Black gay artist
Home / gay topics / Black gay artist
But, as chronicled on VH1’s “Love and Hip-Hop: New York,” Pearson has also been trying her hand in the music business.
In addition to having her own record label, she also appears in Tony Yayo’s song “It’s A Stick Up.” Pearson’s tumultuous romantic relationship with former girlfriend J. Adrienne also served as an interesting storyline on the reality show.
What can we expect? Dai Burger started as a background dancer for rappers like Lil Mama, but she’s now standing on her own with her work, and is one of the most visible faces of queer parties in Brooklyn. His legacy often remains linked to disco's fall from mainstream popularity. In April, she released a new single, Breakdown, so stay tuned for new drops!
Young M.A
After releasing the hit Ooouuu back in 2016, Brooklyn-bred Young M.A became instantly a household name, gracing the pages of media outlets such as Vogue and The New York Times.
The rapper, poet and activist started making waves in the early 2010s with works like Cosmic Angel, Betty Rubble and Gay Dog Food, and she’s collaborated with everyone from Dazed to Gucci, to Teyana Taylor, Woodkid and Devendra Banhart since then. The fact that I’m a gay black man in a field typically inhabited by straight white men is confrontational enough at most times.” With the highly-praised 2018 EP Body Mods, he ended up playing a Boiler Room in Paris and turned him into a name to keep an eye on.
Mykki Blanco
At this point, it’s hard not to know Mykki Blanco.
Big Freedia
Erika Goldring via Getty Images
The self-described “Queen Diva of New Orleans Bounce,” Big Freedia thrust herself into southern hip-hop culture in 1999 ― but it wasn’t until a decade later that she gained widespread recognition. But his breakthrough came in 2018 with his LP Power, published by renowned Tri Angle, which he toured in festivals around the world like Spain’s LEV Gijón – which has seen the likes of Refik Anadol, Lucrecia Dalt, Martin Messier and Robin Fox perform.
LSDXOXO
Avoiding streaming platform Spotify and concentrating almost all of his work on his SoundCloud profile is statement enough to understand Philadelphia-born, Berlin-based artist LSDXOXO.
At just 21 years old, he’s one of the most promising voices of the current scene, and we can’t wait to hear more from him.
Lotic
“A typical Lotic track balances on the edge between agony and ecstasy, sweetness and malevolence,” wrote Philip Sherburne for Pitchfork.
In the meantime, stay proud and claim your blackness and queerness deafeningly loud.
Correction: An earlier version of this article stated that Angel Haze is currently dating model Ireland Baldwin but the two are no longer romantically linked. Just one year later, he released his first work, Miles From Heaven, a 10-track album exploring her experiences as a young trans girl living in NYC – titles range from Death Drop and Drama to Rough Club Sex and Bonfire.
After dominating the New Orleans club scene for over a decade, the artist brought the movement worldwide with her reality show, Big Freedia Bounces Back. Blanco, whose real name is Michael Quattlebaum Jr. wouldn’t be who he is without the vulgar lyricism, wry humor and free-spiritedness echoed in songs like “For the C**ts.”
3.
French DJ and producer Kiddy Smile is no stranger to the fashion and cinema worlds, intertwining his music practice with other artistic interests that make him more complete as a performer and creative.
Lil Nas X
The rapper broke the record for longest consecutive run in the No.
1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart – seventeen weeks.
While some of Young M.A’s lyrics about women are disappointingly problematic and may prevent her from becoming the poster child for lesbian feminism, her ability to dominate the hip-hop scene regardless of her sexual orientation was pretty monumental. For that reason, we’ve compiled a list of twenty queer, Black artists you should be listening to in times of protest and revolution.
As festivals are being held throughout the world this June in honor of LGBTQ Pride Month, homage is simultaneously being paid to black music pioneers in acknowledgement of Black Music Month. His second LP came after his debut in 2016, 99.9%, which turned him into one of the hottest new artists of the year – he performed at Afropunk, Lovebox, III Points and Sónar Barcelona, among many others, between 2016 and 2017.
Kehlani
In April 2018, after kissing Demi Lovato on stage, Kehlani decided to address her sexuality on Twitter in a… well, very Kehlani way.
These artists aren't just shaping the future of music, they are inspiring activism, fostering community, and embodying the transformative power that music holds. Angel Haze
Andrew Benge via Getty Images
Angel Haze caught the internet’s attention in 2013 with their painful recollection of childhood sex abuse in a rendition of Eminem’s “Cleaning Out My Closet.” The song inspired conversations about how rap can confront rape culture and Haze has since had a number of singles.
They are taking matters into their own hands, showing the world just how vibrant and vital their voices are.
It is time to not only support the brilliant black queer singers who have carved and are carving their path today but work actively to dismantle systemic biases so that the next generation of artists can take center stage without boundaries.
It's not enough to simply admire their talent – we must also become active in their support.