A$AP Rocky Addresses Homophobia in Hip-Hop

Rapper A$AP Rocky tackles the issue of homophobia in hip-hop in the new issue of Complex magazine along with Jeremy Scott, who is an openly gay fashion designer. The two share the cover of the publication’s February/March issue, which hits newsstands on Feb. 7.

In the candid interview, PopCrush’s 2012 Artist to Watch alum doesn’t see a problem embracing a clothing or design created by a gay man. “I’m not homosexual. That’s not where I’m at with my life. But I can still be greatly inspired by a homosexual,” he explains to the magazine. “It has nothing to do with their sexuality. If I start discriminating against people, that will stop me as a person. That’s ignorant. What the f— does that have to do with anything?”

Rocky hopes that by wearing Scott’s innovative Adidas collaborations that it will possibly change people’s views about homosexuality. “It’s not like I want to date this m—–f—er — I’m inspired by this dude,” he says. “This isn’t about fashion, it’s what he personally did for me. I’m not saying I’m going to be an activist. I want to enlighten those brothers. I used to be like them, but I’m a grown-a– man. I don’t care what another man does with his time.”

Scott, who has designed clothes for pop sirens Katy Perry and Rihanna, concurs with Rocky’s sentiments. “Why does [homophobia] exist in the world? I don’t know,” Scott says. “It’s just one of those things. I don’t know why people care about what other people do. When this becomes an issue in politics, that’s the thing that boggles my mind. I heard on CNN that Republicans won’t get behind Mitt Romney because of abortion and gay marriage. Why do you care?”

In the end, Scott appreciates hip-hop culture and says it has motivated him to continue to be innovative with his clothing line and designs. “That’s why I’ve always been inspired by hip-hop artists, because they transform things — even just the jean, turning it around, inside out, sagging it — all these different things,” he explains. “Yes, of course we get little things from other music movements, but hip-hop has been like, Pow! It’s really inspiring and it’s the only new music that has come along in eons. Rock and roll has been around — it’s changing forms. But hip-hop is major.”