Pick Up the Mic
Encyclopedia
Pick Up the Mic is a documentary film
, released in 2006, which profiles the underground LGBT
hip hop
scene and homohop, which is a subgenre of hip-hop that includes gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rappers, DJ's and hip-hop artists. The film was directed by Alex Hinton.
The documentary had its premiere at the 2005 Toronto Film Festival. Subsequently the film screened at other film festivals around the world. An edited version aired nationally in the United States on the Logo
cable television channel.
Though homophobia
is a phenomenon commonly laid at the feet of mainstream hip hop, pop culture's relationship to it has also been shaped by white middle class LGBT communities' covert and overt racism
and internalized homophobia.
As a result, the attendant conversations in LGBT and straight mainstream media around the subject tend to gravitate toward the speculative (Queen Pen
's 1998 single "Your Girlfriend") and the apocryphal (the brief career of self proclaimed "gay rapper" Caushun
, who was the subject of a flurry of mainstream press from 2001-2003, yet failed to release an album or single through his reported record deal with Kimora Lee Simmons
' Baby Phat
imprint).
Homohop is a growing subgenre of aggressive pro-gay lyrics directly confronting the perceived homophobia of mainstream rap. It is a significant underground gay hip hop movement, spearheaded by many of the artists profiled in Pick Up the Mic. The performance footage in the documentary was shot at the PeaceOUT World Homo Hop Festival
in Oakland, California
between 2002 and 2004, and Peace Out East, a sister festival in New York City
curated by Judge "Dutchboy" Muscat and Shante "Paradigm" Smalls. All of the artists featured in Pick Up the Mic have released multiple independent recordings and have toured the United States
and internationally over the past several years. Katastrophe, Deep Dickollective and Scream Club have been among the most prolific, with the Scream Club making several tours across Europe
in recent years, where they have developed a cult-like following.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
, released in 2006, which profiles the underground LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
scene and homohop, which is a subgenre of hip-hop that includes gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rappers, DJ's and hip-hop artists. The film was directed by Alex Hinton.
The documentary had its premiere at the 2005 Toronto Film Festival. Subsequently the film screened at other film festivals around the world. An edited version aired nationally in the United States on the Logo
Logo (TV channel)
Logo is an American digital cable television channel owned by Viacom's MTV Networks division. Launched in June 2005, the channel's programs are geared towards the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community...
cable television channel.
Though homophobia
Homophobia
Homophobia is a term used to refer to a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards lesbian, gay and in some cases bisexual, transgender people and behavior, although these are usually covered under other terms such as biphobia and transphobia. Definitions refer to irrational fear, with the...
is a phenomenon commonly laid at the feet of mainstream hip hop, pop culture's relationship to it has also been shaped by white middle class LGBT communities' covert and overt racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
and internalized homophobia.
As a result, the attendant conversations in LGBT and straight mainstream media around the subject tend to gravitate toward the speculative (Queen Pen
Queen Pen
Lynise Walters, better known by the stage name Queen Pen, is a Grammy-nominated African-American female rapper.Her music career started as a protégé of Teddy Riley, a record producer and member of the R&B group BLACKstreet in the mid-1990s. She was a featured rapper, along with Dr. Dre, on...
's 1998 single "Your Girlfriend") and the apocryphal (the brief career of self proclaimed "gay rapper" Caushun
Caushun
Jason Herndon better known by his stage name Caushun is an American rapper, often erroneously referred to as the first black, openly gay male hip-hop artist to be signed to a major record label in the United States...
, who was the subject of a flurry of mainstream press from 2001-2003, yet failed to release an album or single through his reported record deal with Kimora Lee Simmons
Kimora Lee Simmons
Kimora Lee Simmons is an American fashion model, and former president and Creative Director for Phat Fashions.-Early life:...
' Baby Phat
Baby Phat
Baby Phat is an urban fashion line of clothing and other items for women and girls. Besides clothing, the brand also includes accessories for phones, jewelry, shoes and fragrances. It is the corporate "sibling" of the clothing brand Phat Farm created by Russell Simmons. Baby Phat uses a sleek cat...
imprint).
Homohop is a growing subgenre of aggressive pro-gay lyrics directly confronting the perceived homophobia of mainstream rap. It is a significant underground gay hip hop movement, spearheaded by many of the artists profiled in Pick Up the Mic. The performance footage in the documentary was shot at the PeaceOUT World Homo Hop Festival
PeaceOUT World Homo Hop Festival
The PeaceOUT Homo Hop Festival, was an annual festival of hip hop music and culture created by Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender people and held in Oakland, California from 2001 to 2007.-History:...
in Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
between 2002 and 2004, and Peace Out East, a sister festival in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
curated by Judge "Dutchboy" Muscat and Shante "Paradigm" Smalls. All of the artists featured in Pick Up the Mic have released multiple independent recordings and have toured the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and internationally over the past several years. Katastrophe, Deep Dickollective and Scream Club have been among the most prolific, with the Scream Club making several tours across Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
in recent years, where they have developed a cult-like following.
Artists
- Juba KalamkaJuba KalamkaJuba Kalamka is an African American bisexual artist and activist recognized for his work and founding member of homohop group Deep Dickollective and his development of the micro-label Sugartruck Recordings....
- Deep DickollectiveDeep DickollectiveDeep Dickollective was a black and queer hiphop group based in Oakland, California that helped launch the homohop genre of openly queer/LGBT artists including the PeaceOUT World Homo Hop Festival.-History:...
- Dutchboy
- Tori FixxTori FixxTori Fixx is one of the first openly gay hip hop artists, and also produces music for other noted queer performers. He is based in Minneapolis.-Career:In the mid-90s, he DJed at parties for Prince at Paisley Park Studios in Minnesota....
- DeadleeDeadleeJoseph Lee, better known by his stage name Deadlee, is an American rapper and songwriter based in Los Angeles, California. The musician, who is of Mexican American and African American descent, launched his career back in 2000. In 2002, he released the critically acclaimed debut album 7 Deadlee Sins...
- Tim'm T. West
- JB Rap
- JenRO
- Katastrophe
- Marcus Rene Van
- Miss Money
- Paradigm
- Aggracyst
- QBoyQBoyQBoy is a UK-based rapper, producer, DJ, writer and presenter. One of the original few out rappers in hip-hop circa 2001 that became pioneers of the new sub-genre colloquially known as "homo hop"...
- CazwellCazwellLuke Caswell , known as Cazwell, is an American rapper and songwriter. He is best known for his explicit lyrics and collaborations with Amanda Lepore...
- Johnny Dangerous
- God-Des
- Tina G (aka She of God-Des and SheGod-Des and SheGod-Des and She are a hip-hop/pop/soul duo from the Midwest.Since they appeared on the Showtime hit series The L Word in 2006, they have sold more than 30,000 albums and toured the world....
) - Scream Club
- soce, the elemental wizard