Hiding in Hip Hop: On the Down Low in the Entertainment Industry--from Music to Hollywood

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
Everyone wants to know the truth about their favorite celebrities' heart's desire. Within the masculine culture of Hip Hop and Hollywood, there is a well-known gay subculture that industry insiders are keenly aware of but choose to hide. Terrance Dean worked his way up for more than ten years in the entertainment industry from intern to executive, and has lived the life of glitz and bling along with Hollywood and Hip Hop's most glamorous. With a family full of secrets and working in an industry founded on maleness -- where one's job, friendships, and reputation all depend on remaining on the down low and in hiding -- Dean writes a revealing account of the journey of coming out from hiding.

Full of startling anecdotes and incredible true stories, Hiding in Hip Hop is not a traditional tell-all. A personal and poignant memoir, it is also one of the most provocative and honest looks at stardom and sexuality.

Customer Reviews: Read 32 more reviews...

3 out of 5 stars

Emotional Purging June 18, 2008
20 out of 22 found this review helpful

Hiding in Hip Hop: Confessions of a Down Low Brother in the Entertainment Industry by Terrance Dean is an intimate account of the author's experience as an undercover brother. As a child, Dean was forced to cope with issues surrounding drugs, abandonment, AIDS, and molestation. As an adult, those issues still plagued him, but he was able to add sexuality to his list of problems. His fulfillment in having sex with other men would not have been so huge had he not been a part of the entertainment business. But because he was flooded with images of masculinity and saw how the rich and famous treated those who were openly gay, he contrived an artificial existence as a heterosexual man ultimately hiding in Hip Hop.

Dean was not the typical down-low guy though. In actuality, he loathed the way some down-low men lied to their women. He also was not too keen on playing second fiddle to men who wanted to have their cake and eat it too. Dean wanted much more. He wanted real love. And he wanted to know how he could attain that love and still be accepted in a business that was all about images and facades. Through his desires to love freely, dealing with his estranged family, and attempting to find a way to overcome his conflict with his sexual preference, Dean started Men's Empowerment where he invited his peers to discuss the stressors that came with celebrity and/or power. Men's Empowerment became a seed flourishing into other groups that helped communities in New York and ultimately helped Dean do some serious soul searching.

Hiding is Hip Hop was a decent read. It garnered so much attention that by the time I read it, I was so intrigued by the celebrities Dean was not naming and almost missed the point of his book. He did an excellent job of protecting the innocent, as I was unable to positively identify anyone he described, but I had tons of fun trying to figure them out. Because he used fictitious names, and so many of them, I often lost track of who was who and why they mattered. There were a few name glitches complete with misspellings and the timeline was a bit off. Sometimes, I could not tell what time period he was speaking of, but it may have been to protect celebrity's anonymity. Overall, Hiding in Hip Hop is an entertaining read if you enjoy playing guessing games. Readers who like memoirs and stories that delve into the struggles of human nature would also find this story fulfilling.

Reviewed by Darnetta Frazier
APOOO BookClub

5 out of 5 stars

Oooooh! I've made a couple of guesses already! May 5, 2008
14 out of 17 found this review helpful

Yes, yes, yes, I know. This is supposed to be a serious book about a gay man's struggle to accept his sexuality, and love himself for who he is.

And it is that.

But I'm not going to lie, I bought it to find out which ones of these so-called gangsta hip hop stars is really homo. Be honest! Isn't that why you want to read it?

There are a few names mentioned in the book, but it's mostly descriptions of the stars -- so thinly veiled you can guess who the author is talking about. I'm not a real for real hip-hop fan, but even I was able to guess four or five. And let me say (are you ready for this?), if I'm guessing correctly, one of the people mentioned played a large part in Karrin Steffans' book, Confessions of a Video Vixen!

Can you believe it?

I do!

I'm not going to spoil it by posting my guesses, because 90 percent of the enjoyment of the book is figuring it out for yourselves. But another rapper mentioned is tatooed, and always rags on homos in his raps. Yep, yep, yep!

I heard that the author is supposed to be on the Wendy Williams show on May 13th, and I can't wait!

5 out of 5 stars

Brutally honest May 11, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

An incredibly accurate portrayal of the industry. Those who make a living in hip hop know that it may only be surpassed by the closeted gay men in the entertainment industry of the Black churches. The book is truly an eye-opener to those who thought their "macho ganstas" were all that.

2 out of 5 stars

Hiding in Hip Hop May 20, 2008
5 out of 12 found this review helpful

I really didn't like the book at all. I think the author misled the public in order to get book sales. Unlike Confessions of a Video Vixen she names people. If you are not into the rap world you would have no idea who is talking about. Also not every man you meet is gorgeous and well people. Neither is everyone so beautiful. The writing was bad also. It is about his life as a gay man. Nothing more, nothing less. I would not recommend this book at all. I wish I would get my money back.

4 out of 5 stars

Glad there were no names May 25, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

I am glad Terrance Dean didn't name names. At first I thought that it was a ploy to sell books or for legal reasons. Once reading I realize that if he would have named names then he would have been a sell-out. It would have been out of character for someone in his situation.

The book detailed the struggles of a bisexual African American man working in a highly publicized industry. I was shocked at most of what I read about the "down low brothers" but not entirely surprised considering the nature of the book.

The riddles are not entirely easy to figure out. I think I immediately knew who one of the people, Ella (I think that was her psuedo-name), was. Otherwise I think the descriptions hides the identities of the people involved very well. And really...I DON'T want to know who everyone is. T.M.I. for sure.

This book was a fast read. Not something I would reread but definitely sheds some light on a sensitive situation.

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