Lil Scrappy Sparks Controversy With Support of Frank Ocean
Lil Scrappy is expressing his support of Frank Ocean, after the R&B star went public with his past relationship with a man, but the ATL rapper also courted controversy with a statement that linked gays to the spread of AIDS.
In an interview with TMZ, Scrappy started out by expressing his belief that people should be more accepting of the gay community and work by gay artists.
"I feel like to each his own... There's a whole gay community and you can't pretend like it's not there," he said. "To me [Frank Ocean]'s cool. The music is what really matters."
A moment later, however, the "Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta" star indicated that all homosexuals should come out of the closet in order to tamp down the spread of AIDS.
"I'm glad that he came out ... so all the real women that love to mess with real men, straight men, we can keep the AIDS situation down, you feel me?" he said.
Pressed by TMZ's Harvey Levin as to whether he was implying that all gay men have AIDS, Scrappy backpedaled.
"No, no... but it's a doorway. Scientifically. Not from my mouth, this is scientifically," he said.
Scrappy went on to say that the hip hop community would be more tolerant of gay people if more artists within it came out about their sexuality. Rappers who are in the closet should have the courage to identify themselves as gay, he said.
"You a coward if you don't stand up and say that, at the end of the day," Scrappy argued.
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(Photo: Paras Griffin /Landov)