ABSTRACT
This chapter is the result of the two authors getting "schooled" by four gay rappers: Cakes da Killa, Le1f, Mykki Blanco, and Zebra Katz. To understand these artists, it explores black gay male culture, hip-hop culture, hip-hop homophobia, and the contested domain of knowledge known as queer theory. The chapter introduces new terms and phrases from ball culture, hip-hop culture, and the queer community, highlighting how language is gradually changing to accommodate more nuanced identities and experiences. While hip-hop may include nihilism and homophobia, it is also a place for fierce talent, rhymes, and attitudes. Furthermore, hip-hop is not fully representative of black culture; Rose argues that it merely represents the "versions of black reality" acceptable for white consumption and which benefits white market power. The chapter offers it mostly, though, as an alternative to the term "queer hip-hop" to describe the ambiguous sexuality and gender presentations of these and other black gay rap artists.
