NPR: Book Outs Hip Hop's Secret Gay World

Book Outs Hip Hop's Secret Gay World

The cover of 'Hiding in Hip Hop,' written by Terrance Dean.

In what could be described as a follow-up to the much-hyped (and in some corners, much-reviled) On the Down Low, Terrance Dean's Hiding in Hip Hop outs the music industry's secret gay s1/4ulture. Here's more from a Newsweek review:

And though Dean's intention was never to out anybody, he provides just enough information for readers to go crazy searching Google. There's a New York R&B singer who often opened for Jay-Z, caught the ears of Death Row Records and has worked on Broadway. A member of a rap group that changed hip-hop with its "philosophical rhymes over hard-core beats" who then went solo to achieve chart-topping success, eventually landing the lead in a movie. (He's also married.) "Men who have secret love affairs have separate homes and apartments, and separate phones strictly for their romantic flings," writes Dean. "No one ever suspects a thing, and they go to great lengths to keep it that way."

Are you surprised by Dean's claims? What impact, if any, will this book have?

Geoffrey Bennett

12:44 PM ET | 05-20-2008 | permalink

Comments (Send a comment)

I'm not surprised by the book's claim, I just want to say "enough already" with all the "Down Low" books. And no I don't see any impact with this new book, which is just riding on the coat tails of J.L. King's groundbreaking book on the subject.

Sent by Moji | 3:08 PM ET | 05-20-2008

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Sent by Robin | 5:32 PM ET | 05-20-2008

humm i dont understand the link here to something called secret gay world...is there a secret straight world or a secret bisexual world too? how much are the tickets for these rides...? is it better than riding the metro in paris or in new york...? if everybody within eyeball shot of reading this page sees that then it is not longer secret...in fact the mere posting of this page renders anything that might have been considered secret exposed, correct?

Let us be clear there is no form of any entertainment industry sub-division be it music, dance or sports [that includes boxing, b-ball, soccer and football] where they are NO queer/gay folks period. So, wow! there are lesbians and gays in rap and hip-hop so what? It is the presumption here that male rap and hip-hop artists are the new epitome of African/black male masculinity or femininity or is this tome a piece of palaver mishmash wherein the author is attempting to wash their souls but digging through the laundry baskets of ours? As the old adage goes -this for the young ones-it takes one to know one. So, in the final analysis, i guess mister Dean needed a big billboard [via a book] to tell the whole world of their queerness... yawn... did you out the fabric softner in the rinse cycle...? Can we get to serious stuff and forget this fluff...

Sent by K Mjumbe | 3:02 AM ET | 05-22-2008

I agree that this book is only a statement of existing knowledge, and borderlines Tabloid trash with it's giving just enough info to possibly figure out who the author is speaking of. Homophobia stems from latent homosexual urges, debate if u want, but lets assume this is true, and the homophobia that is rampant in Hip-hop is nothing new. Even in "enlightened" or "conscious" rappers like common have an abundance of homophobic under tones, as well as blatant statements, laced throughout his meticulously written lyrics

Sent by Joe | 2:12 PM ET | 05-22-2008

I read the comments before reading the article and feel that some of the comments missed a key point, which is not that there are gay rappers, but the extent to which those who are gay in the industry go to hide their sexuality. It almost borders on the comical. However, I don't feel sorry for these rappers, and I am tired of reading about the homophobia of the black church. That is no longer an excuse to be in the closet. We are living in a new day where gay marriage is legal in a few states and many more are talking about civil unions. We have gay folk everywhere, and although the black community may be considered by some to be particularly more homophobic than other communities, there are many people in our community who are very open and accepting. In the end these are choices that these individuals have made, and as a black, gay man I know that times are far better today than they were for me when I came out 11 years ago. These guys are choosing the closet in order to live a particular lifestyle.

Sent by Chitown teacher | 8:15 PM ET | 05-22-2008

Gays have an agenda to create the perception that there are more gays in society than one thinks. In fact, even when you consider adding up those hiding in the closet, they are still a small minority in the human population. They however, would love for that number to grow. This is truly their agenda. How funny!

Sent by Mike | 6:41 PM ET | 05-26-2008

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