Rappers said “no way” to gay role in Fox's "Lie to Me". "No homo" indeed.

the gay community has done a very poor job of reaching out to the African American community...

We are both deeply concerned about the rights of the individual and the reponsibilities of the individual to society as a whole....Yet, we seem unable to unite around the issues about which we agree....

I truly believe we need to support the African American community and convince the leaders of that movement that civil rights are an issue that transcends race and sexual orientation.

of dealing with itself. It's not for white gays to do what black gays can't -- or won't.

 

As a gay African-American I've been dealing with this the better part of my 62 years. And as I'm sure you can guess I am no longer on speaking terms with the remainder of my family. Their choice, not mine.

The African-American community is crippled by homophobia, and there are no two ways about it. When you get to the sub-basement, which is where you'll find "hip-hop," the situation is even worse.

Bring up Byard Rustin, James Baldwin, Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Lorraine Hansbury, Bessie Smith, Ethel Waters -- the list goes on and on -- and you'll get stoney silence.

 

And I'm talking about getting it from African-Americans who ought to know better. They don't. They just don't.

I have no idea what it will take to change this sorry situation. I wish I could wish it all away. But that's just not possible.  

 

It was in the Monday Morning Everything Bagel thread.  Must be psychic.  :)

the hip hop community as a whole has very little respect for themselves, or each other and that it glorifies violence, drug usage, 'whoring' vanity and egotism a lack of responsibility for yourself, your family, your community and a multitude of the worst traits possible for anyone let alone young african american men and women, the homophobia is just a drop in a very full bucket.

It is quite possible that any rapper that had been willing to take that role would not only have faced career murder, but maybe actual murder.  After all, it no doubt would have been seen as a taint on not just him but all rappers. 

I thought that was a really great episode of Lie to Me, but I'm not at all shocked they couldn't get a real rapper to play the role. The whole episode is about how the rap community is so violently homophobic. Were they honestly expecting they'd have any luck casting that role with a real rapper?

 

"It's weird. It's just different. It's not men. It's just him. It's only him." - Ianto Jones

It has been noted in the past for movies such as Brokeback Mountain, and plenty of other movies or productions - that actors and actresses turn down roles - for whatever reason.  The reasons for turning down the roles of various kinds can indeed be varied. However for the actors turning down the roles - any blame, critcism or stigma for doing so is not attached to the whole group - for example, the white community.  Sometimes there's not any blame, criticism or stigma for turning down a role - it is just a fact.  Now let's look at the comments to this article - somehow the rappers approached for the roles in the production who turned down the roles for whatever reason - is ascribed to the whole black community (message 1 and 2). Then in messages 4 and 5 there is an assignment to the whole rap community as if the rap community only consists of black folk, but we know what you mean.  Now if "we" are concerned about the rights of the infividual - then these individuals freely made their choice for whatever reason, even including a homophobic reason. If it is true that black and gay folk need to come together, then there's a great deal of work on many levels to be done, and I suggest one of the first steps would be to treat all folk as individuals deserving of respect. Not as card-board cut-outs or stereotypes to be trotted out and discussed in a way that says, "we all know who you're talking about".  Just my thoughts.

All black people (even most black people) are not part of the Hip Hop Commuinty and I don't think most of them would appreciate being considered to be so.

All black people or even most black people should not be held responsible for "managing" the "Hip Hop Comminty" any more than all white people should be held responsible for "managing" every white, homophobic male who exists in the public eye (in music, religion, politics, etc).

The majority of the consumers of Hip Hop in the US are white teens.  They support these artists who are mostly managed by white producers and white run record companies. Yes, there is an economic issue  there, but that doesn't change the fact that this is true.

That said, every artist is responsible for their music.  Homophobic rappers should be called out, by name and taken to task by GLAAD and others as individuals.  But  it's important to call out artists of any genre when they use their art to promote hatred/violence against gay people. 

Homophobic garbage isn't worse when it comes out of the mouths of young black men then it is when it comes out of the mouths of young/old white men.

I'm disturbed by the tendancy to easily and without reservation lump every one of a particular racial/ethinic group (usualy Black and "Latino") together as if the people who are members of these groups  think with one mind or even have anything in common or anything to do with each other. 

It is easy to see from reading the paper and watching television (and personal experiences) that there are vast, long-running divides amongst and between people in the US who identify as Black or Latino within each group.

In the last 10 years there have also been massive efforts on the part of major artists, journalists and cultural critics within and outside of the Hip Hop Community to address the homophobia and sexism there in but I don't the most of the audience of AfterElton would necessarily be privy to those efforts (which makes sense)

This doesn't mean I don't think the issue should be discussed on AfterElton but I do wonder sometimes if there are folks who might be more informed about the issues (gay men who listen to hip hop for instance) who might be able to add some shade and nuance and deeper information to the discussion.

I think Hip Hop artists listen to other Hip Hop artists and don't actually care what anyone outside of that community has to say about how they practice their art and that includes older Black people and younger black people who don't listen to rap and aren't part of the Hip Hop Community.

As for the "Lie to Me" episodes it seems to me that actors turn down gay roles all the time.  This has been a prominant topic on AfterElton laterly. 

Homophobia in acting (in relation to gay actors being closeted and actors not wanting to play gay roles whether they themselves are gay or straight) doesn't seem like something that is specific to rappers (who act). 

The numbers of rappers who  act is a very tiny blip on the screen of acting.

I think the problem is really that white artists who are just as homophobic and sexist tend to blend in to the wide sea of white musicians (of all genres)  and are usually criticized as individuals whereas black Hip Hop artists are an easy target because there are less of them and they are more easily identifiable and grouped together.

I do think homophobia in hip hop should be discussed here, I just wonder if there might not be some gay folks who are part of the Hip Hop Community (as artists or as consumers) who might have something to say about it.

I get the impression that race is a bit of a barrage balloon that has been sent up to confuse the issue. There seems to be the assumption that all rappers are black and that no rappers are openly gay.

I know the writers were after a recognised 'name' rapper, but once they don't get one, why do they automatically go for a black actor? There's no Model T standard for rappers - they come in all colours, not just black. There are gay rappers out there whom I'm sure would have jumped at the chance to appear in a prime time TV show.

Off the top of my head, openly gay US rappers include Caushun who's black and Johnny Dangerous who's (I think) Latino.

(BTW for a knowingly homoerotic send up of the fierce heterosexuality of mot rappers, check out Johhny Dangerous on YouTube try http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Br17y61qSj8 which I think is supposed to be funny - well, I laughed anyway).

The more I think about this, the more I'm convinced that this has very little to do with homophobia in rap or any perception of 'institutionalised black homophobia' and everything to do with not casting openly gay actors/whatever in gay roles in prime time.

 

Actually, Allen Maldonado, who played the role in question, is an LA based actor who also does hip hop under the pseudonym "Dawone": http://www.myspace.com/allenmaldonado

I don't think that it's "corageous" when any and every straight actor plays a gay role, but in this case Allen/Dawone deserves props.  He may not be famous and on a major label, but he is doing his thing...

Rap/hip hop music is a genre, not a lifestyle.  Yes, most of the men associated with it (read:  become famous because of it) rely on a misogynist, homophobic tirade of BS to impress teenage white boys in suburbia.  That's why you need to find those who can rap well, but don't do it about stupid things like hatred or hetero swagger.  Rage Against the Machine has rapped/rocked about social injustice for years; Beastie Boys apologized for the homophobic and sexist lyrics they used to write as 20-somethings and are now available to all; Queen Latifah has a new rap album coming out soon, and there is an amazing indie female rapper out of Detroit called Invinible (her album is "Shapeshifters;" check it out!).  There is also a whole sub-genre called homo hop (google it!) focused on out performers.  

"Go, or go ahead and surprise me."  -- Rufus Wainwright