NATURAL SOUND (NO REPORTER NARRATION)<br/> <br />STORY: Rap legend Chuck D. spoke out about the controversy surrounding the admission of love for another man by up-and-coming singer Frank Ocean recently.<br/> <br />He along with Ice-T were in London on Thursday (July 19) for the premiere of Ice-T's directorial documentary debut "Something for Nothing: The Art of Rap".<br/> <br />"I think Frank Ocean's a young, black male who's an R&B singer, he's not hip-hop. And it wasn't a statement against Frank Ocean, it was a statement against the laziness of journalists who don't know what hip-hop and rap music really is. Hip-hop is clearly something else but still related to R&B singing. Is it a forward move for the hip-hop community? The hip-hop community to me is still the elements of rap music and we can't take that too lightly. Yes, it's black music but it's not hip-hop, he's an R&B singer and we should say as much," said Chuck D, formerly of militant rap group Public Enemy which found commercial success in the Nineties.<br/> <br />Ocean, part of the rap collective Odd Future, recently revealed online that his first love was a man, an admission of same-sex attraction that is seen as groundbreaking for the world of hip hop.<br/> <br />Ocean, late on July 4, posted on Twitter a link to his writings on his Tumblr blog page that described his coming to terms with his sexual orientation. But he did not specifically call himself gay.<br/> <br />The post came as Ocean faced rumours about his sexuality due to content on his forthcoming album, "Channel Orange," that one reviewer pointed out had love-themed lyrics with the word "him" instead of "her."<br/> <br />Hip hop has often faced criticism for being hostile to gays. Last year, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation singled out Tyler, The Creator - a rap star whose real name is Tyler Gregory Okonma and who leads Odd Future - for lyrics GLAAD said were derogatory toward homosexuals.<br/> <br />Chuck D. later took the stage in the evening to perform one of Public Enemy's hits "Bring The Noise".
