Gay Rappers: Too Real for Hip-Hop?
Published April 23, 2003
I hope this is genuine and not a gimmick. The NY Times reports on gay rappers. Here's an excerpt:
Caushun is a 25-year-old openly gay rapper from the same neighborhood as Biggie Smalls, with flippy wrists, a gay twang and a flow that is liquid and cool and ready for the big time. He wants to be hip-hop's homosexual Jackie Robinson.Hip-hop is now as large a cultural stage as baseball was in the 50's, yet the mainstream is just as closed to gay rappers as the major leagues were to black men before Robinson. And, as with Robinson, for Caushun to break through could have a profound impact on how gay people are perceived throughout America.
"He's going to open up discussion about one of the last acceptable prejudices," said his manager, Ivan Matias. "With homosexuals having so much influence over hip-hop from behind the scenes, it's time that they had a voice." He was referring to the gay executives, managers, stylists and magazine editors in the music business.
Caushun said simply: "Look, I'm keepin' it real. Don't let me find out that I'm keepin' it too real for hip-hop. Should that be the name of my album? `Too Real for Hip-Hop'?"
Caushun recently signed with Baby Phat Records, and his debut album, "Shock and Awe," will come out at the end of June before Gay Pride Day. His self-confidence is so strong that he doesn't believe his being gay will keep him from selling a million records and having a video played on MTV 20 times a week — in other words, from becoming a star.
The hip-hop impresario Russell Simmons, whose wife, Kimora Lee, is the owner and chief executive of Baby Phat, knows it will be hard to make Caushun a star, but he's hopeful.
"Rap music is one of the most homophobic musics we know," Mr. Simmons said. "But he's dope and he's unique because of his perspective on the world. I can't imagine that people aren't going to buy it. You think women and gay men won't buy it? It's a huge possibility."
Huge possibility? Yeah right. Hip-hop will never fully accept a gay rapper.
Oh yeah, and a little trivia- who is considered the first openly gay rapper? That would be Man Parrish, who made "Hip Hop Bee Bop (Don't Stop)".
- Gay Rappers: Too Real for Hip-Hop?
- Published: April 23, 2003
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- Section: Music
- Writer: Madison
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Gay Rappers
Peep it out. We'll spit hot fire on the mic with our flaming gay raps. First, you'll laugh. Next, you'll pee in your pants. Finally, you'll throw-up.
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Why rap about rims, bling, and bitches when you can rap about gay sex, doing "it" with grannies, and buying clubbin' clother from GoodWill?
Gay Rapper,
Flesh Puppet