Out lesbian rapper, Melange Lavonne, is perhaps best known for her song, “Gay Bash,” a heartfelt response to losing her best friend in a hate crime. But Lavonne’s outspokenness doesn’t stop there; she addresses many GLBT issues on her new album, The Movement, and will headline San Diego Dyke Fest on July 26. The Gay & Lesbian Times had a chance to chat with the groundbreaking artist about Pride, activism and the state of hip-hop music today.

Gay & Lesbian Times: You address a lot of substantial queer issues in your songs – gay marriage, hate crimes, gay parenting, etc. Why is it important to you to be vocal when it comes to these issues?

Melange Lavonne: Since I am in the limelight and there are more gay outlets for music [than there used to be], I need to utilize this in a positive way and address issues that wouldn’t be addressed otherwise in mainstream hip-hop. I also believe that it is a responsibility which God gave me, to be a voice. So I have no other choice but to address these issues.

GLT: When did you start rapping, and why did you choose rap/hip-hop as your chosen form of creative expression?

ML: I starting writing when I was 12, after [being diagnosed with] cancer. I didn’t know how to articulate my feelings and words in conversation, so I started writing poetry. Then when I saw hip-hop was picking up and saw more images of it on TV and video, my best friend taught me how to put my poetry into rhymes, and rhymes over beats.

GLT: What does Pride season mean to you? What is your favorite Pride memory or experience?

ML: Pride means tolerance, acceptance, being proud, and standing up for an important cause, which is equality. I think my favorite pride memory was when I was [performing at] New York City’s Pride Festival and even though it rained, people were standing in the rain hanging on to every word I was saying. I felt blessed, appreciated and heard.

GLT: What has your experience been as a female GLBT rapper, trying to find success in a genre of music that is notorious for being both homophobic and misogynistic? Do you feel like the landscape of hip-hop is changing or stuck in a rut?

ML: It’s been an interesting ride, hearing ignorant people address gay hip-hop and gay [life] in itself. It is no longer sad to me; I just feel sorry for those people, that they can’t expand past [their] beliefs and enlighten their minds and souls. I’m not sure if hip-hop is stuck in a rut because I dont’ listen to hip-hop on the radio anymore, unless I’m in a club or in someone else’s car who happens to play it. I couldn’t care less if it’s stuck in a rut because I know I am not, and as long as I am not stuck then my words will carry.