Lil’ B’s controversial album title proves a positive step

Lil’ B is gay. We’ve known this for more than a week now, since the rapper announced the title of his upcoming album, I’m Gay, onstage at Coachella.

Does this mean the world has finally found the first gay rapper?

In the common sense of the word, no.

But Lil’ B interprets the word “gay” in the old fashioned manner, using its traditional meaning of “happy.”

Judging by the chuckles that open numerous Lil’ Wayne and Wiz Khalifa songs, lots of other rappers are gay, too.

Like those rappers, Lil’ B asserts his heterosexuality far too often during many songs in his catalogue, such as the bluntly titled “Suck My Dick Ho.”

Still, the rapper felt the need to defend himself in an interview with MTV, in which he made the humorous statement, “I’m a gay, heterosexual male.”

Because of Lil’ B’s heterosexuality, many speculate the rapper’s choice of album title is simply a publicity stunt.

The rapper even hinted at this himself when he announced to the audience his latest album title would be “the most controversial thing in hip hop.”

If controversy and publicity were his aim, the rapper has already succeeded.

The story has been featured in most of the prominent music publications, and many more likely know about the MC because of it.

The announcement has also caused a negative backlash, as many of Lil’ B’s fans have abandoned him. He’s even received death threats.

But though the album title could just be a gimmick, it’s more likely a continuation of the rapper’s largely nonsensical lyrical content.

In the song “I’m Miley Cyrus,” for instance, Lil’ B brags, I look like Paris Hilton.

He has also claimed to be Barbara Walters, Martha Stewart, Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres. Despite his dark skin, he even raps, I’m white like Asher Roth in one song.

Until the announcement of I’m Gay, these lyrics always seemed funny, but otherwise dumb and pointless. It took the recent controversy to make people realize lyrical pointlessness could, in a way, be exactly Lil’ B’s point.

“So many people be worried about what people mean with definitions and words and s***” Lil’ B said onstage at Coachella.

He might not have phrased that sentence in the most grammatically correct way, but that only emphasizes the message.

Words are just words, until humans give them negative connotations.

If anything, Lil’ B’s decision is admirable in that it exposes the ridiculously negative connotations surrounding words such as “gay.”

At their core, they’re just words, and the joke is on those who have sent the rapper death threats for using one in his album title.

Even if Lil’ B’s nonsensical ramblings will never truly convince the public that words are, ultimately, meaningless, hopefully he’ll at least be able to convince people to start using these now-negative words in a more positive manner.

He’s valiant for using “gay” in a different, more progressive way. But it’s just a start.

Will Hagle is a sophomore majoring in narrative studies. His column, “Feedback,” ran Wednesdays.