Rapper Jay-Z now has a big fan in Sir Elton John.The British pop legend said he was so moved when Jay-Z came out in favor of gay marriage that he called him.
“Jay-Z, who’s probably the most respected African-American artist, came out and said not only is it wrong to not have gay marriage, but any discrimination in life is wrong,” John, 65, told MSNBC. “It was an incredibly moving statement. I phoned him up in England and said, ‘You have no idea what you’ve just said, how powerful this is.’
John said Jay-Z’s statement was especially courageous because of the controversy over the issue in the African American community.
“The African-American society were a little apprehensive about this all along, and when you get someone who is a role model like Jay-Z to come out and say this… I take my hat off to him and I respect him so much for doing that.” He added: “When I next see him I’m going to give him the biggest hug.”
After President Obama made his statement in May that he was not opposed to same-sex marriage, Jay-Z was one of the most vocal and visible supporters. His view was especially meaningful because the hip hop community hasn’t exactly been the most progressive community when it comes to gays.
“What people do in their own homes is their business. It’s no different than discriminating against blacks. It’s discrimination plain and simple,” Jay-Z said.
Just yesterday, R&B star Chris Brown came under fire when he took the bait from paparazzi who asked him how he felt about R&B singer Frank Ocean, who recently told the world that he had been in love with a man. Brown’s response was, “No homo, man,” a slang term used when people are trying to distance themselves from any suggestion they might be gay.
