Hiding in Hip-Hop

Anyone who knows me knows that as soon as I read a deal memo for this book about two years ago, I began the impatient, epic wait for the book's release. When months would go by and I couldn't find any information about when it was set to go on sale, I convinced myself that a bunch of closeted hip-hop artists had somehow thwarted its release. Not so! Hiding in Hip-Hop: On The Down Low in the Entertainment Industry came out (so to speak) last month. When I suggested to a friend that we should buy it at B&N the day it came out, he told me he'd already pre-ordered us each a copy. Bliss! We each finished the book in two days. This is not the best writing you will ever read, and at times it will sound a lot like softcore porn, but those are small prices to pay to initiate yourself into the guessing game of who-could-this-one-be? A lot of the blinds seem frustratingly general, but it could be because I lack a deeper knowledge of hip-hop history. And beyond the smut, the author does have a lot of solid reflection of how race and sexuality are often at odds within the black community. I just wish I had more people to help me guess who Lola could be.

RATING: 63%