When organizer Leroy F. Moore, Jr. announced the first-ever joint conference of disabled and queer hip hop musicians last April at UC Berkeley, he got some knee jerk reactions.
He heard pity
for the krip hoppers,
fear of the homos — and he collected some hate mail.
It took the determination of a hippo and the communication skills of a hundred year old parrot to pull the conference off from that point. But the musicians and audience who stuck with it flowed into the confluence of two mighty rivers of oppression and courage.
Almost four decades ago, hip hop began in a culture of tough talk, a mighty shout of affirmation in the face of an ignorant and ignoring white mainstream.Now minorities within hip hop culture are talking with the same heart and spirit and part of what they say is a challenge
to an ignorant and ignoring hip hop.
The conference was called, “Diversifying Hip Hop: Krip-Hop & Homo-Hop” and today, in the first week of LGBTI pride month, we bring you excerpts from a panel discussion at this historic conference.
Our participants:
Juba Kalamka, is a founding member of the Deep Dickollective anddeveloper of the micro-label Sugartruck Recordings. Oakland-based,
he’s a prime mover in the international homo-hop movement.
Miss Money comes from
Houston Texas and lives with muscular dystrophy.
With a strong classical and educational background
in music, she’s in high demand as a singer, producer,
DJ and rapper.
Tru Bloo, whose day job name is Nyla Moujaes, hales from Lebanon and Las Vegas. She’s a lesbian, a community organizer, poverty lawyer, poet and MC.
B-Sick, is an Las Vegas rapper. His first EP in 1993 was called “Too Blind Too Sick.” And he hasn’t stopped since. You can find him on myspace aka Mr. Zero Tolerence.
G.r.e.a.t. Scott, is an underground MC from Atlanta.
He was partially paralyzed at age eighteen from a shot
to the chest during an altercation with an acquaintance.
He’s got originality, lyrical skill,
and an ability to “Move the crowd.â€
Last but not least, you’ll hear the voice of KPFA’s Anita Johnson from Hard Knock Radio who moderated the panel.
Produced, edited and hosted by Adrienne Lauby.
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