From Frank Ocean to Jay-Z, the genre made major leaps forward with the LGBT community in 2012.
In one answer, Jay-Z cemented a new era in hip-hop.
Courtesy of Roc-A-Fella/Arthur Elgort
"I've always thought it as something that was still, um, holding the country back ... You can choose to love whoever you love ... [It] is no different than discriminating against blacks. It's discrimination plain and simple," Jay-Z said to CNN.
It wasn't forced. It wasn't qualified. Less than a week after President Obama became the first sitting president to publicly support same-sex marriage, one of the genre's most successful and prolific artists echoed his sentiment.
The rapper's stance on gay marriage was a big issue because he (along with Obama) forced the hip-hop community to publicly address the issue. Within days of Jay's statement, T.I., Diddy, and others vocalized their support for Obama and marriage equality.
And shockingly, 50 Cent flipped his opinion on homosexuality (even if it was qualified).
Courtesy of Aftermath/Lionel Deluy
"I think everyone should be happy," 50 Cent said to Vibe in the magazine's July issue. "I think a fool is going to go against same sex marriage at this point."
Though, he did qualify his statement with the suggestion that "[w]e need organizations for straight men."
However, this is quite the reversal from a few years back when he said, "If you [are] a man and your [sic] over 25 and you don’t eat pu**y just kill yourself damn it. The world will be a better place."
Even 50 has realized he can't fight the changing tide in hip-hop. Whether or not he turns into a genuine, vocal ally remains to be seen.