The FADER has published a new feature on iLoveMakonnen, which marks the first time the ATL-reared rapper-crooner has given an interview since revealing that he was gay in January. The piece is full of lengthy, elliptical comments from Makonnen–who is currently living outside of Portland–mostly addressing the recent controversy over his sexuality as well as other setbacks he’s suffered in his career.
Makonnen specifically addressed Migos’ homophobic comments to Rolling Stone about his announcement: “[They said] some comments like, “World’s fucked up.” My world, that I was living in, was fucked up for me. That’s all I can say to clear those comments up like that. My world. The world itself is a beautiful place…” He clarified that he and Migos have never really talked or spent time together as friends. Discussing whether he thought the rap trio had a problem with gay people in general, Makonnen jokingly responded: “Hell nah, they ain’t got no problem with gay people! They fuckin’ song is ‘Versace’! Like, the fuck! Nigga, [Gianni] Versace is the gayest nigga. They ain’t got issues with him, why they got issues with me?”
Makonnen’s other most recent controversy was the termination of his contract with Drake’s OVO Sound label last year, which apparently resulted in a scuffle between Makonnen and Drake at an afterparty for the MTV Video Music Awards in the fall. Here’s Makonnen’s account of the altercation:
It was in the middle of the goddamn afterparty at the Up&Down club. Everybody that was in there was in there. I’m in here around these Vanguard Awards and I’m accepted and I took pictures with Chainsmokers and G-Eazy and everybody and we all friends. And I’m here in the middle of the floor, no security, and they coming and I just step to the side and they see me and stop and the biggest motherfucker in the game goes, woo woo woo, “Next time I’ma fuck you up!”
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And all security and everybody stop like, “What the fuck.” And the guys with me was like, “What you do?!”
I don’t have nothing to say. All I did was smile. And I guess they took that as a threat. I was confused, like, “It can’t be little old me. I’m just a goddamned old record from way back when. What the fuck am I doing causing stresses and pains?”
In case there was any doubt that he was referring to Drake’s posse, Makonnen clarified: “Around all that security, the dude that’s doing it — we have a platinum-selling record together! The guy! The leader of the crew!” Makonnen cited an infamous June freestyle on Tim Westwood’s radio show, in which he made a passing reference to OVO, as a possible instigating factor for the incident. There’s also a lot of discussion about the ways in which Drake seemed to lose all interest in helping or working with Makonnen after his 2014 hit “Tuesday,” which Drake popularized, faded as a cultural phenomenon.
Makonnen also noted that prior to coming out this year, he was blackmailed by his former manager, who threatened to expose his sexuality publicly: “He fucked me over and tried to steal and tried to expose me as being gay. I was like, ‘You right, I need to come out fully on my own. I can tell everybody about me.'”
You can read the full thing here.
