Image Credit: D Dipasupil/Filmmagic.com
For all the violence and misogyny present on his chart-topping The R.E.D. Album, Game has been getting into hot water lately thanks to stuff he’s been saying outside of his music. He got into a bunch of trouble a few weeks ago for pulling a Twitter prank on the sheriff’s office, and now he’s mouthing off about AIDS.
During a conversation with VLADTV, the Compton rapper born Jayceon Taylor was asked about whether or not it would surprise him if an established rapper came out as gay. “I don’t have a problem with gay people,” he said. “Beyoncé should have said, ‘Who run the world? Gays.’ Because they’re everywhere. And rightfully so … It’s a free country. The Game does not have a problem with gay people.”
That all sounds well and good, but then the conversation drifts into the sort of conspiracy theories you might hear on that TV show hosted by the former wrestler. (No, the other one.) “Game has a problem with people who are pretending not to be gay, but who are gay,” he said, suddenly becoming yet another wrestler. “The number one issue with that is you could be fooling somebody, and you can give them AIDS, and they can die. That in the closet s— is real scary. It’s not cool to be in the closet. Be gay and be proud.”
So in Game’s mind, there are a lot of closet homosexuals (carrying AIDS, of course) who make a habit of faking out ladies to spread the disease? That seems less like an epidemic and more like an urban legend the dude heard once. Snopes is silent on this one, so it’s probably got a few rumors to go before it becomes a full-blown piece of playground fakery.
In all honesty, it’s refreshing to hear the first part of Game’s statement— too many rappers are hostile towards gay people (and very willing to voice those opinions in an open forum).
Still, the scenario wherein closeted guys fool women into sex and kill them with AIDS seems like a problem that is not actually a problem. You know, like the debt ceiling.
Read more on EW.com:
Rapper Game pulls Twitter prank on Compton sheriff’s office — the police are not amused
Rapper Common’s White House invitation makes Sarah Palin, Fox News go crazy
T.I. sent back to prison for violating parole terms once again
But the debt ceiling IS a problem. Are you agreeing with the Game, Kyle? I think you should have stopped at “playground fakery.”
Sorry Kyle Anderson, but your attempt to make this into something controversial is a MAJOR FAIL!!!
Beyonce is the ugliest human being..inside and outside.
Relatively unknown Chicago-based singer Rebecca Francescatti has filed a lawsuit against Lady Gaga for alleged copyright infringement on her hit single “Judas.”
According to TMZ, Francescatti claims that “Juda,” a song she recorded in 1999 with her band Rebecca F. & the Memes, has multiple similarities with Gaga’s track, chief among them the fact that Francescatti’s former bass player Brian Gaynor is now employed by a music company that wrote 17 songs for Gaga’s Born This Way album.
NBC Chicago reported that Gaynor was open with Francescatti and admitted that he was writing for and working with Gaga.
Francescatti’s lawyer, Chris Niro, told TMZ that his client is seeking proper recognition for her original work.
“Though the songs are different styles, the composition is the same and the chorus is the same melody,” he told the site. “[Rebecca] is seeking recognition for what she created.”
By “recognition,” Francescatti means money she believes is owed to her.
In the lawsuit, a copy of which was obtained by the Huffington Post, Francescatti names Gaga, Interscope Records, Universal Music Group, DJ White Shadow and sound engineer Brian Joseph Gaynor as participants in creating the single “Judas,” a song that bears “a substantial similarity” to “Juda” in that Gaga allegedly “copied and incorporated substantial, original portions” of the work, though it was previously copyrighted and recorded with Gaynor. Francescatti is reportedly seeking a cut from the profits “Judas” has earned- MTV
*meowwwwww*
@ Lily are you serious? Beyonce is beautiful, almost perfect. You must be a little jealous of her beauty.
ALL BLACK MEN LOOK KIND OF GAY OR DOWNLOW TO ME..
GaGa looks like a man..ugly gay man. Your point is?
The debt ceiling is an imaginary problem created by tea baggers like yourself.
I think his comment about AIDS actually stems from a real place and a real concern. In the black community, there are plenty of gay men living straight lives on the down-low, which surely you’ve heard of it you watch Oprah. They have sex with men and carry diseases back to their wives. It sounds absurd, but it’s kind of a legitimate concern. But of course, you’d have to watch Oprah to realy know that.
Yeah, this EW hipster wanted so badly to bash Game for not matching him in erudite-ness, that he failed to consider for a second that Game was perhaps onto something; I would like to make his NPR Tote-Bag-Loving head explode by pointing out that it’s kind of racist to assume that Game must simply be a poor ignorant fool, instead of perhaps drawing on something he’s seen in his community! KABOOM!
And even pretending for a second that Game was misinformed about the latter half of his comment, is that so bad? The first half was a refreshing comment; why does the bloggersphere relish punishing people for not being as philosophically advanced as they are? Fueling the 24 hour news/rage cycle with gargabe like this has got to stop; it’s not about starting a dialogue or making the world a better place, it’s just about getting clicks and people rowed up. BTW, that is much worse and does much more damage than being a little ignorant.
I FAIL TO SEE WHERE ANYTHING THE GAME SAID WAS WRONG.
@Justin. I don’t want to make light of the issues surrounding men on the DL, but they are not the biggest cause of sexual infections within marriages. Both men and women have affairs, and both also use the services of the sex industry.
Men who have sex with men on the DL aren’t the only problem
@Dean: True. The DL is not the only way the AIDS virus is spread. The problem has many causes. As far as The Game is concerned, this article does not give me the impression that he is homophobic, but I don’t know anything else about him.
AIDS has been rampant in the black cmmty for at least a decade. While I agree that men who are “on the down low” have contributed to those numbers, the real cause is UNSAFE SEX. If the numbers of cases are increasing why does the black community still welcome and support artists that are misongynist and homophobic? The Game speaks from a place of ignorance and indifference to what is REALLY KILLING THE BLACK COMMTY. He and others like him contribute to the great losses you suffer via violence,sex,and drugs.
What an idiotic point of view by this article’s author. Because Game expresses concern with people being dishonest about themselves, this author has to distort his point of view into gays “fooling women into sex” and “killing them with AIDS”. Bottom line, no matter what one’s sexual orientation is, infidelity can expose non-cheating individuals to sexually transmitted diseases. It’s not some “conspiracy”, as the author stupidly asserts, it’s simply an increased risk.
the Game says ppl should be out. But does he call out rappers for being homophobic? Does he acknowledge that being out can cost you your life. His genre hates women,gays and black ppl.
“His genre hates women,gays and black ppl” — Wow, make sweeping remarks much?
So here is a guy that actually says something that is quite sincere but you want him to say it your way or no way? By saing he loves gays, come out of the closet etc. this is a bad thing? Get over yourself and if you don’t want to hear generalizations about gays how about avoiding them with others?
Excuse my ignorance, but if the guy with AIDS is getting it on with a lady for whatever reason, doesn’t that make him , at least, bi-sexual?
Even though you are right, for some men, -especially those in the black community but in other races of men as well- who aren’t ready to “come out” of the closet, they have sex with men and their respective female spouses to cover up the fact that they are indeed, gay. It is a growing problem and is part of the reason why some women get AIDS or other STD’s or STI’s. But if they are just a man who sleeps with both man and women and is open about it, then they would be considered bisexual. I hope that helps.
Thanks. I always thought that if a man is truly gay then the entire idea of sexual contact with a female would be out of the question.
I thought he was talking about those who were so ashamed of that part of their lifestyle that they weren’t careful or getting tested like they would if they weren’t so adamant about denying that part of themselves and their life.
i’m gay and what he says actually is a problem. someone above pointed out the oprah issue, but it is a problem in the black community, with men being on “the down low” and having unprotected anonymous sex and then bringing those diseases back into the bedroom with their spouses/girlfriends/etc. i think he could have said it more eloquently, but i don’t think the main point of his argument was that all gay men have AIDS.
thank you. you said this the way I wanted to.
Now i’m lgbt and have and from a medical bcurgkoand, it is far far easier to contract HIV when having anal sex as the walls of the intestine tair easily. Now this applies to heterosexual intercourse and homosexual intercourse. Now homosexual intercourse being primarily what it is, there are far higher chances of getting HIV but it is definetely not a gay disease and is more prominent in the heterosexual community
Does the EW writer have difficulty believing that there are many men “on the downlow”? Is it that hard to believe? Believe it. It is for real.
He is spot on. HIV transmission is a huge problem for African-American men who are on the “downlow.”
But it aint the only problem
My comment got eaten by the EW filter… but to reiterate what others have said, The Game is absolutely spot-on. HIV transmission is a big problem with men on the “downlow.”
In this thread we see comment after comment about down low “gay” men. Look at the numbers in the black community and you will see that we are NOT practicing safe sex….no matter who’s sexing who. The Game and those like him serve only to reinforce an unhealthy and dangerous lifestyle. I dont think anyone can look at the black community and say that “artists” (not really tho) like him havent influenced life for the better. He can say gay folks should be out, but will he chastise the industry(genre) that advocates bashing and killing gays? IMO he has no credibility. Homophobia is real and it can affect your life, your job and even threatens custody of your children. Yawl give me a break….the Game is in a game that hates women, black people and gays.
JoelJust to clarify, my rpesonse was to the following: I am not big on anything going in or out of the anal cavity, and I feel genuinely sorry for gays who develop horrible hemmoroidal or venereal problems there as many do. To cite fact: regular anal sex does not incite haemorrhoids or any other venereal disease. In order to catch an STI (or VD for the Americans) one must have unprotected sex with an infected person. And haemorrhoids are most commonly caused by a low fibre/high fat diet. Over half of all Americans have them in some form. In cases where anal sex causes the patient to notice the haemorrhoid, the same effect would have happened from a large-ish bowel movement. I understand that you remember your doctor from the 70s teach you the facts that you cite, but research and medicine has come a long way since then. So has the understanding for the need for contraception as I’m sure you’re aware. I’m sure anal sex spread much venereal disease in the 70s. Protected sex was hardly a big topic then. Also, many people died from sex 40 years ago. AIDS may not have been as prevalent but it has been assisting in the deaths of humans since the Late 19th Century. (Leading theories are that it was transfered from West African apes). The disease was just not IDENTIFIED until the 80s. Since people die from AIDS related illnesses rather than the syndrome itself, the deaths of people prior to this date were just attributed solely to the disease they contracted with under the immuno-deficient state they were in. I agree with you however, that health and sex do not have to be mutually exclusive BUT I also think that health and ANAL sex do not have to be mutually exclusive. The above is my reasoning. I did not intend to flame but argue and debate reasonably. I saw issue with your comment/argument and wanted to respond. As for Davey splintering the already splintered minority’, it hardly seems the actions of someone who blogs consistently about tolerance, acceptance and love. I think we would all do well to take his words in the spirit that they were intended rather than nit-pick his syntax. If it were post on the diversity of sexual options and he neglected to mention options outside of anal sex, I would not doubt the validity of your comment. The main talking point of this blog, however, was anal sex and he discussed the options accordingly.
Strangely enough, the main problem in the male African American community behind ALL of these complexities, as well as illegitimate pregnancies, is a cultural aversion to condoms.
Did you really have the racist gall to just suggest there are too many black people and black men need to wear condoms more often?
Not to put words in Strepsi’s mouth, but the comment suggests that the cause of unplanned pregnancies AND the spread of sexually transmitted diseases would be the lack of proper condom use. It isn’t just men living on the “down low” spreading diseases (or African American men living on the dl), it’s any and all men who refuse to practice safe sex spreading diseases. Likewise, unplanned pregnancies are often the effect of lack of the use of contraceptives, regardless of race. Therefor, if a social/ethnic group exhibits high instances of unplanned pregnancies and/or sexually transmitted diseases, it suggests a lack of proper sexual health education. Without having statistics for the breakdowns of sexually transmitted diseases by race, it would be unwise to suggest that either is a problem exclusive to the African American community (or that they are among the statistical leaders). However, if it is a problem that the African American community at large recognizes within itself (as the comments above seem to suggest), Strepsi can infer that the education of proper condom use is lacking.
Yea, I’m not one to bash writers, and I’m not coming from a place of cruelty, but rather education, Kyle Anderson really has no idea what he or she is talking about here.
Aren’t AA women the fastest growing group of new HIV ? As a gay men , I am fine with what he said, I dont think it came out EXACTLLY like he meant tho. He is also PHINNEEE
Unfortunately it is black gay and bisexual men aged 13 to 29 according to last month’s CDC report.
The argument here doesn’t seem to be about what he said, it’s about how this uneducated writer believed it to be an “urban legend” or “playground fakery.” I think I’ll be avoiding Kyle Anderson’s articles from now on. Perhaps he or she should go do some research before saying stuff like that.
TRUE
Am I the only one that finds the most disturbing thing to be that the Game talks about himself in third person?
Yes, he’s whack
Word!
I think as a writer its really irresponsible to take something someone said that was a GENUINE concern and turn it into something completely off.
As a gay man myself and as a gay man that grew up on the streets that The Game raps about , there are NUMEROUS men that pretend to be straight or may be bisexual but due to how they grew up or fear or whatever the reason may be, cannot come out , Its an actual phenomenon called DOWNLOW BROTHERS, Men that are with women but sleep with men as well . There are numerous , NUMEROUS cases about women being in a commited relationship and then finding out they are positive, Maybe just maybe as a writer with a platform you might want to fact find and do your research before you post a article that is a blatant attack on someone . For a minute i thought i was reading a News of the world instead of EW ..
the game and those like him hate gays,women and black people. stop defending ignorance
I didn’t think it came across as hatred from the Game towards gay people. On the contrary.
Very incorrect. The only thing that could be taken as bad is his comment could be seen as anti-bisexual men; that he’s okay with gay men, but if you have sex with men at all you’re gay, period, and shouldn’t have sex with women because you’re in denial. That’s not actually the case, but bisexual men are the new whipping post for that part of society who have finally accepted gays.
Down low or not, i think the point of this article was to spotlight the idea that game implied and ASSUMED that men who sleep with men and women (right or wrongly) are carrying HIV only because they sleep with men. Straight people carry HIV/AIDS in large numbers too. I have always found that straight people will assume they’re allowed to have condom free sex more so than gay people because unfortunately so often gay people are stigmatized as carrying diseases more than straight people. That’s not right either to assume that.
The Game didn’t imply any such thing. However, gay men have a tendency to engage in things that heterosexuals don’t like anonymous hook ups in bathrooms, locker rooms and sex shops. They also have a higher amount of risky sexual practices like a n a l sex , f i s ti n g, o r a l sex and o r a l/ a n al sex that are more likely to result in transmission of the AIDS virus. Plus there’s the prison population. These men have gay sex in prison, enjoy it , and continue having it when they get out. The problem is that they also sleep with women. The Game is being responsible in acknowleging that this is going on- a lot of folks in the black community refuse to get real about the danger- and he should be applauded, not criticized. Of course he knows that straight people have AIDS too, but he was asked about gay people. He in no way made gay slurs, he was just saying that gay men need to be honest with themselves and stop using women to hide behind.
acknowledging
the game needs to be honest about unsafe sex. period. bisexual men transmit AIDS but so do heteros. His genre hates women,gays and black people
@Vee- The Game was asked about gay people specifically. Therefore, he answered that way. He didn’t say that heteros don’t have AIDS. The majority of rap artists don’t agree with homosexuality, yet some are closet cases. You can’t blame The Game for the ignorance of others.