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AE: Some of those interviewed appear hostile to your questions. Some simply and turn and walk away without answering. Busta Rhymes, known for his anti-gay lyrics and public, homophobic rants, appears particularly defensive and evasive when you ask him about homophobia in hip-hop. What was your approach in bringing up the subject with rappers?
BH: First of all, I never walk into the room with that being the first question that I ask, especially to rappers who are presumably straight. I felt it would shut them down automatically. So I would make the conversation a progression of issues — kind of hold off on the conversation about homophobia, sort of as a strategy. With the Busta Rhymes interview, I basically had to just suck it up and ask it. Every time I asked a question about homophobia to a rapper, I knew the question had the ability to change the temperature in the room. Everything would change once I asked that question. And with Busta Rhymes, you can see that it really did.

AE: Regarding homophobia in hip-hop, are you aware that the viewpoints of the three cross-dressers in your film are not really representative of, and perhaps even conflict with, the views of most openly gay men?
BH: I can see that, and I saw that conflict with them. I am learning more and more just what an issue it is. I find it interesting and ironic that there actually is an attraction to an art form [hip-hop] that is openly anti-gay and homophobic.

We [African Americans] do the same thing. We listen to music that some would consider self-hating. But we long for it; we buy into it. We dance and party to it.

AE: Some black men might call each other the N-word; some gay men might call each other “faggot,” with both terms used as a kind of bonding.
BH: I think there's a connection between the two. Both are a “colonized” mind — a fully internalized message that says “black people are less than” and “gay people are less than” — so I can understand that issue.

AE: Three recent, highly publicized events occurred since the release of your film that have helped generate a reassessment of public perception and acceptance of name-calling in entertainment. There were comedian Michael Richards' N-word rant; Al Sharpton's speech at James Brown's memorial service on the N-word in black culture; and Grey's Anatomy actor Isaiah Washington calling his fellow actor T.R. Knight a faggot. Do you think the public debate brought about by these events is a sign that our society, including hip-hop culture, is ready to chill on its use of such negative language in public?
BH: I hope so — time will tell. I think it's possible, and it's going to take leadership from within the hip-hop community. Our most important voices need to make public statements about it. It is hip-hop language, but it didn't begin with hip-hop. Hip-hop may have made it more consumable. If major hip-hop artists personally changed their lyrics, it would make it easier for other artists to do it as well.

I think you will still have artists who feel they can say whatever they want to say. Then there will be other artists who will think more intelligently about the impact of what they say. It's hard to ignore things like what Michael Richards and Isaiah Washington said. The climate is changing, so it should be reflected in hip-hop.

And the big question is: Are the corporate structures going to put their stamp of approval on this sort of change? Or are they going to say, “This will never sell”? They have to be a big part of any change.

AE: Do you think an openly gay rapper might make it big any time soon?
BH: I don't know about right now; I think it would still be a big challenge. If such a rapper were to emerge, he would have to be much more than a novelty act. He'd have to possess all that it takes to be a great rapper — not be just a “gay” rapper. Would that person be embraced? If his skills were tight enough and his personality compelling enough, I think yes.” As Jadakiss said in the film, “There are millions of gay people, so why can't a gay rapper go platinum?” Change is possible.

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