A hate crime against an American gay couple posted on a music website has been roundly condemned by hip hop fans in what may be another sign of a growing shift away from homophobia in the genre.

The video, posted to the World Star Hip Hop website on August 21 shows a mixed race gay couple standing at a convenience store service window when a man fires a taser gun into one of the man’s back and electrocutes him.

The attacker then flees around the corner but then returns to menace the couple again with the taser, telling them to get out of the neighborhood, saying ‘we hate gay people.’

A majority of responses to the video condemned the attack.

Many called the attack cowardly. Another user declared the attack to be ‘ignorant sh*t.’

‘The gay guy’s reaction … was enough to make me sad. You can tell this wasn’t the first time he’s dealt with some bullsh*t just for being gay.’

Another suggested the attacker would be popular in jail.

‘Assault on camera [plus] a hate crime … guess homie with a taser is going to be some bad man’s boyfriend in jail.’

Even some homophobic fans were appalled.

‘I don’t like gay people and I don’t really talk to them much either, but this is pretty f*cked up. Nobody deserves for this type of thing to happen to them.’

‘I don’t support gays but that’s f*cked up,’ wrote another user.

Several users suggested the man was lucky the couple had not being carrying a gun.

The video was so discussed it generated 73 pages of comments.

The reaction to the video follows the coming out of hip hop star Frank Ocean and rapper 50 Cent declaring his support for marriage equality.