Check out Hiding in Hip Hop book forum website!
If you thought the picture of rappers Lil Wayne and Baby kissing on the lips caused a stir in the hip-hop world, just wait till the book Hiding in Hip-Hop: Confessions of a Down Low Brother in the Entertainment Industry drops in 2008.
Written by former MTV producer Terrance Dean, Hiding in Hip-Hop has already lit up the internet -- no doubt with hot searches for sample chapters and excerpts from the memoir.
Already author of spiritually fluffy-sounding books Be Empowered: 30 Days of Meditation for Men of Color
and Reclaim Your Power!: A 30-Day Guide to Hope, Healing, and Inspiration for Men of Color
, Terrance Dean sold Hiding in Hip-Hop: Confessions of a Down Low Brother in the Entertainment Industry to Atria recently.
A Publishers Marketplace report titled "Publishers Lunch Deluxe: Lunch Weekly for Monday, January 29" gave this description of Terrance Dean’s book deal:
"Terrance Dean's HIDING IN HIP-HOP: Confessions of a Down Low Brother in the Entertainment Industry, detailing the author's life as a closeted homosexual working in the film and music industry and his relationships with other closeted homosexuals -- film stars, rap artists, and music producers, to Krishan Trotman at Atria at auction by Karen E. Quinones Miller of Liza Dawson Associates. "
After the Hiding in Hip-Hop deal was officially announced, the net has exploded with folks hot on the trail for the names of those undercover famous people included in Dean’s tell-all.
However, reports claim that Terrance Dean will not actually tell all in Hiding in Hip-Hop, and that Dean will not name names in his book, unlike his female predecessors, Karrine Steffans and Carmen Bryan.
Yet an Atria spokesperson has reportedly claimed that the real-life personas of down-low men that Dean describes in Hiding in Hip-Hop will be easy to decipher.
"Let's put it this way: You'll know who they are," she said, according to various online sources."It's a no-holds-barred look at Hollywood and hip-hop and who's living on the down-low."
And it hasn't stopped hip-hop heads from guessing and speculating all over the blogosphere, not only about which men will reportedly be included in Hiding in Hip-Hop, but women as well.
And it didn't stop this reporter from contacting Terrance Dean directly by email, requesting book excerpts or sample chapters from Hiding in Hip-Hop.
As soon as I receive a preview galley, sample chapters or book excerpts from Hiding in Hip-Hop, you'll be the first to know.
Subscribe to Paula Mooney by Email
Bookmark http://www.paulamooney.blogspot.com/ or
Technorati fav me, please!Tags: terrance ,dean ,hiding ,hip ,hop ,gay ,down ,low ,book ,excerpts ,sample ,chapter ,preview ,
publication ,date ,galley ,galley ,kimora ,russell ,simmons
Comments
xox
I've posted, "The Original Dow Low Brother," to put the violence of their betrayal of silence in its proper perspective. There's more than one way to destroy the lives of the women I believe are "too valuable to throw away." My wife, Kwiz, is my most valuable resource.
Where would these down low brothers be today without the women who birthed them, raised them, nurtured them, and loved them? What these down low brothers are committing just for the fun of it is nothing less than spiritual genocide.
Sometimes the truth hurts but it's time the down low brothers knew how devastating their behavior is to the women real men can't live without.
Secondly, this type of information will have crippling effects on many of the artists' careers whom have built their success on an over inflated masculine persona. One can argue that they believe, they may not have had such a successful career, had they been truthful to themselves and their fans. In essence they would become the very people that they, and much of society, laugh at in public situation (A GAY MAN!). To me the whole "DL" phenomenon is a fictitious way for black men, in particularly, to describe an action, the action is that they mess around. They mess around without taking responsibility for their attraction . To put it bluntly they are GAY …. but with PRIVILEGE. They are privileged because they don’t have to take any accountability as long as they remain undetectable. Now, everyone knows they think they have some sort of GAYDAR. And who would think that these married men would even want, let alone commit a gay act.
It seems that they might feel this way because being gay no longer means a sexual act with the same sex. I’m not sure when it changed, but being gay became a word that is used to describe an obviously feminine man. Lets face it society wants to believe a man has no feminine aspect to his character. So whoever can hide- what they feel naturally mind you- the best gets the same respect as a non gay man. No accountability for their attraction to the same sex. An example that can be likened to a brotha that's on the "DL" is someone pointing out that they are a lighter skinned african american and saying to people that they're not black.... but only in certain situations for a greater respect. All Down Low Brothas want that ever elusive measure of respect, without having to earn it. I won’t even get into why being gay is looked as a dirty man’s disease but when there are two women they are just playing with each other.
DOES WHAT SOMEONE THINK OF YOU DETERMINE YOUR WORTH?
I'm waiting to see if he address in his book, what I feel to be the root cause of the problem in society at large. The problem is that most of the "DL" brothas feel like they won't be respected as MEN if they admit to their attraction. I feel that much of society has an obvious stigma about someone that is gay. However, being gay does not inherently mean that you're a punk, wimpy, or less masculine. But to me anyone wanting the respect of being masculine, has to stand on the things that you believe and having the courage of your conviction to withstand any adverse or negative backlash that one might receive.
A BLACK MAN
Yes, the larger implications that this book will bring to the surface will be fascinating to discuss and dissect.
If anything, I pray it curtails DL activity, and also brings more compassion towards men who just aren't attracted to women.