Up a Little Higher

Ahh, the hip hop closet. The soon-to-be-released book, Hiding in Hip Hop by MTV exec Terrance Dean is supposed to blow the shit off that pocket door. We'll see. I mean, if we get pages of Diddy, Missy, Queen Lateef, and Kanye? Big yawn. But if we're talkin' Fifty, Busta, or Dre, you've got my attention.

Here's a great think piece from back in 2001 by Chris Nutter in the Village Voice about men on the DL in the hip hop industry. Were it not so incisive and interesting, I'd say the article existed merely to flaunt Nutter's fabulous turn of phrase, "Puffy's poufy pals."

Some might argue that this whole on the DL thing enjoys a twistedly fascinating relationship within the black community. As if there are no evolved angels willing to stand up against homophobia. Don't know 'bout all that. Doesn't seem very different from the Texas Lege, if you ask me.