Monica CruzA new movement is spreading throughout the hip-hop and rap world. Gay rap. Most people have no idea what gay rap is.
Gay rap is movement of gay, lesbian, bisexual rap and hip-hop artists. Most information that can be obtained about gay rap and gay rap artists can be found from MySpace.com blogs and private blogging websites. There is little information out there because this is a new movement that has recently started.
In cities such as New York and Los Angeles, there are strong gay rap communities. Artists in Philadelphia are trying to establish a gay rap movement in their home. One of Philadelphia’s up-and-coming gay rap groups is Sgt. Sass.
The group consists of DeShawn Seymore, 23, and DaQuan Motley, 25. Motley and Seymore met while attending the Art Institute of Philadelphia. They decided to drop out of school in order to pursue a career in gay rap.
Today, Sgt. Sass has been becoming a local celebrity among the Philly gay rap scene. This trendy duo is putting a new spin on gay rap. They have recently been featured in Philadelphia Weekly. “A lot of people have an issue with us using the word ‘faggot,'” Seymore said in his Philadelphia Weekly interview. “Sgt. Sass’s hopes to reclaim ‘faggot’ in the same way female rappers like Missy Elliott and Lil’ Kim reclaimed ‘bitch’ in the late ’90s.” Sgt. Sass is trying to make bold statements with their music.
“Desensitizing the word is good because the word is misused. This would make it less offensive when people hear the word,” sophomore English major Angela Fries said.
“It’s their freedom of speech. Let them say what they want,” freshman computer science major Joseph Dickenson said.
In their song “Faggot Snappin'” they do just that. They used their freedom of speech to bring new meaning to the word faggot. The song has been said to have been made to embrace the word faggot. “Homophobia is a problem, period. We have to own it,” Motley said.
A recent post on a new and upcoming news blog called “Ugh News” had an interview posted with the duo. Throughout the blog Sgt. Sass talks about how homophobia not only in Philadelphia, but overall is a problem they must deal with in their everyday lives.
Sgt. Sass is like any other group. They use their everyday problems as an “artistic release.” There isn’t one thing in particular that is said to inspire their music. “It’s all inspiration,” Seymore said.
Sgt. Sass is making waves throughout the Philadelphia scene and doing it in a forward way. Sgt. Sass holds nothing back. They have hopes for a full length album, and a tour, but for now they are making their way around the club circuit it Philadelphia. “We represent what is truly hip-hop. We represent ourselves.”
