Hip-Hop Artists Who Embrace Beg Gay, Lbian or Bisexual - XXL

Contents:

• BOOK OUTS HIP HOP'S SECRET GAY WORLD
• EXPOSG HIP-HOP'S GAY SUBCULTURE
• GAY RAP, THE UNTHKABLE BE REALY
• HERE ARE HIP-HOP ARTISTS WHO EMBRACE BEG GAY, LBIAN OR BISEXUAL
• ILOVEMAKONNEN ON BREAKG FREE OF ‘INDTRY POLICS,’ BEG GAY HIP-HOP AND WHEN THGS ‘SOURED’ WH DRAKE
• GAY RAP, THE UNTHKABLE BE REALY
• HERE ARE HIP-HOP ARTISTS WHO EMBRACE BEG GAY, LBIAN OR BISEXUAL

BOOK OUTS HIP HOP'S SECRET GAY WORLD

In what uld be scribed as a follow-up to the much-hyped (and some rners, much-reviled) On the Down Low, Terrance Dean's Hidg Hip Hop outs the mic dtry's secret gay subculture.

In a hood sweatshirt and baggy jeans, Terrance Dean don't give off "gay" on first sight—and he has worked hard to prent himself that way. When somebody asked if he was gay recently, he blurted out "no" whout even Dean is gog to have a hard time foolg anyone much longer.

EXPOSG HIP-HOP'S GAY SUBCULTURE

His new book, "Hidg Hip-Hop: On the Down Low the Entertament Indtry, " is a tale of life si Hollywood's secret gay subculture, and hip-hop's place wh that world.

Though don't name nam, the memoir is a tailed (and graphic) acunt of down-low life, gay sex parti and secret societi, where some of hip-hop's major artists openly sleep wh men, only to go home to their wiv and girliends at night's end.

Sure, there's always a story kickg around about homosexualy and the mic dtry; mors have swirled around rappers sce the '70s and '80s. But acrdg to Dean, and a number of other dtry sirs, who's gay and who's straight (or rather, who is "down low"; DL brothers don't intify as "gay") is mon knowledge. Hip-hop has a long history of homophobia, much of which is tied up wh the powerful black church.

GAY RAP, THE UNTHKABLE BE REALY

("I remember the pastor at my church sayg 'Homosexualy is a s! Beg gay is nsired soft, sissy—a putdown that's won emcee battl for years.

Adds Tim'm Wt, an openly gay Bay Area rapper and activist, "Straightns is as cly affixed to skill hip-hop as the microphone.

When filmmaker Byron Hurt asked Bta Rhym about homosexualy hip-hop for a 2006 documentary on the subject, the rapper was so offend he walked out—on mera. "The very nature of the hip-hop beast has homophobia imbedd , " says Fred Mwangaguhunga, the edor of, a black-foced celebry is why hip-hop's gay culture is so shroud silence, wh trite measur taken to keep that way. (In 1998, when Hot 97 shock jock Wendy Williams hted that a major New York rapper was gay, she was booted om the statn.

HERE ARE HIP-HOP ARTISTS WHO EMBRACE BEG GAY, LBIAN OR BISEXUAL

"As Dean pots out, the irony about gay rappers is that hip-hop was found on the notn of speakg tth; was the voice of an urban unrclass largely hidn om the mastream. "It was about beg real, " says Los Angel rapper Deadlee (real name Joseph Lee), who is openly gay—do-rag, tattoos, hardre lyrics and all.

But Deadlee is part of a growg movement of gay rappers who make up the world of "homohop, " a genre he hop will eventually cross over to the mastream.

ILOVEMAKONNEN ON BREAKG FREE OF ‘INDTRY POLICS,’ BEG GAY HIP-HOP AND WHEN THGS ‘SOURED’ WH DRAKE

Wh more than 50 regnized homohop artists on the Web se, many are tourg at home and abroad. "There's likely a gay unterpart to every 'brand' of hip-hop the mastream, " says Tim'm Wt, who is the founr of the Oakland-based gay rap group, Deep Dickollective. )Mastream acceptance of a gay rapper would fely require a paradigm shift, says Wt.

"Hip-hop is about tellg stori of stggle and life, and I thk there's a real story to tell of urban, gay youth. So I've been watchg a uple of nspiracy vios "provg" there's a secret gay agenda hip hop and Hollywood, and that rappers/celebri om old and new get to the dtry by dog gay stuff or allegedly beg the closet, and rappers nowadays drsg feme are further phg said agenda. Ah y, a genre that has been notorly homophobic is phg a gay agenda.

GAY RAP, THE UNTHKABLE BE REALY

It sounds like people jt n't stand gay people existg or somethg. Pl kda impli gay ppl n't be succsful entertament whout dog some creepy "behd closed doors" sh. As someone who is black, lot of the viewpots are rooted how the black muny has always been PAINFULLY unacceptg, pecially towards gay ppl.

We still be g gay/uy as an sult and sh like that 's tirg as hell. Dpe trottg out the old "I don't have a problem wh gay people.

I even have some gay homi" le, Snoop Ln né Dogg recently echoed Elltt's thoughts when he said that hip-hop would stggle to accept a gay rapper. Photograph: Alis Pellchi"Hip-hop is so homophobic, " sighs Californian rapper Brooke Candy.

HERE ARE HIP-HOP ARTISTS WHO EMBRACE BEG GAY, LBIAN OR BISEXUAL

A lbian who is open and (often explicly) ank about her sexualy, she is a livg riposte to Elltt's suggtn that gay rap would never be allowed to flourish. It's like a dad who has spent his whole life tellg his son not to be gay, only for the son to turn out to be gay.

Also, people n be gay whout beg excsively flamboyant or nstantly throwg themselv at other men. I thk there's room hip-hop for tons of gay rappers.

Dpe the culture articulated by Snoop, spe the breezy, bigoted tchphras like "no homo", gay rappers are g out and takg centre stage. There have always been exceptns to the le, of urse, a smatterg of openly gay rhymers such as Yo!

"Hontly, for me what really feels like is that I now actively… explore life now my natural gay, homosexual, mascule way, and this very different feme way.

Ined, one artist cled to take part this feature for that very reason, preferrg to be known first as a rapper rather than a "gay rapper" Candy is sympathetic: "What is so bothersome to me, wh the emergg gay rappers, is that they've created a new genre lled 'queer hip-hop'. Half of the people rappg up there are gay and people don't even know . I unrstand people beg sick of beg labelled as 'gay rappers', but stand strong.

"Brooke and Haze aren't the only openly gay/bisexual/pansexual femal rap: Odd Future's Syd Tha Kid is loud and proud, Azealia Banks has talked about beg relatnships wh both men and women, while Birmgham MC RoxXxan has been gog out wh Stooshe's Karis Anrson for over a year. "I want to be perceived as 'RoxXxan' but if people label me as 'gay rapper RoxXxan' I'm not offend, " she says. "Beg gay today isn't what was 10 years ago; people are so much more relaxed.

That said, I'm glad that I'm a girl rapper who's gay than a boy rapper who's gay.