Female U.K. rapper slags homophobic musicians

BBC News reports that MC Shystie, a rising female rapper in the United Kingdom, has spoken out against homophobia in the rap and dancehall worlds. "It's 2004--a lot of things are going on out here," she told BBC World Service's The Music Biz show. "There's boundaries and lines not to cross, and I think some people are crossing those lines. Keep your thoughts to yourself. It's your personal opinion and another man's preference. So it's not really got anything to do with you." She went on to dismiss Beenie Man's recent apology for his past homophobic lyrics as "iffy," noting, "He's done so many [antigay] songs, it must have hurt him to come out and say that he was wrong. It's hypocritical--you've said all that stuff, and then you come and apologize. Does he really mean it? I don't know." She also said she suspects that many rappers are gay "behind closed doors" and that she has many gay fans. "I've been to clubs where I've had homosexual people come up to me and say, 'I really like your music.' I don't feel offended by that. So I'm not then going to go out and disrespect people that buy my music and like what I'm doing."