A Timeline of Hip Hop Homophobia

1988: Will Smith Tells AIDS Victims to "Be Quiet"

Yes, even that cute kid from Philadelphia who doesn't curse because his grandmother told him not to has some skeletons in his closet. In a 1986 live recording released on the triple platinum He's The DJ, I'm The Rapper, you can hear the young Smith pumping up his audience by chanting, "All the ugly people be quiet / All the filthy, stinky, nasty people be quiet / all the homeboys that got AIDS be quiet / all the girls out there that don't like guys be quiet." It's surprising to hear how casual homophobia infected even the most squeaky-clean of hip-hop. But it should be noted that Smith has matured quite a bit since then: he recently came out in support of same-sex marriage, noting that, “If anybody can find someone to love them and to help them through this difficult thing that we call life, I support that in any shape or form."