S. Samuel
Grand Hustle head T.I. is the latest hip-hop artist to offer an opinion on NBA free agent and former Atlanta Hawks center Jason Collins openly coming out of the closet about his sexuality last month.
According to Tip, unless Collins is not about making money, he supports his decision to engage in same-sex relations.
“Eh man, that’s a business. Eh, what you do, that’s your business,” T.I. said in an interview. “But, but, where the money at? Was he talking about some money? Was he talking about some money? He wasn’t talking about no money? Well we ain’t god d*mnit, we ain’t listening to it then.” (“Hood Rich Radio”)
Although brief and to the point, Young Money’s Lil Wayne recently said the announcement could pave new lanes for athletes.
“What it does for sports? It’s opening a lot of doors and it’s showing that it’s a fair world out there,” Wayne told MTV News on Saturday morning (May 4) when we sat with him in Miami at a launch party for his new Spectre by Supra sneaker, the Chimera. “Just to see how many people came to his support and things like that, that’s a pretty fair world out there. Be you.” (MTV)
A few days prior, A$AP Rocky commented on the big sports news.
“That’s his business,” Rocky said in an interview. “I respect men more for coming out. People joke on Frank Ocean a lot but at least he’s not out here fronting. It’s a lot of people, a lot of motherf*ckers be out here, they be the closet motherf*ckers, you know? I don’t respect them. I respect gay men who identify it and who are out with it. I don’t have a problem with gay people at all. So it’s like, that’s his business. It don’t concern me. Number one, I barely get to watch basketball like that as it is. Number two, I don’t even know who this n*gga is that you talking about. Dead a**. He probably has ten times more money than me but I don’t know who he is. We got the Frank Ocean of the NBA now who came out and did what he had to do. Shout-outs to him.” (KYSDC)
Jason publicly came out in an exclusive Sports Illustrated feature late last month.
“I’m a 34-year-old NBA center. I’m black. And I’m gay. I didn’t set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport. But since I am, I’m happy to start the conversation. I wish I wasn’t the kid in the classroom raising his hand and saying, “I’m different.” If I had my way, someone else would have already done this. Nobody has, which is why I’m raising my hand. My journey of self-discovery and self-acknowledgement began in my hometown of Los Angeles and has taken me through two state high school championships, the NCAA Final Four and the Elite Eight, and nine playoffs in 12 NBA seasons.” (Sports Illustrated)
Check out T.I.’s interview:
