Putting the rap on homophobia
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Australian rapper 360 is campaigning against homophobia in rap. Picture: supplied.
Source: Supplied
It’s May 2011. Melbourne rapper 360, aka Matt Colwell, is about to release his major label debut album Flying and Falling. He’s already had radio hits with Just Got Started and Throw It Away and has built a huge online following through his rapid-fire wordplay in rap battles.
After an interview I mention to Colwell that, as a smart man, he could probably find a less offensive way to insult his opponent in the battles than calling them a `faggot’. He took it on board, saying no one had ever brought that to his attention.
In October of this year 360 took to his Twitter page to thank me for “having the courage to be so upfront about an issue I had never put much thought into.”
He continued “I am not homophobic at all” and that our conversation had helped him “understand the position I was in to influence young people and be a good role model. Not only have I never said another homophobic comment in a song my whole outlook on making music has changed. I genuinely want to make a positive difference to the world.”
It’s a topic 360 touches on in the lyrics to It’s All About to End, the powerful closer on his upcoming album Utopia. Here 360 expands on his thoughts in this open letter.
“I was so ignorant to just how offensive the word `faggot’ is. Or how offensive it is to say something is ‘gay’ if you don’t like it. I grew up in Ringwood. There is ignorant racism and homophobia everywhere, and I was surrounded by it there. People say those terms all the time and probably think they’re not homophobic or racist, but they are. If you use the term ‘faggot’ you’re holding everything back. Saying ‘That’s gay’ is offensive. You might not mean it to be offensive, but it is. So is shorting people’s race, like calling Japanese ‘Japs’. It is offensive and it has to stop. If my friends use ‘fag’ I’ll tell them ‘Do you actually know how offensive that word is?’ Because they obviously don’t. It’s about making people understand. I was so blind to the fact, I had no idea how offensive I was being calling people a ‘fag’. Once your eyes are open to it, you should just stop. You tend to think people are good people deep down, when they’re shown they’re being offensive they will stop. I don’t think I’ll change the world but if it affects some people that’s a start.
Mike man on a mission … 360 performing at the Gold Coast Big Day Out earlier this year.
Source: News Limited
“Once I had it made clear to me how hurtful saying `fag’ was I thought ‘F— hell, what am I doing?’ It’s the same with racism. A lot of Australian kids are ignorant to the fact that the words they say are offensive. They don’t get it. People drop homophobic slurs every single day and it’s f—ing hurtful. I didn’t realise that. Now that I do, I’ve been made to realise I’m in a position to actually change peoples’ minds. I never thought I’d be someone who could influence young kids and the culture. I have to do it. I want to. I really want everyone to realise that.
“I don’t want people to think I listened to Macklemore’s song (Same Love) and copied the trend. It’s not like that at all. I genuinely want people to realise how f—ed up it is. It’s modern day segregation and it’s still there. It’s everywhere. I really want to change that. I love that Macklemore song though. I could not believe that especially in Australia a song with that message made No.1. I get disappointed by things people say then you see that and it gives you hope. It’s great. I know hip hop people who hate on Macklemore which baffles me. He can rap his arse off, but he’s covering issues that are so good. He’s not doing what everybody else is doing. He’s not rapping about girls and money, he’s actually making a change.
“Daniel (Johns) and I wrote It’s All About to End; I think lyrically it’s the best song on the album. I touch on so many things, from religion to homophobia. Daniel used to cop it so hard, people abusing him because he wore make-up in Silverchair and has gay friends. He thought it was awesome I’m doing this. His mates that are gay, they would never expect me to say these things. They probably expect me to be a bigot, people who saw my rap battles probably think that because I used that term. I didn’t know what I was doing. But I want to stop it. I will never say that word again. If my friends say it, I stop them. If a friend puts it in their rap it can’t be on my song. It’s not just a word. It hurts people.
Purple reign … 360 in action on the Big Day Out stage.
Source: News Limited
“I’ve met heaps of my gay fans. Now I want to take those rap battles and edit them or take them down. It’s offensive. But I’ve learnt from my mistakes. If people ask me about now it I’ll say I was ignorant, I’ll be honest. But I understand more, I’ve evolved more mentally. If someone has their eyes opened they should change, it’s as simple as that. I’m going to be in a rap battle in August in Canada. I kind of hope the other guy uses that word, because I’ve got a whole rhyme ready about people who use that word in rap battles. It’s just a cop out, it’s easy to say. It’s not smart. It’s lazy. I want to people to just not do it. Saying someone’s sexuality is wrong is f—ed up. It really is. It’s very similar to racism. People can’t choose their sexuality as they can’t choose their race. Equality has to happen.
“It’s crazy how many young kids have contacted me. I wrote a song about suicide (Closer), and people wrote to me and said that because of that song they didn’t kill themselves and now their life is better. There’s literally been a few hundred, even a thousand people who have said that to me or sent me personal messages about that. That’s when I learnt my words can help people. Why wouldn’t I try and use it to improve things? You can go and reap the rewards of being someone in the spotlight making money and milk it and do the right things that will keep making you money and give you success. I want success, but I’d be so happy at the end of my life if I could look back and see that my songs changed the way a lot of kids think or helped kids. Issues about drug abuse, child abuse, everything. I’m trying to share my own experiences. I let everybody in, say all this sh – about myself and then hopefully it helps people. It’s surreal to have kids look up to me that much. I’m not saying I’m an amazing person, but it does make me grab control of what I’m saying and really try and make a difference.”
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