiet but consistent LGBTQ ally. (Photo: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

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Kanye West - Kanye West's outspoken LGBTQ support dates back to 2005, when he told Sway on MTV about his personal connection to the LGBTQ community, “I would use the word ‘f*g’ and always look down upon gays. But then my cousin told me that another one of my cousins was gay, and I loved him. He's one of my favorite cousins. And at that point it was kind of like a turning point when I was like, ‘Yo, this my cousin, I love him and I been discriminating against gays." Since then, rants and craziness aside, Kanye has been a quiet but consistent LGBTQ ally. (Photo: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Queen Latifah - While keeping totally mum about her own personal life (which has always left people speculating about her own sexuality), the rapper from Newark, N.J., has been steadily making moves towards outright LGBTQ support. During the 2014 Grammy Awards, she officiated a mass wedding of same-sex couples. Earlier this year, when asked about marriage equality by People, she stated, "Who you choose to marry is really up to you and it’s not something you should be judged on. I don’t find being gay or lesbian to be a character flaw. Couples should be protected under the laws of this country, period. It actually angers me. It’s not unusual so let’s be adults and let’s move forward." (Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for AFI)

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Queen Latifah - While keeping totally mum about her own personal life (which has always left people speculating about her own sexuality), the rapper from Newark, N.J., has been steadily making moves towards outright LGBTQ support. During the 2014 Grammy Awards, she officiated a mass wedding of same-sex couples. Earlier this year, when asked about marriage equality by People, she stated, "Who you choose to marry is really up to you and it’s not something you should be judged on. I don’t find being gay or lesbian to be a character flaw. Couples should be protected under the laws of this country, period. It actually angers me. It’s not unusual so let’s be adults and let’s move forward." (Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for AFI)

Eminem - Things between the Detroit native and the LGBTQ community have been fraught with controversy since his debut in the late '90s, but in 2013, Eminem told Rolling Stone, “The real me sitting here right now talking to you has no issues with gay, straight, transgender, at all. I'm glad we live in a time where it's really starting to feel like people can live their lives and express themselves.”  (Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images for MTV)

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Eminem - Things between the Detroit native and the LGBTQ community have been fraught with controversy since his debut in the late '90s, but in 2013, Eminem told Rolling Stone, “The real me sitting here right now talking to you has no issues with gay, straight, transgender, at all. I'm glad we live in a time where it's really starting to feel like people can live their lives and express themselves.”  (Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images for MTV)

Jay Z - Good ol' Hov always sides with reason, and he did just that in 2012 right after President Obama vocalized his support for marriage equality. Mr. Carter spoke to CNN and dropped a little bit of truth about those who choose to discriminate: “It’s no different than discriminating against blacks. It’s discrimination plain and simple. I think it's the right thing to do, so whether it costs him votes or not — again, it’s not about votes. It’s about people. It’s the right thing to do as a human being.” (Photo: Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Global Citizen Festival)

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Jay Z - Good ol' Hov always sides with reason, and he did just that in 2012 right after President Obama vocalized his support for marriage equality. Mr. Carter spoke to CNN and dropped a little bit of truth about those who choose to discriminate: “It’s no different than discriminating against blacks. It’s discrimination plain and simple. I think it's the right thing to do, so whether it costs him votes or not — again, it’s not about votes. It’s about people. It’s the right thing to do as a human being.” (Photo: Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Global Citizen Festival)

The Game - Back in 2011, Game told VladTV, “I don’t have a problem with gay people. Beyoncé shoulda said, ‘Who should run the world?’ Gays. Because they’re everywhere and rightly so.” Don’t get it twisted, Game’s support for the LGBTQ community is actually only reserved for those that are out of the closet. His problem is “with people who are pretending not to be gay.” (Photo: Scott Dudelson/Getty Images)

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The Game - Back in 2011, Game told VladTV, “I don’t have a problem with gay people. Beyoncé shoulda said, ‘Who should run the world?’ Gays. Because they’re everywhere and rightly so.” Don’t get it twisted, Game’s support for the LGBTQ community is actually only reserved for those that are out of the closet. His problem is “with people who are pretending not to be gay.” (Photo: Scott Dudelson/Getty Images)