Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Entertainment
EntertainmentMusic

Offset Responds to Backlash Over ‘Queer’ Usage: ‘I’m Offended I Offended Anybody’

Posted byBy Kiersten Willis | Published on: | Updated on July 2, 2018 CommentsComments (0)
offset queer

Offset has come under fire for homophobia before with his group, Migos. (Scott Dudelson/Getty Images)

 

Migos rapper Offset is apologizing over the use of the word “queer” but it’s not the kind of apology you may expect. Cardi B‘s fiancé said on Instagram Thursday that he is “offended I offended anybody” by using the term, usually seen as a homophobic reference, in a verse on YFN Lucci’s “Boss Life.”

“60k solitaire / I cannot vibe with queers / I got the heart of a bear / Bustin’ them down by the pair,” he rapped on the verse.

Although the track has been out since December, it wasn’t until Wednesday, Jan. 17 that the lyric picked up steam.

It’s the second time Offset has been involved in a homophobia controversy. The first came when Migos’ Quavo indicated rapper iLoveMakonnen’s coming out affected his credibility.

“Offset saying he doesn’t vibe with queers while constantly wearing and PARADING clothes by gay designers is the REAL gag,” tweeted British singer-songwriter MNEK of the newest controversy.

“Lesson: Hip Hop culture is deeply influenced by Queer producers, writers & stylists,” tweeted Karamo Brown, host of the upcoming “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” reboot. “So understand Queers made your career! #Homophobia will not be tolerated!”

But Offset says he has nothing but love for everyone before explaining he simply used the term because of its meaning of “strange” and because it rhymed with other words in the verse.

“When I wrote that I was thinking of words that could rhyme with the others (here, lear, solitaire, bear) and I saw this definition about her having a queer feeling she was being watched and it fit what I was thinking about a stalker creepy paparazzi situation,” he explained in a Thursday, Jan. 18 Instagram post. “To me that ‘queer’ I don’t mean someone who’s gay. I mean lame people who film you, post it and stalk you. Lingo that means strange or odd.”

The statements echoed previous comments he made on Instagram Live.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BeGG7tHnjmD/

https://twitter.com/XavierDLeau/status/953960929741418496

Democracy needs journalism it can trust.

This election season, the stakes are higher than usual — and so is the pressure on newsrooms to soften their coverage, stay quiet, or just disappear. Independent reporting, the kind that answers to readers instead of advertisers or political pressure, matters more in a moment like this, not less.

For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed independent and reader-funded. We have no corporate owner and no shareholders telling us what to cover or how to cover it. That independence is also our biggest vulnerability: nothing protects it except readers choosing to fund it directly.

Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under in a moment like this, it's rarely the independent, reader-funded ones that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Related Stories

Back to top