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In case anyone noticed: the saggin' story below, which will be on Page 1A of tomorrow's paper, is why I haven't blogged for a couple of days. It's a multifaceted issue to be sure ... and one that isn't all that surprising considering how homophobia permeates hip hop music. The gangsta culture turbocharged it in the 1990s, when artists such as Snoop Dogg, DMX, Public Enemy and Common routinely railed against gays in their music. Most notable, however, is the homophobia inherent in Jamaican dancehall and some types of reggae music: Beenie Man, Elephant Man and Buju Banton are among such artists who've basically called for homosexuals to be killed (or, at least, arrested, since homosexuality is illegal in Jamaica). And recently, Busta Rhymes freaked out after a gay fan touched him on his shoulder in a much-publicized 2006 incident. In recent years, some hip hop artists have called for change and reversed their attitudes. According to BET commentator and social and political commentator Keith Boykin (who has written several times on the issue) and other sources, Common abruptly stopped his behavior in 2002 after dating Dallas neo-soul queen Erykah Badu. Kanye West, who reportedly has a gay cousin, railed against gay bashing during an MTV interview in 2005. And most notably, Eminem's duet with Elton John at the Grammy Awards in 2001 was partially seen as a face-saving response to his reputation as an anti-gay lyricist. During the course of my working on the saggin' story, several experts noted the hyper-masculinity that exists in much of contemporary hip hop music and culture. That mode of thinking among men is prevalent in many other cultures, and in most of those cultures homophobia is prevalent if not rampant. Is that relationship a problem? Sure. Can it be fixed overnight? No. |
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Comments
Posted by BC Newkirk @ 10:39 AM Thu, Nov 01, 2007
Almost anything is Ok if it will get the kids to pull their pants up. Rappers have always been on the edge and this reference to street slang for being Gay is no different. Besides, maybe he is onto something, as an avowed heterosexual, I am unable to understand why someone would show their underpants anyway. The reference to jailhouse dress brings into question exactly what is being advertised. Is this a way for prisoners to signal their willingness to engage in homosexual conduct? Could be...