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Spanish rapper Arkano first got our attention last month when he appeared on MasterChef Celebrity 6 in Spain and talked about being “open to everything” when it comes to sex.
Asked by another cast member about rainbow flag photo he’d posted to Instagram, the 27-year-old replied that he liked to keep an open mind about sex and relationships.
“Only girls on Tinder,” he said, causally. “Other than that, I have done everything. I am open to everything.”
Now, in a new interview with the online publication Shangay, Arkano says that, since making the remarks, he’s received a ton of homophobic responses on social media. Luckily, he doesn’t let them get to him.
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“Insults give me more strength,” he says, “and they inspire me with songs like Único, to make visible the problem of homophobia in rap, after of so many insults that I have received. It is positive to provoke that discussion.”
Único is his latest single, a powerful anthem that blasts machismo culture, homophobia in the church, and sexual discrimination. The music video features several queer performers.
Asked if whether his comment about being “open to everything” was intended to be a coming out moment, Arkano said no. He prefers to keep his sexuality ambiguous to avoid being labeled things like “the gay rapper.”
“The greatest example of freedom is that of not needing to define oneself,” he explains. “I don’t see it as an exercise in not positioning myself. It is that I want to do whatever I want at all times without having to limit myself.”
He added that talking openly about his sexual experiences, and voicing his support for LGBTQ people on social media and in his music, is all part of his way of “naturalizing the presence of the LGBTQ collective within rap, so that the sexual orientation of each [rapper] does not have to be taken into account.”
Looking back on his career, Arkano acknowledges that he made some mistakes that he now regrets.
“When I started in rap, I followed the behaviors of that culture that I now consider toxic, I behaved like a macho and I have even made homophobic attacks,” he says.
But not anymore.
“These are things that I have managed to change in myself,” he says, “and they have become the main source of motivation to continue, to trust that many more people who still act like that will also change.”
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Donston
The fact that he claims to not want to open up because he’s hella concerned with being labeled a “gay rapper” is kinda messy. And it’s something that “queer media” refuses to confront. We have all these people trying to hype up their queer pride and make themselves victims/martyrs while at the same time still promoting fear, shame, queer insecurities and their career ambition above all else. I do get it. I couldn’t care less about identities at this point. While I understand how individual sexuality is, how everyone has their own struggles and motivations and journeys, the nature of fluidity and contradictions and experimentation, and the gender, sexual, romantic, emotional investment, commitment spectrum. But these people have got to find a better to express themselves, ways don’t come off so insecure and gay panic-y. A lot of these public figures could use a lot more tact before they give these interviews. Because so many are coming off problematic without seeing to try.
nm4047
if you don’t won’t to be labelled, why would you then put out a ‘story’ about your ‘sexual ambiguity’. This will be the only time his name will be mentioned in dispatches. (any publicity is good publicity credit PT Barnum) .
Donston
There are a lot of people who label every guy who messes around with guys or admits to having some non hetero attractions as “gay”. And there are a lot of people who do not understand the complexity and individuality of psychology, sexuality, gender, fluidity, the spectrum. However, the remedy to that isn’t to obsess with being seen as “not gay”. There are plenty of folks who simply say that they’re “queer”, plenty who simply express their dimensions and struggles and give no identity. There’s nothing wrong with saying you’re bi/pan/fluid. There’s nothing wrong with just showing up with your partner on social media one day and giving no explanation. You don’t have to adhere to any identity, but you do need to be tactful with publicly expressing your queerness.
Too many guys make their “queerness” come off as mostly about publicity, money, attention, validation or about how “not gay” they are. And if you fit into either category you end up coming off trashy.
Donston
One thing a lot of people need to stop doing is looking towards the “queer community” to solve all their issues. Your mental health struggles, traumas, drug addictions, insecurities, gay panic, internalized phobias, fluidity, contradictions, confusions, wherever you are in the gender, sexual, romantic, emotional investment, relationship comfort, commitment spectrum- that’s all you. Too many people use “coming out” or attaching to queerness in whatever ways as a life jacket, and they end up just leeching on “queer” acceptance, attention, validation, sociology. I understand that toxic masculinity, hetero pressures, male homophobia, trans-phobia are still widespread and that everyone has their own issues and journeys. But just because you can’t fit in with the “straights” doesn’t mean you need to find other demos mostly to tick up your ego. And honestly, if you still have a lot of issues that method is only gonna work for so long.
Directly saying that you don’t want to be “out” mainly because you don’t want to be labeled “the gay rapper”, but then pretty much using “queerness” for some quick publicity, it is at the very least awkward if not problematic. And it actually goes against the message he’s supposedly trying to teach, about not allowing sociology and ego and approval dictate your life. He needs to reformulate some shit.