Mary J Blige On Gays, Homophobia and Hip-Hop to "The Advocate"

Since there has been so much recent discussion around homophobia in hip-hop and rap music—such as has-been raper Ja Rule's recent ridiculous rants and the brilliant slap-down by Lil Romeo—it's probably a good idea to go to the source and ask, What does hip-hop really think of us? That question and much more is answered by the six-time Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter Mary J. Blige, who covers the next issue of The Advocate.

"Asked at what point she realized that the children had made her their own," she tells writer Ernest Hardy, the critically-acclaimed music-film-lit-cultural critic, "I realized that years ago. Like, probably during…was it Share My World or Mary? It was probably during the Mary album that I realized I had so many gay fans, because one of my managers at the time was gay and him and all his friends were die-hard Mary fans. And then there’s a lot of gay women that love Mary J. Blige—a slew of gay women. And that’s never been something to bother me. Never. Because we’re all people at the end of the day.'"

The hip-hop icon also explains that she became active in HIV/AIDS causes at the loss of her good friend, the late singer-songwriter Kenny Greene. "It was the elephant in the room that nobody’s looking at. It made me be like, Oh, this is right at our front door. This can touch us. So why wouldn’t I want to get involved with something that can help save all our lives, save everybody’s lives?"

Finally, Mary J gives the 411 on homophobia in hip-hip. "The real hip-hop, […] the real people don't even care about [someone being gay]. They'll love you and accept you no matter what because they know who they are."

The Advocate cover photo is by the prominent Los Angeles-based fashion and commercial photographer Kwaku Alston. Ernest Hardy did a bang-up job on this profile, so definitely read this one. Issue 998 drops next week and we have one or two shorter features in the same issue.

Did You Read ...
"The Advocate" Names Common One of the "Coolest Straight People" [R20]
Hip Hop Teen Idol Lil Romeo:"Gay is Okay" [R20]
"Taking the Homophobia Out of Hip-Hop [R20]
Busta: Gays Better Not "Touch It" [R20]
Ja Rule: MTV "Promoting Homosexuality" [R20]
First Look: Common for the Gap [R20]
Busta's Homophobic VIBE [R20]
Ne-Yo: "You're Nobody Until They Say You're Gay" [R20]
Shemar Moore: "I'm Not Gay" [R20]
Rodney Chester of "Noah's Arc": "I'm Still NOT Gay" [R20]
R&B Singer Tyrese Will Ban ALL MEN [R20]
Kanye Responds to Gay Rumors [R20]
Has-Been Rapper Beanie Sigel Demands Kanye and Pharrell "Come Out" of the Closet [R20]
Kanye Responds to Gay Rumors [R20]
R & B Singer Amerie Against Homophobia [R20]
John Legend & Cornel West vs Homophobia [R20]
Kanye on Gay Bashing [R20]
Kanye: "My Own Homophobia" [R20]
Hip-Hop and Homophobia [R20]
Pharrell Sets the Record, umm, Straight [R20]

Comments

[DFS]

I have always loved mary and love her even more now. And is Just Fine not the party song of the holiday season. I was in ATL last weekend and the kids in Bulldogs went ovah when they played it.