Jason Howard Green

Jason Howard Green

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Unforgettable Pride Moments - Number Eight

The Homo Revolution Tour was a tour that showcased gay hip-hop artists. Until this phenomenal group came to town I'd never really thought about hip-hop artists being gay and out. There have always been rumors about the sexual orientation of some of our more famous rappers (ie Queen Latifah, Will Smith, DaBrat and even Nelly) but an out gay rapper was just something I thought could not be real. Then I saw the documentary Pick Up The Mic and it totally changed the image I had regarding hip-hop artists and sexuality.

Pic Up the Mic tells the story of several hip-hop artists that are working hard at their craft but are not hiding their sexual orientation. These guys (and gals) were out and proud but working in an industry that historically doesn't take to kindly to those of the homosexual pursasion. So imagine my excitement when I learned that some of the guys in the film were going on tour and one of their stops would be Phoenix, Arizonoa (yes were the 5th largest country in the nation but we gets no love yall - so this stop was a surprise to me).

I can't begin tell you how talented some of these guys are. Tori Fixx - what can I say. Young, energetic, handsome, nice, remarkable on the mic, phenomenal as a producer, salt of the earth kind of person. Everything he touches is amazing. That night I purchased his CD Code Red and it stayed on constant rotation in my house for about two months straight (maybe not straight, let's say two consecutive months - you know I can't do nothing straight).

Johnny Dangerous is one of the most outlandish characters I've ever met, but don't get it twisted - his music is HOT! HOT! HOT! DeadLee - thugged out latin brutha in a wife beater spitting gangsta lyrics. It may be one of the greatest shows I saw that year. I know a big part of my enthusiasm was just that it was terrific seeing these people doing their thang and being totally out, honest and open about who they are. Authenticity does it for me and everyone that performed that night was authentic. For all those reasons, attending the Homorevolution Tour is number eight on my list of unforgettable pride moments. You can see photos of the performances that night here.

And just an FYI - some of these guys will be back next week to celebrate gay pride with us. They will be performing at club Plazma on the night of Saturday, April 18. Hopefully I'll see you there.

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