«THESE KIDS, IF YOU SAW THEM ON THE STREET, YOU WOULD NEVER THINK THEY WERE GAY. THEY LOOK LIKE L.A KIDS»-ANDY WARHOL

Remember when Elton John and the Pet Shop Boys had to defend Eminem from GLADD? Well it seems a lot happened since then. Namely more and more gay rapper boys and girls taking their place within the larger hip hop community. To get the pulse of that growing scene I asked some questions to the guys involved in the documentary film Pick Up The Mic. From the state of gay hip hop today, gay men's love -hate relationship with the genre to the future of gay Hip Hop porn...

Q- It seems Hip Hop is moving in so many directions now and influences so many other musical genres. Do you see the same trend in gay hip hop as well?

A- «Definitely» say Pick Up The Mic filmmaker Alex Hinton. «The film really showcases a wide array of styles from the roots and soul inspired leanings of Deep Dickollective to the gangsta styles of JenRo and the HIP HOP with pop hooks of God-Des to the raunchy but hilarious styling of Jonny Dangerous. There is something for every Hip Hop fan in this scene".

Over the years there have been a lot of talk about the place of gay artists in the larger hip hop community. The rapidity of that progress may been seen differently by some but there's clearly a trend towards growing acceptance. «I personally have found that much of the black music industry have given me nothing but respect for the amount of success I have achieved, all without any manager or record label behind me» says British rapper QBOY. «Having said that you have to wonder why I don't have either of those two support frames-it's because the music industry as a whole don't know what to do with me. They believe I don't fit their idea or market for hip hop because I'm gay and I don't fit their gay market because I'm hip hop. However attitudes are changing» he adds. For Alex Hinton some progress cannot be denied: «We did get a 4 page spread about the scene in URB magazine a straight urban music and lifestyle mag. And artists like JenRo and Scream Club are working in the straight hip hop scene guesting on tracks and performing confortably well with straight rappers».

What about the other way around now? People always talk about homophobia in the hip hop community but is there also some prejudice towards hip hop among the mainstream gay community? «Well historically the gay community has had a prejudice to hip hop as the homophobic lyrics of some hip hop songs have been magnified by watchdogs groups like GLAAD. Homophobia exists everywhere in the music industry and musical forms. It just seems that hip hop has been targeted as it can be demonized by some as as the other since it is so often showcased as just a hyper masculinized form of music» says Hinton. «But the film really proves witness that many members of the gay community grew up on hip hop and they don't feel that it is this negative force. They feel that it is their true medium to express themselves. »



Go to most gay bars and it won't be often that some shirtless pumped up guy will be dancing on Hip Hop tracks. For one QBOY has a lot to say about the so called mainstream gay culture:«There is a lot of underlying racism in mainstream gay culture, there has not often been much visible black gay men and lesbians with that scene and now the traditional black culture is creating it's own path within the gay community, the mainstream gay scene is having to adjust not all with ease.» Fortunately personal experience often alter that general impression: «There is also something I call rap-phobia where people's idea of what rap is about is associated with guns, drugs, crime, violence, gangsta culture and somebody shouting in an angry intimidating fashion». add QBOY. «This is because the only conception with rap is the mainstream junk that is so accessible to them. However I have found that many people who have seen me perform parents, grand parents, lesbians and gay men in their fifties none of whom have never identified with rap before all come to me at the end and say: you know I never I liked rap but I like you».

In that world of testosterone-charged young male bravado, Miss Money is for many something of an oddity. A gay christian hip hop artist. And as a female she got a somewhat different opinion about all that male swaggering thing and the so called homophobia of Hip Hop : «I don't think there are prejudices but just reaction to the hate spewed at gay people. You'd be prejudiced too if every man with a mic and knowledge of a few vowels said faggot.....The hip hop males are so ever indulged in testosterone they're the first to hate on gay people but anyone with common sense can see it's their own insecurity . It really has nothing do us gay people».

Before sex was used to sell music . Now music is increasingly used to sell sex. Especially to bring the hip hop community to the adult market. We all know that past Snoop's Doggystyle video and today there's clearly a growing foray of Hip Hop into porn. In the past designer Mark Ecko had his clothes used in some xxx movies and nowadays we hear more and more about rappers tempted to act as MC (if not performing themselves) in some xxx skin flick. Are gay rappers going to follow that trend? Is a move into porn going to be the next ultimate street cred statement? « I don't see why not, I can see Jonny [Dangerous) doing it for sure. He He! In fact both myself and Houston Bernard are on the soundtrack to a sexually charged gay film called OPen Cam» (www.opencammovie.com/music.html/) says QBOY.

What is Jonny Dangerous himself thinking of the idea? Not suprisingly the rapper known for his sexually graphic lyrics is quite enthusiastic about it. «You're talking to the king of dirty gay hip hop. I would definitely rock a porn movie and have my shit played on the background...Cuz when you think of dirty gay sex how can you not think of Johnny Dangerous? Just listening to some of his lyrics easily prove his point:

«Laid up on the couch seductively
Hand up on my knee, whispered how much he wanted me
Bitin' on my lip fantasizing 'bout that dick
that he describe to be eight long and five inches thick"

To buy this great DVD : webgeek@pickupthemic.com