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Sunday, April 20, 2008
On May 13th the release of author and former MTV executive Terrance Dean's memoir "Hiding In Hip Hop:On The Down Low in the Entertainment Industry from Music to Hollywood", is sure to cause a firestorm of controversy and spark a discussion about hip-hop artists who have built careers on their hyper-masculine and thuggish image while secretly leading double lives.
Ironically, in an industry much like professional sports, hip-hop is homophobic yet homo-erotic at the same time. It is no secret that gays exist in every occupation in society and hip-hop is no exception.
So why hasn't a major hip-hop artist come out? There's obvious reasons that the majority of people whether gay or straight would understand, one being we live in an extremely homophobic society, although progress is being made.
For many gay mainstream hip-hop artists coming out is not an option, however, living on the down low is.
"Hiding In Hip-Hop" uncovers a hidden and well-known unspoken secret. Deep within the confines of Hip-Hop is a prominent gay sub-culture. A world that industry insiders are keenly aware of, but choose to ignore.
According to Dean, "This book is filled with intrigue, sexy celebrity bed partners, abundance of drugs, and of course, the down low/gay men and celebrities in the entertainment industry.
This book is my voice, your voice, and many other voices of people who love Hip Hop, the black church, the black community, our families - our uncles, aunts, brothers, and sisters who are gay, or on the down low, says Dean.
You will find your own story within my story. Of course your jaws will drop. Most definitely you will laugh. You will certainly cry. And you will have outbursts. But, most importantly, you will think. It will create a dialogue and conversation so needed in our community, and world - Why are we afraid to talk about sex and sexuality in the black community? Why can't black gay men and women come "out" of the closet in entertainment?"
I have not read the book yet, but I'm looking forward to getting my hands on a copy. To pre-order Hiding in Hip Hop just click here. Keep your eyes open for an exclusive interview.
7 Comments:
WOW - sounds like this is going to be good.
April 21, 2008 11:12 AM
I can't wait to read the book too.
April 21, 2008 9:15 PM
this is gonna be amazing
http://www.queersunited.blogspot.com
April 22, 2008 7:51 AM
And we are supposed to care about this because of?
I HAVE to be missing something.
April 24, 2008 6:37 AM
Well, I purchased this book from Borders Books two (2) weeks ago so I don’t understand how it has a release date of May13th. That being unimportant, I only recently (as in Friday afternoon) had a chance to read the book.
As a Black brother “in the know”and “on the low”, I figured I’d check it out and see what he had to say, figuring it would be an expose of people I knew and those I suspected lived DL lifestyles. Much to my surprise it was not. The funny thing is I was able to figure out most of the pseudonymed figures by the context clues and by former/present associations.
The book is a good read and I was able to finish it on my looooooooooooooooooong flight back to Boston from Osaka. If you like this kind of “tell-all,” then you won’t be able to put it down either. For those naive individuals who have no knowledge of our lifestyle, it is quite informative and educational.
I liked it; I’m going to read it again to make sure I didn’t miss anything and I recommend you add it to your summer reading list.
May 12, 2008 10:29 PM
i jus bought tha book and i LOVE it. really good read. tha down low entertainers are really easy to decipher..since i bought it, i wasn't able to put it down. i think im a go right now an read it again LOL
May 24, 2008 12:25 AM
society isn't as homophobic as you some of you state. Just because some folks can't stand you don't make them fear you. Get real. Also, Mr.Dean's book is just exploiting homosexuality in the biz to make a buck.He's obviously low on cash so he decides to do a kinda of tell all. He's playing on the taboo nature of the subject like a true opportunist.
May 29, 2008 4:49 AM
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