Rating: - The Down Low Manifesto!
Hiding In Hip Hop: On The Down Low In The Entertainment Industry-From Music To Hollywood is one of several books published within the last several years about being black , gay, closeted in an environment that is hostile towards openly gay men. Closeted masculine black gay, bisexual and straight identified black men who have sex with other men is referred to as Down Low.
The marketing ploy with this autobiography is to name celebrities in the entertainment industry who are Down Low. Anyone who is familiar with Hip Hop; The Culture, Celebrities and The History, will be able to identify some of the people described. Terrance Dean do not give the real name of any down low celebrities. He do describe in titillating detail his sexual experiences with other down low men, some of who are, or were, Hip Hop Celebrities. In depth and plenty of details, Dean describe the Down Low lifestyle and the types of Men whom inhabit such a lifestyle such as a thuggish Hip Hop rappers who bottom in bed. Dean write about rappers, actors, and comedians who like to hang out and have sex with Drag Queens too.
So well written is Hiding In Hip Hop... at times I can almost feel Dean self hatred ooze off the page. Terrence Dean is the oldest of five children. Dean was raised by his grandmother, Grandma Pearl, with unconditional love and support but his mother was a heroin addict and a prostitute who, along with two of his brothers, died from AIDS. Dean was molested as a child and spent eight months incarcerated for auto theft. But instead of writing a Down Low Torch Song, this autobiography is about reclaiming your self mentally and spiritually by helping others. Despite his down trodden circumstances, Dean struggled to earn a college degree and get employment in the entertainment industry. After having a break down, Dean founded a successful black men empowerment organization and eventually cease to hate himself and others for being gay.
Black men are not the only men who are on the Down Low in the entertainment industry. In Hollywood, the white equivalent of the Down Low is the Velvet Mafia. The Velvet Mafia is a successful and powerful group of usually married gay and bisexual white male Hollywood agents, producers, directors actors and other industry insiders who are publicly straight identified. Also, Dean book is similar in theme with another recently published biography,My Life in Porn: The Bobby Blake Story. Both autobiographies deal with masculine black gay men in the entertainment industry and their struggle to coincide their race and sexuality with their spirituality. Hiding In Hip Hop: On The Down Low In The Entertainment Industry-From Music To Hollywood is one of the best written and insightful autobiography I have read.
Rating: - Couldnt figure out who he was talking about
It was a good book but it was just frustrating because I don't like the guessing game of trying to figure out the celebrities he was talking about. He exposed more then I knew about the down low life but at the end of the day a lot of it's still a secret. He did not blow anyone's cover.... You would have to work in the industry to figure out some of the names he's referring to but overall it was good, just frustrating...
Rating: - Not Impressed
I picked this up out of curiosity from the title, I knew nothing about the "hype" and what not of this book as I don't really keep up, but I've been reading this book on and off for the past two months and am STILL not finished. The writer's style is very amateur and lacks cohesiveness, which has not held my interest as I struggle to finish; it's just quite boring to me.
I could care less about the topic he chooses to tackle, it's the delivery I'm most at ends about. I've heard that it's being billed as this tell all, but what intelligent adult reader is today still blind to the fact that this gay/bisexual culture is built within the entertainment industry?
My advice to the reader: don't get your hopes up if you're looking for name dropping, etc. To the author: I'm pretty sure you'll never work again in your profession after this anyways; you just should've went for the gusto and put it all out there, names and all.
Rating: - Needed to be EDITED
This book was written by am amateur. The subject matter is too important to have been this badly delivered. The characters were not developed enough to make them memorable. The author rambles on and on unchecked and unedited. It reads like a first draft, filled with flash backs that do not serve to enhance the story. The author certainly lived this experience but he has several incorrect and juvenille opinions that are hard to read at times. Great that this book got written, however, not so great that it was poorly done.......
Rating: - An endless mind teaser!!
First, I must say that Terrance Dean is a gifted writer. I give credit where credit is due. His life story about how he grew up, survived and overcame sexual abuse was intriguing to say the least. What this man went thru as a child and even an adult was truly amazing. For him to succeed with so many odds stacked against him is awe-inspiring. However, didn't care to much for the guessing games of the celebs that are on the "down low". While I guessed correctly on some of his clues, the majority of his hints and clues had me thinking and guessing so hard my head hurt!! If he was gonna give clues and hints, I think he could have made them more easier like say maybe their initials, the songs they wrote or in some cases the movies they were in. The name guessing really had me frustrated. If you buy this book....make sure you buy it used.....or better yet, go to the Library!!
- The Down Low Manifesto!
- Couldnt figure out who he was talking about
- Not Impressed