Frank Ocean may be getting a lot of praise for his recent album Channel Orange and for his tumblr blog where he talks about his first love being a man, but an unknown rapper named Murs may have found a way to get some attention of his own.
It is common knowledge that ever since President Obama came out in support of gay rights and marriage equality that a plethora of hip hop's A-list stars like T.I., Jay-Z, 50 Cent and Will Smith have followed suit. It is yet to be seen how their endoursement will change the misogynistic and homophobic posturing that dominates the industry, and if Frank's success on the charts will force industry execs to become copycats and look to sign a few Frank Oceans of their own,.
So in Murs' new video the rapper tells a story about two high school students affair that leads to tragedy when they both kill themselves due to the fact that they can't be together. I understand. Murs even kisses another man in the video and sports a 'Legalize Gay' T-shirt.
Here's what Murs had to say on YouTube why he felt the need to tell this story:
'I wanted to be an advocate for people close to me who are out and those who have yet to come out. It's also a love song, which is nothing new for me. But with this one I wanted to challenge the listener to ask themselves, "Is the love shared by two people of the same gender, really that different than the love I have for my partner of the opposite sex?"
'And finally, I just felt it was crucial for some of us in the hip hop community to speak up on the issues of teen suicide, bullying and the overall anti-homosexual sentiment that exists within hip hop culture. I felt so strongly about these issues and this song that I had to do a video that would command some attention, even if it makes some viewers uncomfortable. Even if it came at the cost of my own comfort.'
I totally agree with his assessments, and I thought Murs' video is a great message that needs to be shared with as many people as possible. I know it's a struggle for many especially in the urban communities, but never let society dictate your happiness. What I would really like is for actual LGBT artists who are just as skilled as our straight allies to get the same attention for their videos as someone like Murs who is supportive of the LGBT community. We often look to straight validation to fufill our self-worth but when it comes to our own artists, we don't show the same support. At the end of the day I yearn for a time where who you fall in love with is not a concern to other people and that we can all be free to make true art.
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