Bryan Steffy/Getty Images for iHeartMediaMigos rapper Offset is defending one of his lyrics that many perceive to be homophobic, saying it is not about gay people.
He is featured on rapper YFN Lucci's track "Boss Life" and raps, "Pinky ring crystal clear, 40k spent on a private Lear / 60k solitaire / I cannot vibe with queers."
"I didn't write the line about gay people," Offset said on Instagram on Thursday, alongside a screenshot of Google's dictionary's first definition of the word "queer"—an adjective meaning "strange" or "odd." He cropped the image above a part that describes that word as an informal, offensive term for a homosexual man.
"I have said before since these issues before that I got love for all people," the rapper said. "My passion for fashion has lead me to a lot of gay people around me who I have mad respect for and we are very cool so I'm not in a place where I'm hating like that. 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."
Offset said that he wrote "queer" not to mean "someone who's gay," but rather "lame people who film you, post it and stalk you. Lingo that means strange or odd."
"I M S O R R Y," he said. "I A P O L O G I Z E. I'm offended I offended anybody."
Last year, Offset and the other members of Migos were criticized over remarks they made to Rolling Stone about rapper iLoveMakonnen's announcement on Twitter that he is gay and the support he received online.
"They supported him?" Quavo asked, raising an eyebrow.
"That's because the world is f--ked up," Offset said.
"This world is not right," said Takeoff.
Quavo then said, "We ain't saying it's nothing wrong with the gays," but suggested that iLoveMakonnen's sexuality undermines his credibility.
Migos then issued an apology on Twitter.
"We are all fans of Makonnen's music and we wish he didn't feel like he ever had to hide himself," the group said. "We feel the world is f--ked up that people 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 apologize if we offended anyone."