You gay...

When you listen to hip-hop one may find a common denominator. Hip-hop is fueled by masculinity. Yes, people may argue other factors that contribute to the aurora of hip-hop. You have sexism, violence, and materialism among other adjectives to describe the music. One underlying factor is its masculine nature. With this said, can a homosexual artist survive in a culture where being gay is deemed taboo? It is ironic for me to have doubts. I am a homosexual female who believes that a gay male in hip-hop will have battles being a musician based on his sexual interests than his music. I was recently asked to help in a marketing plan for an unknown artist. The music was sub par but the artist’s image is extremely sellable. However, he is gay. This factor immediately raised red flags. For one, I personally believed that the artist needs a lot of marketing dollars and a distinguished marketing team behind him. I also thought that a key figure in the music industry was needed to break his music (i.e. Lady Gaga). Without this, I thought there was little to no hope to get potential fans to pay attention to his music and not his sexuality. Being a gay male does not make you less masculine than any heterosexual male. I often joke with my straight friends who have a stereotypical view on gay men. I say, they have to be tougher because people are constantly challenging their man hood. Yet I still am unsure if a gay male artist can exist in hip-hop. I’m pretty sure there are a number of homosexual males within the culture. However, they put on a façade to relate. Maybe it is time to show that you don’t have to be the stereotypical “sissy” gay male. There are plenty of homosexual men with high masculinity that would have people in disbelief.

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Ignorance is bliss?

Is it necessary to use a term so vile, but polish it off as a term of endearment? The latest hip-hop sensation, Kreayshawn is an Oakland, CA native. She is different from most female MC’s. Her sex appeal doesn’t drive record sales. She emerged onto the music scene with little to no help from well-known music camps. The “white girl mob” movement has been what keeps fans interested. However, members of Kreayshawn’s team have been known to use the N-word. Using the term would have gone unnoticed had her team been a few shades darker. Which is silly. It makes you wonder though. Is this how I sound when I talk to my friends casually? Do I sound as ignorant as them when I use the term? Yes! Kreayshawn explained that she does not use the term, but her sister does in a recent article:

"I never said that in my music," she says. But wasn't there a video on her YouTube channel where someone did? "It might have been my sister, V-Nasty," she says. "She says it all the time, and that's because she grew up all different. She goes in and out of jail for armed robbery all the time. Her mom calls her that. But personally, I don't say it in my music, because it's not my place."…"I told V-Nasty," says Kreayshawn, "I always get this question, and it's burning me! And she was like, 'I ain't gonna stop saying it, they ain't gonna change me.”(Abebe, 2011)

I am not going to act as if I never used the term myself. I’ve been taught the origins and meaning of the word. My grandfather told me stories of being tarred and feathered back in South Carolina. My grandmother explained that after her family moved from the south to the north, that word didn’t cease to exist. Knowing all this, I still find myself saying it. Now I see what I look like to those around me. A fool.

Abebe, Nitsuh. (2011, June 17). Kreayshawn is the latest controversial white rapper. Retrieved from http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2011/06/kreayshawn.html