There has long been both overt and covert homophobia in hip-hop, but rapper, songwriter, producer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Shawn Carter — aka Jay-Z — could be changing the conversation. In an interview with CNN, Jay-Z was asked about his feelings in the wake of President Obama declaring his support for gay marriage. Jay said that
not granting gay people the right to get married is "holding the country back." He added: "What people do in their own homes is their business and you can choose to love whoever you love.

That's their business. [It] is no different than discriminating against blacks. It's discrimination plain and simple." When the reporter asked whether Obama's stance would cost him votes, Jay insisted: "It's really not about votes. It's about people… I think it's the right thing to do."