Game takes issue with rappers 'pretending not to be gay'

Rap artist Game has urged gay rappers to come out.

Although there is much homophobic sentiment in hip-hop, the My Life hitmaker believes there are a number of high-profile rap stars who are homosexual and he feels they should be honest about their sexuality.

While reiterating he is not homophobic himself, Game explained his view, saying: "I think there are several rappers that are in the closet and gay. They are the only type of gay people that I have a problem with. I don't have a problem with gay people. Gay people are everywhere and rightfully so, it's a free country.

"Game has no problem with gay people, Game has a problem with people who are pretending not to be gay. The number one issue with that is that you can be fooling somebody and you could give them AIDS and they can die. So that in the closet s**t is real scary.

"We got to get into the seriousness of it. If you're gay just say you're gay, so be cool and be proud."

When he was then asked if he thought he had recorded with any secretly homosexual rappers, Game - who is heterosexual - replied to website VLADTV.com: "Possibly, yeah. And not being just full-out gay, just pretending he loves girls and lives the rap lifestyle, but really he's a man fan.

"There's a lot of man fans out there in hip-hop. I see how you n****s be looking at n****s you're around too. They be looking at n****s crazy."

In 2008, former MTV executive Terrance Dean wrote a memoir, Hiding in Hip Hop, in which he described how there were a number of gay stars in hip-hop, although he chose not to give any specific names.

He said: "I was never tempted to name any names. The book is not about outing people. I wrote it so that people realise the industry has a gay subculture and we are part of this music."

- BANG! Showbiz