A book entitled Hiding in Hip-Hop: Confessions of a Down Low Brother in the Entertainment Industry, by former MTV producer Terrance Dean is set to go on sale tomorrow, and I’m not sure if I’m as excited as everyone else. It doesn’t seem to name names, and is more of an awareness tool about the industry. While the press alludes to scandalicious details, it seems more like a book that says “there are gays in the entertainment industry,” which is, you know, redundant. A quote from Dean in a recent article in the Guardian:
Leading hip hop artists such as Eminem, DMX and Ice Cube have all been targeted by gay activists for using homophobic lyrics. One of Eminem’s songs famously included the line: ‘Hate fags? The answer’s yes.’ In his book Dean describes a world in which hip hop stars and executives often berate and denigrate homosexuals, and the use of the word ‘faggot’ is common place. He says that too often he let such abuse pass by, and writing a memoir was a way of making up for that. ‘I am a part of this culture. I was getting by, saying it’s OK when those things are said. But then I realised they are actually talking about me too,’ Dean said.
We’ll either be pummeled with headlines about this book or it will be a footnote, but it will be a historical piece about a culture that is very ‘out’ about their homophobia. Buy it at amazon.
UPDATE: A lot of interest for this post–everyone wants to know the names that aren’t named. Listen to an interview with Terrance Dean on the Wendy WIlliams radio show, you’ll see how much doesn’t get said. “It wasn’t about naming names, it was about telling my story,” is as far as it goes. Not that I want to know or anything…
–Stinky Pinky
