Hey Kids!
Today,
I saw the most hilarious thing as I was perusing twitter. Someone from
my twitterverse posted a tweet & a pic that jolted my own sense of
humor. The tweet read “New rap group coming out. This is the new style
nowadays”. In the same tweet was a pic of four young males who are
obviously gay. The thought of it made me laugh. Just thinking of the
pitiful state of hip-hop, I thought how could these flamboyant fellas
possibly represent the rough & tumble that was once the core of the
culture? With “was” being the operative word, I began to rethink my position. Suppose. Suppose four young bois
come out- sexually & musically- reshaping what we know to be
hip-hop. What if their lyrical skills were up to par? Wouldn’t be
difficult considering the bullsh*t lyrics we currently accept for
entertainment. Combine that with bangin’ ass beats (cause the kids love
to shake a tail feather) & a wardrobe of death (y’all know they
dress too) it may pop off.
Many say they are evolved. You know- “Gay friendly”. Live & let live. It’s none of my business.
But what if a young man stepped to the plate & was ready to swing
his bat. Good looking male, tight lyrics, & beats that knocked out
of the ball park. He had all the goods and was ready to stand &
deliver according to the guidelines we’ve set before him. I believe he’s
out there. No. I KNOW he/they are out there, suited up, waiting in the
wings. The question is: what will the reception be? Are we really ready
for a gay MC? Folks say they are, but I doubt it. Picture it- Brooklyn
2013. You’re riding down Myrtle Ave. in the middle of the night, when DJ
Kay Slay drops a new banger on Hot97. EXCLUSIVE! The beat
pulsates through your system, shaking your entire car like the Holy
Ghost. You & your peoples’ heads nod so hard your neck is about to
snap. The hook is catchy, so you must memorize to sing along. And then
it happens- the voice of a male emcee begins to ride the track. And as
you ride, he rides, & begins to rhyme about riding … a Dude!!???
Hold the press! Did he just say that? Yes he did. The same liberties
straight male emcees have taken when expressing their sexuality is now
being taken by gays. Like the straights, this emcee is going on & on
about the gratification he gets/gives performing oral & anal acts
with his same sex partner. Too much? Well, in the next verse he will
proceed to brag about how he stole his home girl’s man. AND, will warn
the female listener that he’ll take hers too if she can’t do the do.
Imagine the video. Imagine him live in concert. Heard enough, radio off.
In all honesty, who would want to listen to that? And that’s the only
thing that is standing in the way of a gay rapper making his debut.
Ironically, the misogyny we’ve turned a deaf ear & blind eye to,
would be deemed unacceptable coming from the gay community. Most of us
aren’t ready to hear about love & sex shared between same sex
couples. We say we are, but …
Ironically,
gay rappers are nothing new to the game. Hip-hop culture has had a
homosexual undercurrent since way back. Raring its head a bit in the
80’s, it strongly manifested itself in the 90’s. In this world you have
to give to get. You can’t see that much success without some soul
selling. We’ve all heard the rumors & the whispers from the gossip
mongers, who have caught on to the D.L. scent from back in the Wendy
Williams era. The days when she was on Hot97 causing all flavors of
drama. The artists, executives, label heads were all a part of this
sexual conspiracy. We turned a deaf ear. Dudes denied the charge, but …
actions speak louder than words. Still rollin’ with their all male
teams, half the cats started looking suspect. The hair & lips became
glossy, the jewelry gaudy, and the attitude more, uhmm Bitch-like. Only
entertaining women who looked like excessively made up drag queens,
they were “coming out” through their ways & actions way back then.
With the writing on the wall, our own denial & phobia wouldn’t allow
us to translate.
Let
us not forget that hip-hop- an "ol’ boys club"- has been a male
dominated field since go. A few lady emcees have been allowed to
infiltrate, but at a cost. Most have had to appear overly masculine to
be able to compete alongside their male counterparts. Either that, or
come off as some over sexed jungle bunny who is extremely submissive to
the male bravado & chauvinism that has been displayed by the cats
who have ushered her in. With very few opportunities, it has been damn
near impossible for a lady emcee to have a successful career &
maintain a sense of self at the same time. And their struggle continues.
Times
have changed & so have the people. In a brief time frame, we’ve
gone from being the CNN of our communities, to something that fails to
communicate anything at all. We have gone from strong, brawny
representations of men, to these scrawny boys with processed hair &
effeminate ways. Wearing sagging, skinny jeans with the purpose of
exposing their asses. No pride, no manhood, just straight sissified.
What happened to us? Hip-hop was the one place left where a black man
could still be a man. Veteran icons Run-DMC came through strong during a
time when black men rocked jheri curls, eye liner, & sequined
outfits. Those dudes were strong, proud & comfortable in their
manhood, as they encouraged others to do the same.
Unfortunately, the writing is on the wall again. Clearly stating that- like it or not- these girly men are coming out & about to make their mark on hip-hop culture. Are you ready? They want to assert themselves to the forefront to be seen as the new representation of what a black male is. Are you ready? The stage is set, the wheels are in motion, and there aint much that can be done about it. R. U. Ready!?
