Rapper Lil B became the first rapper to kick open the closet door, and he did it while performing live onstage.

How appropriate is it that the first openly mainstream gay rapper is from the Bay area?

During a recent concert, Lil B reacted to a positive comment from a member of his mostly male audience by asking, “For that, can I kiss your hand?” The man quickly extended his hand for B to kiss.

Lil B then got the crowd of about 200 males chanting his absurdly sexist, misogynistic lyrics, while the cameraman focused on two lone white females near the stage.

I can’t even repeat the sexually graphic lyrics on my family-oriented blog.

This news comes at a time when emotionally troubled gay teens are taking their own lives at an alarming rate. Hopefully Lil B’s actions will give gay teens hope and inspiration.

Lil B, who rose to fame by releasing skateboard raps with his former group, The Pack, doesn’t even have his own Wikipedia page yet.

But all of that will change soon. You know the industry loves to promote gay and/or down low rappers (Kanye West and Drake come to mind).

A recording industry that once glorified gangster rap music and the thug life has now abandoned that genre following declining record sales and increased incarcerations of key rap artists.

Over the past decade, the focus has slowly shifted from gangster rap to pop rap featuring gay and down low rappers who don’t have criminal records.

Photo: Gunner Stahl Photography

Video source: Vladtv