The Velvet Mafia: the gay men who helped shape mic the 60s | Mic | The Guardian

Contents:

• FAT JOE ON THE 'GAY MAFIA' OF HIP-HOP AND RAP MIC (VIDEO)
• HIP-HOP RUMORS: THE GAY MAFIA RUNS HIP-HOP, FAT JOE SAYS!
• [WATCH] DJ AKAMIKS CLAIMS DOWN LOW GAY RAPPERS ARE SLEEPG WH MIC EXECUTIV
• FAT JOE THKS HIP-HOP IS RUN BY GAY MAFIA
• THE VELVET MAFIA: THE GAY MEN WHO HELPED SHAPE MIC THE 60S
• LA MAFIA GAY DANS LE MONDE DU HIP-HOP
• HOW THE MOB HELPED ESTABLISH NYC’S GAY BAR SCENE
• ADAM CAROLLA: THE GAY MAFIA IS REAL
• GAY MAFIA RUNS HIPHOP MIC INDTRY! GAY RAPPERS SELL THEIR SOULS & THEIR HOL!
• FAT JOE TALKS GAY MAFIA, HOMOSEXUALY HIP HOP
• GAY MAFIA

FAT JOE ON THE 'GAY MAFIA' OF HIP-HOP AND RAP MIC (VIDEO)

Hip-hop isn't generally known for beg the genre of preference for most LGBT performers or dienc, but now, one star is speakg up on behalf of the "gay mafia" that he's certa exists wh that world. In an terview wh VladTV, rapper Fat Joe -- who is gearg up for the release of his yet-to-be-named eleventh album, said he's certa he's performed alongsi gay rappers. "There's lns of gay people the world, " he said.

"In 2011, you've got to hi that you're gay? Like, I'm gay. If you gay, you 's your preference.

HIP-HOP RUMORS: THE GAY MAFIA RUNS HIP-HOP, FAT JOE SAYS!

"After praisg Lady Gaga's relatnship wh her LGBT dience, Fat Joe went on to ment on what he scrib as hip-hop's "gay mafia, " referrg to mic executiv and award show participants, and how he feels that gays "own" hip-hop.

"I happen to thk there's a gay mafia hip-hop, " he quipped.

GAY MAFIA CONTROLS HIP-HOP!?

[WATCH] DJ AKAMIKS CLAIMS DOWN LOW GAY RAPPERS ARE SLEEPG WH MIC EXECUTIV

“[Hip-hop] is the greatt gay market the world. The hip-hop muny is most likely owned by gay. I happen to thk there’s a gay mafia hip-hop.

FAT JOE THKS HIP-HOP IS RUN BY GAY MAFIA

This is the f—g gay mafia, man. They’re power … So why wouldn’t a guy e out and say, ‘Yo, I’m gay’ and get that type of love?

Like Lady Gaga, I don’t know if she’s gay, but she’s nng wh that gay s— for real. If you’re gay, rep your set. He ntued:“I thk I’ve done songs wh gay rappers.

I’m pretty sure the football n—-s is gay, the basketball n—-s is gay — n—-s is gay.

THE VELVET MAFIA: THE GAY MEN WHO HELPED SHAPE MIC THE 60S

There’s lns of gay people the world. I’m a fan of ‘Yo, I’m gay, what the f—? ’ 2011, you gotta hi that you’re gay?

LA MAFIA GAY DANS LE MONDE DU HIP-HOP

Like, ‘I’m gay, what the f—? ’ If you gay, you gay. ” He go on to suate the tth to the mor of a “gay mafia” the entertament world, addg, “I don’t want to get randomly killed.

You are young people, and I’m sure a lot of you are gay and progrsive. The sger add that the 1975 nsired droppg out of the show due to Malaysia’s anti-gay laws.

The 1975 bassist Ross MacDonald then walked over to Healy and the two engaged a prolonged kiss on the mouth, prott to Malaysia’s anti-gay legislatn. Beg gay the UAE n land rints up to 15 years prison.

HOW THE MOB HELPED ESTABLISH NYC’S GAY BAR SCENE

Fat Joe stays open-md when to homosexualy. He says that 's 2011 and that if people are gay, shouldn't be a big al.

He even says that he's probably worked wh gay rappers, before gog on to eloquently expla, "I'm pretty sure the football niggas is gay. The basketball niggas is gay. Niggas is gay, there's lns of gay people the world.

"When asked specifilly about hip-hop, Fat Joe reveals his gay mafia theory:"The hip-hop muny is most likely owned by gay, to be hont wh you. They're owned by gay. I happen to thk there's a gay mafia hip-hop.

ADAM CAROLLA: THE GAY MAFIA IS REAL

This is a fuckg gay mafia, my man. But the people who shaped and advised those artists – the on who managed the stars of the classic rock age – were, by an outsized marg, gay terwoven muny clud Brian Epste (who brought the world the Beatl), K Lambert (who -managed the Who), Simon Napier-Bell (the Yardbirds, and a young Marc Bolan), Robert Stigwood (Cream, the Bee Ge), Billy Gaff (Rod Stewart), Ken Pt (David Bowie), Barry Krost (Cat Stevens), as well as Tony Stratton-Smh (who formed the visnary label Charisma for bands like Genis). In fact, was a gay man, Larry Parn, who svengali-d Bra’s very first rockers, om Tommy Steele to Billy Fury to Marty Wil.

A new book tled The Velvet Mafia: the Gay Men who Ran the Swgg Sixti aims to tell the Brish si of this story by focg on several key players the scene, cludg a few of the aforementned nam along wh the novative producer Joe Meek and the head of the UK’s most powerful label at the time, Sir Joseph Lockwood.

”At the same time, the rich, powerful and fluential men faced the nsirable nsequenc of beg gay at a time when homosexual acts were still outlawed the UK. ”There were, fact, a few powerful gay women the Brish rock scene at the time as well, cludg Vicki Wickham, who booked the acts on the semal TV show Ready Steady Go and who later managed Dty Sprgfield and LaBelle. ”Bullock’s book don’t lve to the eper cultural and psychologil issu volved the relatnships between the gay and straight men.

GAY MAFIA RUNS HIPHOP MIC INDTRY! GAY RAPPERS SELL THEIR SOULS & THEIR HOL!

Still, ’s clear to any stunt of the era that the edgy liv of gay men at the time fascated the straight artists they worked wh.

They weren’t jt gay but also Jewish.

”In some ways, managers like Epste and other others uld sulate themselv om the everyday life of gay men at the time – throwg their own exclive parti and circulatg elevated circl where they uld do as they pleased. Ironilly, after the law agast homosexual acts changed Bra 1967 – crimalizg them certa circumstanc and for those of a certa age – the harassment of LGBTQ people actually tensified.

FAT JOE TALKS GAY MAFIA, HOMOSEXUALY HIP HOP

“But post-67, and wh the formatn of the Gay Liberatn Front 1970 Bra and wh gay people beg more outspoken, the raids and the psdo-polil attacks started to happen more. The Velvet Mafia: The Gay Men Who Ran the Swgg Sixti is out now.

GAY MAFIA

But between New York’s LGBT muny the 1960s beg forced to live on the outskirts of society and the Mafia’s disregard for the law, the two ma a profable, if uneasy, the gay muny blossomed New York Cy the 1960s, members had few plac to gather publicly.

At the time, was still illegal to serve gay patrons alhol, to display homosexualy public or for two gay people to dance together.