What to Watch: PBS Doc About Hip-Hop's Homophobia

Posted by Corina Zappia at 5:36 PM, February 20, 2007

itvs.com

Yes, it's The O.C. finale week, but we find what's far more interesting is the show airing on PBS tonight: "Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes." The Washington Post did an extensive review of the documentary, which interviews major rappers about a major taboo: homophobia and misogyny within hip hop.

Check out this excerpt:

When filmmaker Byron Hurt asks Busta [Rhymes] about homophobia in hip-hop, the rapper goes quiet. "I can't partake in that conversation," he demurs. "With all due respect, I ain't trying to offend nobody. . . . What I represent culturally doesn't condone [homosexuality] whatsoever." When asked if a gay rapper could ever be accepted in hip-hop culture, Busta walks out of the room. It's one of the most telling scenes in Hurt's first documentary for PBS, "Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes" . . .