No down low here. Some gay rappers are putting their life on display for all to see whether they like it or not.
The lyrics are from the Harlem-based MC Mykki Blanco. But the sentiment expressed in her after-hours party anthem "Wavvy" is shared by other pioneering rappers who bristle at being defined by their sexual orientation—even as it helps bring attention to their work. The seven artists in this portfolio are wildly diverse, but they're all about as far from the down-low as possible. In the "Wavvy" video, Blanco evolves from a male street tough in a backwards Raiders cap to a vamping glamazon in stilettos. When the rap duo House of Ladosha played New York City in July, Dosha Devastation accentuated her beard with a leopard-print sarong, gold hoop earrings, and a waist-length wig; Cunty Crawford Ladosha, all six feet eleven of him, rocked In Living Color Fly Girl-style biker shorts; and the group closed with their calling card, "B.M.F.," short for "black model famous," a paean to being as fabulous as Naomi Campbell. Artists such as these—once confined to gay clubs and art-world openings—are inching toward the mainstream.source: details
