Cardi B faces backlash for defending Offset's homophobic lyrics

Cardi B has come to the defence of her fiancé Offset, after he attracted a wave of controversy due to his latest lyrics, which include the line: “I cannot vibe with queers”.

The statement came in the middle of the Migos member’s guest spot on YFN Lucci’s song “Boss Life”, which has caused a fierce backlash for its homophobic sentiments.

Speaking in a Periscope video, Cardi B stated her belief that Offset’s comments were made through a lack of education, rather than homophobia.

“I’m not going to let somebody call him homophobic when I know that he’s not, and I’m saying this because I seen him…around gays, and he treats them with the same respect he treats everybody” the rapper explained. “He never acts uncomfortable and he just don’t care.”

She continued, “Now, that’s a word that you guys say is a bad word for gays – I never even heard that word in the first place – why don’t y’all educate people about it? A lot of people are not aware about what’s wrong or right in the LGBT community. Why don’t we do things to educate instead of bashing and trying to label something that they not? Our schools never teach us that these are bad words.”

Offset himself also defended his usage of the word by insisting he used it only in its dictionary definition of “strange, odd”, apparently claiming to have no knowledge about the word’s history with the LGBTQ community.

He wrote on Instagram, "I didn't write the line about gay people. When I wrote that I was thinking of words that could rhyme with the others (here, lear, solitaire, bear) and I saw this definition about her having a queer feeling she was being watched and it fit what I was thinking about a stalker creepy paparazzi situation."

“To me that “queer” I don’t mean someone who’s gay. I mean lame people who film you, post it and stalk you. Lingo that means strange or odd... I’m offended I offended anybody.”

This is not the first time that the Migos trio has come under fire for controversial statements about the LGBTQ community; last year, in an interview with Rolling Stone, they seemed to criticise ILoveMakonnen and his supporters after the rapper publicly announced, “I’m gay”.

“I’m surprised by Migos’ reaction when I mention iLoveMakonnen, the local MC who just came out as gay on Twitter. ‘Damn, Makonnen!’ Quavo bellows after an awkward interlude,” the article reads. “I mention support I saw online for Makonnen’s decision. ‘They supported him?’ Quavo asks, raising an eyebrow.”

"'That's because the world is fucked up,' says Offset. 'This world is not right,' Takeoff says. 'We ain't saying it's nothing wrong with the gays,' says Quavo. But he suggests that Makonnen's sexuality undermines his credibility, given the fact that 'he first came out talking about trapping and selling Molly, doing all that.'"

The trio issued a statement on Twitter in response to the controversy sprung out of the interview, reading: “We have always been about being original and staying true. Staying true to yourself goes a long way. We are all fans of Makonnen’s music and we wish he didn’t feel like ever had to hide himself.”

“We feel the world is f*cked up that people feel like they have to hide and we’re asked to comment on someone’s sexuality. We have no problem with anyone’s sexual preference. We love all people, gay or straight, and we apologise if we offended anyone.”

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