Hip hop is a dance form that originates from the streets. It is an elaborate form of dancing (break dancing) and rapping words rhythmically that can be culturally tied to street gangs and the hip hop subculture consisting of graffiti and other forms of expression. It was a way for people that spent immense amounts of their time and energy out on the streets to relax and have fun, all the while still competing to show one another who is the best.
As a result, generally hip hop is considered a dance/ music form that is connected to “tough” guys. We have rappers and break dancers, and somehow these figure-heads in the hip hop industry are perceived as tougher than in other genres of music. We have Eminem, Two chainz, Macklemore, and several others that I personally cannot name due to my lack of familiarity with rap music. However, what caught my attention was an article in the New York Times: Homophobia and Hip-Hop: A Confession Breaks a Barrier by Jon Caramanica.
It is common knowledge that in the American culture, and in several other cultures throughout the world, homophobia is omnipresent. Being a homosexual is often looked upon as a weakness. As a result, homosexuality cannot be linked to the hip-hop world in many people’s minds, as in the hip-hop world, you have to be tough, and respected. And who can respect a homosexual? Many people generally find it hard to look upon someone with a different sexual orientation as normal, and strong.
Personally, I find it sad that people perceive others with different desires as weak. And what I generally find disturbing is the extent to which homosexuality is degraded, especially in the hip-hop world. In several other art forms, homosexuality has become something that can be accepted, and yet when it comes to the rap industry, it is still frowned upon. It is due to this reason that Mister Cee retired from the hip-hop station Hot 97 Early Thursday morning, September 12th, 2013.
While I am not familiar with rappers, as it is not the music that I generally listen to, I find it disturbing that such a sense of homophobia is still present in the industry. Mister Cee reportedly said that “he thought the two parts of himself — his sexual identity and his hip-hop celebrity — couldn’t coexist” (Caramaniza, Homophobia and Hip-Hop: A Confession Breaks a Barrier).
Reportedly, Mister Cee has been playing songs in order to encourage people to feel better about their identities. Songs that displayed that someone cared, that someone was there to support them, no matter what they identify themselves as. And yet, when it came to the surface that Mister Cee was in fact a homosexual, he was forced to retire from the industry in order to avoid the shame. His notion that homosexuality and hip-hop don’t mix comes from somewhere. And I believe that we have to change these notions about sexuality and hip-hop.
I believe that everyone has a right to be whomever they wish, and correct me if I’m wrong, but I also believe that that should apply to anyone working in any industry.
Luckily, there have been strives to bring attention to how oppressed these people must feel working in their own industries. Kanye West supposedly announced that he supports gay marriage, and Macklemore has produced a hit song that entails that love is love no matter what called Same Love. In the song, even Macklemore provides a line that hits close to the idea of the article “If I was gay, I would think that Hip-Hop hates me”.
I thoroughly hope that one day these distinctions will not be made. I hope that one day, everyone will be able to choose the industry and career path that they desire, without having to consider their sexuality as a factor.
-Alexandra Szilagyi
Works Cited:
Caramanica, Jon. “Hip-Hop, Tolerance and a D.J.’s Bared Soul: He’s Tired of Denial.”New York Times. N.p., 12 Sept. 2013. Web. 12 Sept. 2013.
As a fan of rap music, I do get a sense of bias against homosexuals, and it is not right. I agree — rappers and hip hop artists are looked upon as hard and tough as rocks. This comes from the stereotype that they came from nothing and made it to the top (said by Drake, “started from the bottom now we here”). I guess it is seen as “unmanly” in the rap world to be homosexual. Some of my homosexual friends are stronger than anyone I know.
I have never heard of Mister Cee or his music, but it is a crying shame that he feels he needs to quit because of his sexual orientation. If he had stayed in the industry, he could’ve influenced others that it is okay to be who you are. Still, I’m sure he did just that anyway.
At least where I come from, almost everyone I know listens to hip-hop/rap in some fashion and regardless of their sexuality. I guess those that are in it feel they can’t be gay is all. And i agree with you; I hope that day comes soon, especially in this day in age.
This article reminds me about the controversy surrounding Frank Ocean’s “coming out” letter and how fearful he was that his announcement would cost him his career. As Josh said, the term “homosexual” is too often mistaken as a character trait as opposed to an orientation. Macklemore touches on this issue in his song, “Same Love,” stating/rapping, “Bunch of stereotypes all in my head /
I remember doing the math like, ‘Yeah, I’m good at little league’ /
A preconceived idea of what it all meant / For those that liked the same sex / Had the characteristics…” Furthermore, the stereotypes associated with homosexuality, such feminineness, point out further flaws with prejudice in the hip-hop industry that keep female artists from succeeding. Simply put, people should be respected for their personalities and talents, and their personal lives should not be left to scrutinized by the public.
Similarly, when I started to read your article, Macklemore’s song Same Love came to my mind as well. I agree that the fear and hatred towards homosexuals are unacceptable in any industry. A person should be able to decide for himself/herself regarding something as personal as which gender he/she prefers. It is disappointing that Mister Cee had to exit from the music industry after he announced that he was homosexual; however, I do have hope that most industries are making a strive to accept homosexuals.
While reading your article, one person who came to mind is Jason Collins. Jason Collins, a basketball player, recently “come out of the closet” earlier this year. As far as I am concerned, most of the articles that I’ve read had a positive bias towards Jason’s decision. The NBA is not forcing Jason to retire from his profession, but is rather respecting his homosexuality. Hopefully, more industries will change their perspective on homosexuality in the near future.
When I read this article, I remembered all the forums I’ve read concerning gay marriage and the fights that people get into. They’re quite ridiculous, in my opinion, for the same reasons you’ve stated in your post – I can’t understand why one’s sexual orientation would be the reason for social degradation. And as you said, it doesn’t just stop there. Many homosexuals have to hide their orientation when they apply for certain jobs for fear of shame and embarrassment when there shouldn’t be any in the first place. I agree with what you said concerning the fact that homophobia should be rectified. Sometimes, I wonder: why does a person care if someone else is homosexual? Why would it bother him/her? It’s okay if one makes his/her opinions known but society has crossed the boundaries for quite some time already. Not only do many homophobics make their opinions known, they discourage others through the use of social isolation.
But back to my comment about the forums – the most idiotic fights occur there. There are communities that support one another in these situations. Yet, there are people who deliberately enter the conversations and lower the self-esteem of homosexual people. They cause disturbances and believe they are justified to do so. In a sense, I feel like it borders on cyber bullying, though that might be a stretch. And the thing is, there’s no right or wrong. Both sides are expressing their own opinions but fighting over it through thousands of posts isn’t going to change one’s sexual orientation.