Q.B.O.Y. Is Just So Fly
Or so he says.
Thanks to Arjan Writes I've downloaded songs from Q-Boy's website. Q-Boy is truly unique. A gay hip hop artist. Openly unashamedley gay and yet openly unashamedley urban. And his songs are actually quite good.
Q-Boy has managed to create music to which "you leave ignorance at the door". His raps pastiche bubblepop gay culture and homophobic hip-hop culture together ("like Madonna's teeth you gotta fill in the gap!") and mashes together the dichotomies and fuses them into what is far from the middle ground.
In 'Q.B.O.Y.' he spits "being gay and urban is never a crime" and criticises both the homophobic hip-hop world and the anti-hip-hop gay world claiming that the prejudice and negativity of one scene is caused by the other. And, I have to admit he makes sense. He's a gay man in the hip-hop nation. Both communities want to be accepted but are unable to accept one another. The gays won't touch him because he's hip-hop and the hip-hop types won't touch him because he's gay. It's all about opening your mind, man.
His voice is unusual, as he raps in an English accent which occaissionally has an American twang to it. But he's much more English sounding than the likes of Kano or Roll Deep. He is set to release 'A Deal With God' an anti-bullying single that uses a sample of Kate Bush's 'Running Up That Hill'. Kate Bush + Gay Hip-hop = Potentially the most brilliant thing ever!
I'd love Q-Boy to be huge, but as I've only just discovered his 2003 EP 'Even The Women Like Him' that made about as much impact as a burp I doubt he'll ever be able to overcome his prejudices.
Thanks to Arjan Writes I've downloaded songs from Q-Boy's website. Q-Boy is truly unique. A gay hip hop artist. Openly unashamedley gay and yet openly unashamedley urban. And his songs are actually quite good.
Q-Boy has managed to create music to which "you leave ignorance at the door". His raps pastiche bubblepop gay culture and homophobic hip-hop culture together ("like Madonna's teeth you gotta fill in the gap!") and mashes together the dichotomies and fuses them into what is far from the middle ground.
In 'Q.B.O.Y.' he spits "being gay and urban is never a crime" and criticises both the homophobic hip-hop world and the anti-hip-hop gay world claiming that the prejudice and negativity of one scene is caused by the other. And, I have to admit he makes sense. He's a gay man in the hip-hop nation. Both communities want to be accepted but are unable to accept one another. The gays won't touch him because he's hip-hop and the hip-hop types won't touch him because he's gay. It's all about opening your mind, man.
His voice is unusual, as he raps in an English accent which occaissionally has an American twang to it. But he's much more English sounding than the likes of Kano or Roll Deep. He is set to release 'A Deal With God' an anti-bullying single that uses a sample of Kate Bush's 'Running Up That Hill'. Kate Bush + Gay Hip-hop = Potentially the most brilliant thing ever!
I'd love Q-Boy to be huge, but as I've only just discovered his 2003 EP 'Even The Women Like Him' that made about as much impact as a burp I doubt he'll ever be able to overcome his prejudices.
posted by Pop Boy @ Sunday, January 29, 2006
![Rufus Wainwright - Poses [Bonus Track]](http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00005Y7AW.01._SCMZZZZZZZ_.jpg)
![Emma Bunton - Free Me [Australian CD]](http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0001B3YWY.01._SCMZZZZZZZ_.jpg)
2 Comments:
At 7:06 pm, February 09, 2006,
Anonymous said…
Ok, just felt like adding my two cents worth. Ive seen Q-Boy and he wasnt too impressive. Derivative hip hop, little creativity, the only thing setting him apart was that he´s gay but surely we are beyond the stage where being gay gets someone some indie cred.
I have nothing against him tho, there are worse hip hoppers and there is certainly a hell of a lot more annoying gay artists out there. And i do respect him for breaking into new territory with the hip hop world (in general) so anti-gay and the gay world being pretty anti hip-hop.
I just think its a pretty amazing claim to make tho that the animosities are mutually self supportive. A little too simplistic, and glib, donchya think?
Does the hip hop world hate gays because gays hate hip hop? i dont think so...certainly a lot of the gay "community" is closed to hip hop because it doesnt speak to their world and frankly it scares them (and at times with some pretty good reason) but there is plenty of good queer hip hop out there. you just gotta find it. Q-Boy may be an example of this but he is netither brilliant nor will he ever break down the barriers between the broader gay "community" and the broader hip hop "community"...the problems stretch a little bit deeper than what disc is playing on their CD player.
Queer Punk
At 10:41 pm, March 06, 2006,
Anonymous said…
I was really enjoying your blog until your last sentence - I think my CD made a considerable impact...but maybe not musically. Upon releasing that CD I managed to gain more press and media attention that the average signed UK rapper who have a whole team of people behind them - I am a one man band, manager, record label, agent, dj, artist, pr, you name it I do it, so taking that into consideration and looking at the press I attracted and gigs I got off of releasing my CD, I would argue it made a huge impact. My aim now with my new album due for release this year is to let the music do the talking which is why I have made consdierable effort to combining the best beats with the most effective, honest, thoughtful and educational (without being dictorial) lyrics I have to offer.
This guy 'Queer Punk' - keep you 2 Cents, we don't need your cheap pennies love, heh heh! ;-) Derivative hip-hop eh? So writing an anti-bullying track that is running with anti-bullying campaigns set up by charities , performing them to school children as part of an educational scheme is derivative is it? It lacks creativity does it? Cleverly taking a Kate Bush sample and using it so it educates and informs at the same time of entertaining....gees, you are hard cookie to please, or rather, I don't think you know what you are talking about. My existance is not to do with being gay...that is a bi-product. I always wanted to be a performer, I always wanted to work in music, I have always loved rap, I have always wanted to help people too. My chosen career of being a rapper is pretty standard considering these things. However, I have always been gay and I didnt see why I should have to be quiet about that bit because everyone else is. I don't want to be 'QBoy - gay rapper' I just want to be QBoy: artist. end of. However I shall not pretend I'm not gay to please you because you think that by being openly gay I am being some sort of a gimmick. I don't believe that hip-hop hates gays - for any reason, let alone because the gays hate hip-hop (which, is yet another sweeping statement, I mean, I'm gay and I don't hate hip-hop - and I'm also hip-hop but don't hate gays - go figure!) And I don't know when you saw me but I bet it was about 4 years ago when I first started, because if you would have seen me recently, heard my material, seen the reaction I get and understood what it is I am trying to do, I believe your 2 cents might be a little bit more postive.
Q.x.
Post a Comment
<< Home