The artist formerly known as Snoop Dogg tells NME he doesn't think homosexuality will ever be fully acceptable in rap music.
The newly-christened Snoop Lion, who previously spoke out in support of same-sex marriage in an interview with HuffPost Entertainment, tells the publication that the "masculine" aspects of hip-hop music create unique challenges for gay musicians.
"It's like a football team," he said. "You can't be in a locker room full of motherf**king tough a** dudes, then all of a sudden say, 'Hey, man, I like you.' You know, that's going to be tough."
Of Frank Ocean, the Grammy-winning hip-hop artist who came out in a blog last year, the rapper noted, "He's a singer. It's acceptable in the singing world, but in the rap world I don't know if it will ever be acceptable because rap is so masculine." Still, Snoop's personal take on the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community is far more open-minded: "I don't have a problem with gay people. I got some gay homies."
There have, however, been a number of recent strides towards LGBT acceptance in the rap and hip-hop world. Last summer, Seattle-based hip-hop artist Macklemore paired up with Ryan Lewis for "Same Love," a song penned in support of same-sex marriage. The tender video for the song depicts a gay man's life, from an embattled childhood through a joyous wedding day.
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