Rethinking Gay Hip-Hop.

The Lesbian, Gay, Bi, and Transgender (LGBT) hip-hop community is part of the greater hip-hop community and some don’t like it! Do they have a right to exist? Absolutely! But in the minds of many straight heads, the line is drawn as to who can enter their hip-hop fraternity. There’s a “good lo’ boy” mentality—a prejudiced psyche—an uber-masculine system—a bigoted spirit that many in mainstream hip-hop have adopted. Hip-hop has become the hypocritical bastard child of mainstream homophobia! Denying gays the right to prosper in mainstream hip-hop (because of their sexual orientation) puts hip-hop in the same bigoted boat as racism! Hip-hop is that new-jack cracka-ass-cracka that thinks their shyt don’t stink!

Some say that gays have no business in hip-hop! Some say hip-hop/rap is about street credibility and a gay rapper has no street credibility! (WTF?) Some don’t believe that a gay rapper has the skills to compete in this aggressive genre of music—rap music! Some are astounded that there is even something called “gay hip-hop!” And some have superimposed the “religious card” on a secular genre of music! Fucking, sucking, bitches, hoes, drugs, mammon (riches), killing, stealing, gang violence, thuggery, coonery, fuckery, fornication, adultery—all these things are commonplace in rap lyrics (*with very little outcry from hip-hop purists or religionists!), yet homosexuals rapping is the most taboo subject in hip-hop—so taboo that the most hardcore thug (who hasn’t been to church since his childhood) has to defer to his religious upbringing to defend his heterocentric idea of hip-hop!

With this mentality, will gay hip-hop ever be welcomed into the family of hip-hop?

Even more importantly, can gay hip-hop survive its own internal strife?

On gay hip-hop’s two major websites (Gayhiphop.com and Outhiphop.com), there’s lots of great information about gay rap artists. There is also a big dark cloud of hateration and bitchassness between rival gay rap artists, which, in light of the homophobia they face from straight heads, seems quite ironic! Downright stupid!

Some gay hip-hop heads seem to have this idea that the best lyricist will attain mainstream success and that there are gay rappers with less lyrical ability that are getting all the shine. One, in particular, gay rapper Deadlee, seems to attract hate from his gay rap peers more than others. It is not enough that straight heads tried to tear him a new asshole (via the Trick Trick rebuttal at Allhiphop.com), but gay rappers are putting out diss tracks about him!

One feminine gay rapper went in on Deadlee, shamelessly rhyming over a Tupac joint. (Otherworldly speaking, I’m sure Tupac is rolling over in his grave!) Another gay rapper, evidently upset that some gay rappers (which he refuses to name) seem to be the “spokesmen” for gay hip-hop, put out a diss track, letting folk know that they don’t speak for him.

Internecine struggle! (Infighting!)

“You ain’t talkin 4 me!”—A gay rapper on gay rappers thinking they are the spokesman for gay hip-hop.

Whether this gay rapper is subtlety taking a shot at Deadlee is anyone’s guess.

Gay “Gayngsta” rapper Deadlee

Imagine, for a moment, listening to Gandhi give a speech to the folks in India and a citizen of India speaks out against Gandhi—“You ain’t talkin 4 me!” Meanwhile, the government continues to treat the Indian citizenry as second-class citizens! Imagine, if you will, listening to Martin Luther King Jr. giving his “I Have A Dream” speech in defense of black folk’s Civil Rights and some country-bumpkin uncle-Tom Negro from the South, who can’t drink out of the white man’s water fountain nor shyt in his toilet speaks out against King—“You ain’t talkin 4 me!” Imagine, if you can, hearing Nelson Mandela give a speech about the horrors of South African Apartheid and some Colored/Kaffer hollers out, “You ain’t talkin 4 me!”

This is how this rapper’s diss comes across—like, what the fuck?

Now imagine some straight rapper (like Trick Trick) talking about shooting scud missiles at ships full of gays and lesbians and a gay rapper calls him out on his homophobia and death threats and then another gay rapper raps a diss to the gay rapper that spoke out, “You ain’t talkin 4 me!” Why is it more important to diss the one who was courageous enough to speak out over the one making the death threats… against people of your own sexual orientation? Whether this gay rapper was dissing his fellow gay rapper Deadlee or not, the timing was bad and it “appears” to be addressing Deadlee, Tori, Mélange, and Milo—to put out such a diss reeks of hateration!

Unless you really feel the way a “Trick Trick” feels, you should be COSIGNING Deadlee’s words! Unless you’re a “wolf in sheep’s clothing,” you should be glad that someone who is gay and raps spoke out! Writing a rap song to address gay rappers making public statements is misplaced lyrical aggression! Friendly-fire (if you will). Your time would be better served writing a diss at the real culprit of gay hip-hop stagnation—homophobia—and those that would threaten the lives of same gender loving people! If Deadlee’s, Tori Fixx’s, Mélange Lavonne’s, or Camilo’s comments (never mind mine!) on Trick Trick (or any other homophobe) doesn’t resonate with you, then you have self-hate or are just jealous that they didn’t quote your words. What else can it be? If you love LGBT people then ANYONE who speaks in defense of them is SPEAKING FOR YOU! What do you mean, “You ain’t talkin 4 me?” Strictly speaking, any person that speaks out against racism, sexism and homophobia is “talkin 4 me!”—even the wino on the corner who utters something truthful in the middle of having Delirium Tremens!

Deadlee is a gay rapper who’s an eclectic blend of thug, activist, revolutionary, visionary, and social reformer. He is a card-carrying member of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the star of his new movie Baby Momma Drama. Deadlee has been featured on CNN, The Tyra Banks Show, Paula Zahn Now, Allhiphop.com, Hoodgrownonline.com, The Howard Stern Show, and many, many, many gay publications. For all intents and purposes, he is the face of gay hip-hop! It was Deadlee’s face that was smeared across the world’s largest Internet hip-hop site’s (Allhiphop.com) main page during the Trick Trick fiasco! For many straights, that was the first time they’d seen a “gay rapper.” It’s not his claim-to-fame to be the greatest gay rapper alive or the most lyrical fag on the planet (there are others who have those aspirations). For all of his personal accomplishments, people within his own gay hip-hop circles are hating on him more than the most homophobic rapper out!

Outhiphop.com and Gayhiphop.com are nice little comfortable places where gay heads can be themselves—talk shyt to each other—put out corny disses to each other. Very few have the intestinal fortitude to venture outside of their cipher and diss someone of note. (Shout-out to Prince Cat-Eyez for gettin’ at Trick Trick!)

Some gay hip-hoppers are following in the footsteps of straight rappers, thinking that “respect” comes in the form of lyrical ability—battling! They view Deadlee as a lyrical lightweight because he’s not a “battle rapper.” Yet, as lyricism goes, Deadlee is as lyrical as any of them! They want him to respond to the many disses thrown his way. They wanna see him “battle” no-name gay rappers who are just getting their feet wet—snotty-nose upstarts who ain’t put out nah (no) CD—who’ve never had any media exposure outside of the gay hip-hop community (if that!) who see Deadlee as a steppingstone to further their own “careers.” For the most part, Deadlee is giving them that Lil Wayne middle-finger, like I’m on the sun and I’m so hot that I can’t feel your heat! You ain’t even registering on my “gaydar!”

Some of these gay rappers are devoid of hip-hop history! Lyrical ability is just one aspect of the game! Some of the major contributions to hip-hop/rap were not artists known for their lyrical genius! (*Research Two-Live Crew’s court battles for Freedom of Speech, N.W.A.’s groundbreaking record to solidify “Gangsta Rap,” and MC Hammer, who provided some much needed stage theatrics to the rap game. By the way, MC Hammer had a “Diamond” album—10 million+!) None of these rap groups were considered “lyricists,” but without their contributions to the game, rap would not be where it is today.

As Deadlee’s Spiritual Advisor, I have let it be known (on their sites) that they really can’t see Deadlee at this juncture of their rap careers. It’s just a case of the classic “crabs-in-a-barrel” and “king-of-the-hill.” Deadlee is on top of his game and these lesser known gay rappers are gunning for his spot—by any means necessary!

There are gay rappers feigning like they are ‘hood-tested battle rappers! My dude El-Don, a gay rapper out of Jersey is the hardest gay battle rapper I’ve heard thus far! Some of these gay lames will get “straight” shyted on in a real ‘hood rap battle! And might get beat the fuck up! I’m just waiting to see a gay battle rapper on 106 & Park’s “Freestyle Friday” or on a “Fight Club” DVD! Come on out of the comfortable world of gay hip-hop and show us what you’re really working with!

On the real… the “battle rap” mentality is a dead-end road! You might be sharp off the top of the dome, but you can’t find a hit record to save your life! (Can you say Nycks, Jinn, Murda Mook, Ness, ENJ, Canibus, Serious Jones, Paperboy, Sincere the Great, etc.?) You might win the war, but you lose the battle! The “battle” is to get that paper! To become financially secure for you and yours! Addressing a nigga on wax has its place, but manufactured beef for the sake of record sells, publicity and one-ups-manship is whack and tells the world that your skill for writing hot sixteens and catchy hook lacks.

My parents used to tell us little Colored kids, “A black man’s gotta work twice as hard as a white man just to be equal to him!” That’s the attitude that gay rappers have to adopt! You’ve gotta show and prove! You’ve gotta be stereotype killas! Cut out the cornball antics and get serious about your shyt! Study some of the bright spots within gay hip-hop like Last Offence, The Qure, Mélange Lavonne, Tori Fixx, Salvimex, Prince Cat-Eyez, Foxxjazell, JenRO, Lester Greene, Chewy, Pam Jones, Bigg Nugg, Bone Intell, Bry’Nt, Solomon, Tim’m West, KIN, FELONi B.O.I. Sha, Yo Majesty!, Captain Magik, and, of course, Deadlee to name a few.

Gay hip-hop’s life’s blood rests in its unity! Without this unity, gay hip-hop will continually be seen as some little obscure oddity, moonlighting on the fringes of mainstream hip-hop! I’m gay hip-hop’s biggest straight fan! (*I\’ve got love for Twizza, Mistermaker, Psycho Sexy, The Original, Yung Eso and anybody else I\’ve chopped it up with! Believe dat!)

Uplift one another and respect the architects! And with that, I leave you with the words of the immortal Snoop Dogg:

“I’m never mad at these young rappers… they misguided and undecided. The best thing to do is to be a student of what’s happening right now. Study those who are winning. Study those who are maximizing their opportunities and stop being such a negative energy.”

Khalil Amani & gay rapper Deadlee