LOS ANGELES, Sept. 21 — Rapper Ja Rule recently caused quite a stir with rather blunt remarks denouncing the growing depictions of gays and lesbians in mass media; citing it as both “ruining America,” and something that his children should not be exposed to.
Yahoo! Music recently caught up with 18-year-old rapper/actor, Romeo (formerly known as Lil' Romeo) on the set of his forthcoming film, Down and Distance (a family comedy, which also stars Gary Busey and Brian Bosworth), and inquired his reaction to Ja’s comments:
“I think it was ignorant of him to say. Gays are everywhere in the industry and society in general. That’s not changing. So why shouldn’t they get to be on TV and in the movies like everybody else?!” candidly retorted Romeo [born Percy Miller, Jr.], who went on to say, “He can’t really believe that none of the peeps who bought his records were gay, and I bet that he wouldn’t give any of ‘em a refund.”
When Yahoo! Music further queried the young rapper about how he feels about persons who are LGBT, he responded: “It doesn’t matter. I’m cool with everybody who is cool with me. So long as you’re not hurting nobody, I’m not gonna hate on peeps for who they are. I have a few friends who are gay and why not? They alright with me.”
Romeo, the son of iconic rap star Master P., burst onto the music scene in 2000, at the tender age of ten. In the time since, he has released six albums, has acted in seven feature films, and most recently starred in his own television series Romeo!, which ran for three seasons on the Nickelodeon network. Now standing at a robust 6’1, the not-so-Lil’ Romeo is currently attending USC.
—Christopher Janssen, Yahoo! Music
By now, everyone has undoubtedly heard about the recent scurrilous comments Ja Rule, this has-been rapper from about five years ago, made about homosexuality, and how it’s (according to him) “ruining America.” That he doesn’t want his kids subjected to those ‘improper’ afternoon television shows on MTV that feature same sex dating, mating, etc., etc.
In the meantime—as expected—people have become up and arms about this fool’s idiotic comments; citing hypocrisy, questioning how someone like him who has rapped about bitches, ho’s, slangin’, and killing mother fuckers would have the audacity to second-guess media that merely show folks (who happen to be of the same gender) interacting with each other on an interpersonal level, who in the meantime aren’t harming anyone or anything. And of course, there *is* logic in that counter argument.
But am I the only one who quite frankly finds Ja Rule *so* laughably passé and insignificant that his comments about…anything…have absolutely so resonance whatsoever. Homophobia is a bad thing. We all know that. And it’s especially irksome, and potentially more destructive, when it comes from someone (a public figure) who has a platform to spew their bullshit to a mass audience. Sure.
Again, I just can’t summon up the passion to bring myself to become indignant about some washed up pop-rapper, who sounds like DMX-with-a-cold and laughably tries to present himself as a thug, in spite of singing duets with Jlo and Ashanti…and once made a music video modeled after the film Grease. Talk about “gay.” Sorry. Not interested. So in conclusion, let him have his little ignorant tangent. Seems it’s the last thing he found to do that can generate any kind of press, since his “music career” crashed and burned after 50 Cent called his ass a “Wangsta.”