Young Black Gays Debate Homophobia in Hip-Hop

22 Jan

I founs this duo online who produce the “LesMan Show” and I am in love with smart young Black gay men producing media and trying to think thru some things. In this case, ‘Lil Wayne’s homophobic lyrics:

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6 Responses to “Young Black Gays Debate Homophobia in Hip-Hop”

  1. J. Clarence January 23, 2009 at 10:26 pm #

    Oh that’s Manny aka Queer Kid of Color and his friend Les. You can find Manny’s blog here: http://queerkidofcolor.wordpress.com/. He’s a really smart kid. He’s actually gotten worked published before-not that published work alone signifies intelligence.

    In any event, it’s an interesting topic. While certainly some people actually believe some of things written in the music that is discriminatory and defamatory towards queer people, for the rest of us it seems we have largely as a society become jaded to the lyrics to point that we rationalize them as just words to a beat rather than perpetuating a dangerous ideology.

  2. BioGal January 24, 2009 at 7:37 am #

    Hmm, maybe, but I worry that by ignoring ‘just words’ that they might drip feed into people’s minds and actually become an accepted and acceptable ‘ideology’. References to violence that glamorise and encourage deadly conflict, torture, harassment and victimisation cannot be supported. I don’t buy music or movies that depict violence as normal, but as the ultimate and damaging response to extreme situations. I think it is normalised references to violence and aggression that engender fear and hatred in our society. We should be preventing any reference to violence (physical or verbal) and directed disrespect for an individual or a group of persons in popular media - music, tv, films, magazines, online communities, graffiti. Anything with a message of unprovoked violence being good, beneficial, the only answer, necessary should be countered with images of the aftermath - the suffering of the beaten child, the raped teenager, the abused geriatric, the victimised family, the slandered community. I think we ignore subtle, unimportant references to violence and discrimination as ‘just words’ at our peril.

  3. Kenyon Farrow January 24, 2009 at 8:19 am #

    J. Clarence -

    I actually have talked to Steven, I don’t know why I didn’t recognize him in the video.

    BioGal -

    I think you’re right-violence has become quite normalized. I think it’s an interesting debate though, to actually engage with why and how most of us can make these “exceptions” with songs or artists we like.

  4. queerkidofcolor January 25, 2009 at 11:21 pm #

    Thank you for posting the video Kenyon!

  5. Hannah January 27, 2009 at 5:57 pm #

    I think when it comes to art you can only push the envelope so far before you’re just being hateful and hiding behind “artistic expression”. As a painter, it really pisses me off when someone does something like those “drunken Negro” cookies and calls them art. Sometimes in art and literature and music when people use the N word or depict violence, etc. it’s to make a point, to show those things shouldn’t be glamorized or accepted, but with popular music today it seems people are just putting their bigotries to music and cashing out. That type of “art” shouldn’t be encouraged. We can’t stamp out their right to make hateful, crappy music; but if there’s no market, then they’ll fade back to where they came from. Soon, hopefully.

  6. Lang B. January 28, 2009 at 10:08 pm #

    We are the problem -we are the solution.
    How hard is it to not spend your HARD earned money on artists that HATE you? Your dollar equals support. To me it IZ that simple.

    Boycotting does send a message. It may take awhile to transmit but it does get across.

    Manny’s not being aware of lyrics in the past goes to show the danger of subliminal programming. Glad he is alert now.

    Silence often means consent.

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