Since Lil Nas X’s unexpected ascension in 2019 and subsequent reveal that he was gay, he has labeled himself as a pioneer for the LGBTQ+ rap community. However, iLoveMakonnen feels his impact may be overlooked.
On Monday (Nov. 8), iLoveMakonnen tweeted a litany of claims reminding fans that he introduced rap to homosexuality: “I started this gay shit.”
Along with this, he said he was the reason for the prevalence of gayness in the mainstream now, with tweets like “I’m the reason u gay” and “Ur timeline says otherwise sweetheart cus all I see is that gay shit” in response to somebody tweeting he did not do a good job introducing gayness to people.
iLoveMakonnen first announced to the world that he was gay in 2017, just three years removed from his breakout 2014 hit “Club Going Up on a Tuesday” and subsequent Drake remix “Tuesday.” That song helped give him a platform that eventually landed him a deal with Drake’s OVO.
While he has not made much more noise in the rap game since then, even with two new albums and an EP in 2021, iLoveMakonnen feels that his impact is still felt to this day.
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Expanding on these arguments, Makonnen also tweeted that it is hard to be understood as a gay artist, and that he supports the entire gay community in their struggles: “This gay shit is the hardest shit anyone could ever do. Like y’all don’t be understanding the days a gay be going thru. Shouts out to all my gays , I love u I see u and I am with u! Im always with u, I wouldn’t be who I am today without u. Know that trust and believe anything is possible! I am sending u love love love !”
He would then attribute his tweets to a mushrooms trip, hoping his fans enjoyed the discourse: “I love y’all I hope u all have fun laugh enjoy it and go to bed . Ok taking mushrooms and being on twitter might or might not be the wave . But I love u”
After news broke of this Twitter episode, iLoveMakonnen says he wishes to be would prefer to be part of the conversation when people talk about him: “They love talking around me but never wanna talk directly to me. If u want smoke with me just say that, u don’t have to be starting rumors with other peoples name. Whenever y’all ready to have a conversation please include me in it so I can speak for myself. Thank u.”
Overall, it seems that iLoveMakonnen just wants his recognition for the influence he left on gay artists in rap, which is much more prevalent than it was before his emergence.
Check out iLoveMakonnen’s tweets below.