Future LGBTQ Month: Cakes Da Killa's Unapologetic Voice in Hip-Hop

Fuse is celebrating Pride Month by looking at a variety of rising forces who are creating Future LGBTQ History before our eyes. Today we're honoring Cakes da Killa, the loud and proud rapper whose strong sense of self has the potential to give an important and necessary LGBTQ representation in his chosen genre.

While America as a whole has made huge strides in gay rights, acceptance and visibility, there are pockets where gay voices are still extremely rare, particularly in the hip-hop community. While there have been strides, those that do exist typically face difficulties or lack of full acceptance from their peers (see Migos' controversial response to ILoveMackonnen's coming out) with the question of how homophobic hip-hop is still commonly discussed in the media. In 2014, Cakes da Killa held an infamous interview with radio station Hot 97 (an accomplishment in and of itself, mind you) where host Ebro Darden praised the rising rapper's skills, but questioned if his perspective and use of masculine pronouns would be accessible to the larger hip-hop audience. Since then, Cakes went on to release his critically acclaimed, debut full-length album Hedonism in late 2016, marking a huge moment in his career, that continued to showcase himself in his authentic, true light while collaborating with artists of all walks of life and sexualities like Mykki Blanco, Rye Rye, Peaches and many more.