2014, ladies and gentlemen.

Hip-hop’s tolerance of members of the LGBT community and the homosexual narratives that often accompany these conversations has become increasingly high since the 90′s, when Biggie rapped “Money and blood don’t mix, like two d*cks and no b*tch” on his classic “Ten Crack Commandments” track. That song, ironically, appeared on Biggie’s Ready to Die album, an album that featured Hot 97 DJ/radio personality Mister Cee in its production credits as associate producer. For those not caught up on current events, the irony can be found in the fact that Mister Cee very recently told GQ Magazine about his personal troubles, which included but were not limited to his affinity for having paid sexual relations with transsexual prostitutes.

The hypocrisy isn’t as blatant as the ignorance, but when the lines are stomped on and destroyed as often as they’re re-calibrated and re-drawn, it becomes apparent that hip-hop is as lost as some of its members were when they first realized they’re physically attracted to someone of the same sex. J. Cole, who rapped about loving oneself in spite of apparent physical or character flaws on “Crooked Smile”, and who was signed by Jay Z, who himself may not have had much of a career had it not been for the early efforts of the Mister Cee’s and the Funkmaster Flex‘s, unfortunately rapped “Same b*tch giving brains to the minister/The same reason they call Mr. Cee the finisher”, on the Kendrick Lamar-assisted “Forbidden Fruit” from his gold-certified Born Sinner album.

For hip-hop to progress as a genre, we have to progress as human beings. As much as members of the hip-hop community love to remove themselves from the culture wherever they see fit, once you’re in it, you’re in it. There’s no distancing yourself from hip-hop or applying disclaimers when you feel as if the rules shouldn’t apply to you. T-Pain alludes to this issue in this interview with VLADTV, when he addresses being avoided when he was around his assistant, who is a gay man, and he reveals that he knows for a fact that there are certain rappers that will not work with Frank Ocean.

I think the radio is getting more gay friendly. I don’t think Urban music is getting more gay friendly. If that was the case, Frank Ocean would be on a lot more songs … I know n***as who will not do a song with Frank Ocean just because he’s gay.