Azealia Banks, Rapper, Comes Out As Bisexual In 'New York Times'

The hip-hop world doesn't have a reputation for being the friendliest place for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.

Homophobia has popped up in lyrics and tweets from rappers like 50 Cent and Tyler the Creator and though superstar Nicki Minaj has toyed with bisexuality and rapper Fat Joe has shown support for the LGBT community, we've yet to see a hip-hop star with a mainstream audience actually come out of the closet.

Until now.

Azealia Banks, the 20-year-old rapper being pegged as the "next big thing" in the industry, came out as bisexual in a new interview with the New York Times. What's more -- she did it with little fanfare, the admission taking up just two lines that appear near the end of the story:

"Ms. Banks considers herself bisexual, but, she said: "I'm not trying to be, like, the bisexual, lesbian rapper. I don't live on other people's terms.'"

Though Banks has yet to release her debut album, which is due later this year, her sexually-charged songs and unique style have already secured her the adoration of some the most influential people in music and fashion.

Pitchfork named her song "212" its #9 song of 2011 and she's one of five people that Kanye West follows on Twitter.

And as the NYT notes, she's appeared in V magazine, GQ, Elle, and famed photographer Terry Richardson recently snapped her for a T: the New York Times Style Magazine spring fashion spread. Her track "Bambi" played during the Mugler fashion show last month and Banks treated legendary fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld and his guests to a performance of "212" -- the video for which has over 3.3 million views on YouTube -- at his home in Paris last week.

Could Banks's revelation be the impetus needed to nudge other hip-hop stars to come out -- or be the example that will inspire would-be LGBT rappers to work even harder for mainstream success? We certainly hope so.

Below see 25 other stars who came out of the closet:

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Comments

[cherrychapman]

06:36 AM on 05/16/2012

this makes me so happy. i love her!

[waterycoffee]

05:41 PM on 05/12/2012

I really appreciate how bisexuals are attacked by everyone, even some other lesbians and gays. It isn't a "phase" or a simply a whimsy- that's being bi-curious! Get it "straight" people :)

[Mikki Gee]

03:17 AM on 04/17/2012

i am, have been, always will be, in social terms, homosexual. the fact that more and more people are ''coming out'' as gay, bi or (my favorite) try-sexual is a sign that the utmost in career development is being done by a lot of people. who can prove that they DID or DID not, DO or DONT sleep with the same sex? that's the beauty of their statements. they can always hire or persuade another attention seeking person to claim that they are their old/new lover. it's a shame that we have become a society of attention seekers, willing to do whatever it takes to get ahead, no talent or not. i tell you who i think is friggin' gay -- chris brown. yep....woman beater, sexual organ display, hair dye, diva behavior at ABC interview. dude is suppressing a lot! do i WANT him to be? dont give a flyin' ....... That's another modern day thing that makes me angry. Every male or female that an over the top gay person wants to be gay aint gay. aint gay, aint homophobic, aint curious, etc. some people just fantasize too much, like some are willing to say and act any way to get ahead. damn.....being gay used to be fun.

[john77]

07:17 PM on 04/16/2012

A lot of female bisexuality is the product of male heterosexual fantasy. It's designed by men or it's designed to pander to men. It's fake, basically.

Now, male bisexuality is a lot more genuine.

[damnstraightimdelightful]

06:57 PM on 04/17/2012

Who are you to say who is genuine and who isn't?

Just a lil bit sexist there, no?

[avaLondon]

11:38 AM on 05/02/2012

Your opinion about my sexuality is worthless as it's based not on fact but your own idiocy. Though I consider myself bisexual I could sum up my sexuality like this; 75% attraction to females, 25% attraction to males. I like men and women but mostly I like women.
You not being a bisexual female might find this concept difficult to grasp but many and I mean MANY women are attracted to other women. Nearly every female that I know either has lesbian fantasies or experiences. This doesn't make them all lesbians, it makes them at the very least bi-curious.

[WindBetweenEars]

03:58 PM on 02/21/2012

Too much biphobia on this thread. Must intervene!! I think some of the posters here are confusing bisexuality with bi-"curiousity" or simply misunderstanding the word itself. Bisexuality is an orientation--not a statement about one's sexual activity or behaviours. This is an important distinction. I started suspecting I was bisexual in my late teens, but it was about 6 years after that until I slept with a woman. I was not heterosexual because I chose at the time to only be in relationships with men. There are many factors that influence who one chooses to sleep with, date, marry, et cetera. If a young woman comes out as bisexual, it should not be assumed that she is trying to be trendy, lying, or experimenting. Any of these may be so. But, she could be like I was at 20, a lifelong bisexual just starting to realize what I was :).

[STaR Scream 81]

03:04 AM on 02/04/2012

So a 20yr old girl is bisexual....Yeah, her and damn near every other 20yr old girl in america. This isnt news.

[Adrienne Williams]

08:39 PM on 02/07/2012

So are you saying bisexuals are not bi at age 30, 40+?

[STaR Scream 81]

01:26 AM on 02/08/2012

No Im saying girls who see themselves as straight get all over other girls at every club, bar or party attend. They usually move past that stage as they get older. Actual "bisexuals" probably stay bisexual no matter their age. So, I think its safe to say there is more bisexual experimentation in that age range than older women. Agree? or no...

[1ofGodsMiracles]

10:17 AM on 04/18/2012

missed point

[daric15]

02:16 AM on 02/04/2012

She has one good song and some talent, She is very one dimensional in her style but some music producer will see some dollar signs and put some talent around her and she will perform. I don't believe for a second she is bi if she is in her 50s and still hanging around some nasty conch then I will believe.

[Adrienne Williams]

08:40 PM on 02/07/2012

Wow, you don't believe bisexuals exist after a certain age? and I love that last comment how if someone is bi they are hanging around some "nasty "conch" which I have know clear what that means?

[daric15]

01:38 PM on 02/08/2012

The reason why I say that about women is they almost always end up going back to a normal relationship with a guy or staying single because there is really nothing in it for a woman to be that way and they are not totally driven by sex like a man can be.
A conch is an abandoned seashell that you find on a beach usually you can blow through them to make a horn sound.

[Adrienne Williams]

02:32 PM on 02/08/2012

@daric15 Yes, because the facts are bisexual men and women like more than one gender. So there are no hang ups about same gender or the opposite gender. So in fact if I date a man pr a woman now. I'm still bi because it's all good. Just like if I date a person of another race I"m still black. We call this biphobia because many feel that if you are in a opposite relationship you are not bi anymore, but the term means you like more than one, so, you will always be bi! I hope. I hoped I helped education the folks who are not clear on bisexuality in general. you can always read more on Bi Social Network dot com, my site to learn more.

(A conch)...and you are saying bi women are something you can blow into and toss aside?

[Janzee12000]

01:39 PM on 02/03/2012

Hype... How does it work?

[Rafael Perez]

12:59 PM on 02/03/2012

Never heard of her

[Tribal Dancer]

12:41 PM on 02/03/2012

Does this mean she has to go out and buy (bi) sex ;-)

[2083]

12:17 PM on 02/03/2012

"we've yet to see a hip-hop star with a mainstream audience actually come out of the closet. Until now....Though Banks has yet to release her debut album, which is due later this year"

Congratulations to Ms. Banks' publicist.

[bougiebohemian]

12:13 PM on 02/03/2012

I've never heard of her myself....

[fuzzychickens]

12:03 PM on 02/03/2012

Who really cares anymore if the music you are listening to was created/sung by a gay, lesbian, or bisexual?

I have plenty of music from great artists that most certainly are not heterosexual. So far it hasn't twisted my sexual identity in any way.

If I wake up one day naked in bed with a man, donkey, and Lady Gaga - maybe i'll reassess my collection.

[zentopia7]

12:43 PM on 02/03/2012

LOL!

[Volantiad]

01:39 PM on 02/04/2012

Fuzzychickens, I don't think it's actually about how she identifies her sexual orientation. I think it's more about how most hip-hop artists don't feel comfortable publicly being who they are if they're not straight, whereas the straight identified ones do. It's about someone helping to break that stigma down just by honestly being herself.

[TurnSeiki]

11:44 AM on 02/03/2012

Now, THIS I believe. There are no gays. There are no lesbians. There are only bisexuals. People have natural urge to be with the opposite sex. But, some people are just freaky and they want something different every now and again. I can believe people are born bisexual. I cannot believe they are born homosexuals.

[Adrienne Williams]

08:44 PM on 02/07/2012

so wait, all bisexuals are freaky? But there are no gay or lesbians? Seriously? Are there any straight folks that are freaking, or none?

[ClassyInHtown]

04:30 AM on 04/08/2012

I disagree. I remember playing with very feminine little boys when I was as young as 4 years old. The ones I've kept in touch with are now very gay men.

I don't know about bisexuality, but I believe most gay people are born that way. Freakiness has nothing to do with it.

[brothers3]

11:36 AM on 02/03/2012

Just stopped by to say that although I do like some hip-hop and some rappers, I'm really LONG PAST wanting to hear about every celebrity's sexual preferences.