Tyler the Creator has been 'coming out' as gay or bisexual for years and no-one cared

His new album is certainly not his first discussion of the concept of being closeted

Tyler the Creator made headlines this week thanks to lyrics on his upcoming new album Scum Fuck Flower Boy that appear to reference his sexuality.

"Next line I'll have em' like woah," he spits on the track 'I Ain't Got Time', "I've been kissing white boys since 2004."

The line was seized upon largely because Tyler has been accused of homophobia in past lyrics (though he has supported the LGBT community, previously releasing a Pride series of his GOLF clothing line), but it is far from the first time the rapper has referenced coming out the closet.

"I TRIED TO COME OUT THE DAMN CLOSET LIKE FOUR DAYS AGO AND NO ONE CARED HAHAHHAHAHA," he tweeted in April 2015.

Last year, in response to Kendall Jenner tweeting him "Apparently we're dating," he said: "NOT POSSIBLE, WE'RE BOTH GAY," also that summer posting a drawing in which a rainbow-coloured man peeps out of a closet with a speech bubble saying: "IS IT SAFE?"

Tyler's discussion of sexuality is nothing new, then, the question (if there is one) is whether he's talking autobiographically here or just being provocative and operating within fictional parameters.

The idea of being closeted is clearly something he is interested in though, with Tyler adding on another Scum Fuck Flower Boy track, 'The Garden Shed':

Garden shed, garden shed, garden shed

Garden shed for the garçons

Them feelings I was guardin'

Heavy on my mind

All my friends lost

They couldn't read the signs

I didn't wanna talk and tell 'em my location

And they ain't wanna walk

Truth is, since a youth kid, thought it was a phase

Thought it'd be like the Frank; poof, gone

But, it's still goin' on

Whatever the case, Tyler, as ever, probably doesn't give a fuck.

Asked by Larry King if he thinks we'll ever have a "gay rap artist" in 2014, Tyler replied: "Maybe one day...but why does that shit matter? Like, if he wanna fuck dudes or whatever, why does that matter? Why do we care? That's so crazy right?"