On Mister Cee & Homophobia In Hip-Hop

For about a week now, hip-hop has been sitting behind virtual picket lines on the arrest of legendary DJ Mister Cee for public lewdness. As the police report from the New York Police Department read, Cee was arrested on March 30 along with Lawrence Calvin (age 20) and the reports are absolutely damning to the DJ.

More than anything, image is key in this particular genre. You have to look like something to appeal to a certain demographic and more than anything, hip-hop has been the lone genre that immediately send backlash towards the gay and lesbian community. It’s not exactly the action that has everyone up in arms about this situation. It’s the full spectrum of it and in a community that will arguably find it hard to believe such things occur, it’s quick to be dismissed as slander worthy material.

To hip-hop, homosexuality equals comedy. It’s been a punchline for decades now from Dr. Dre’s insults during his feud with Eazy E to Pimp C’s radio interview in Atlanta that made accusations about a well-known hip-hop figure being solicited for sex in cars from men. When more and more facts broke about Cee’s arrest and that The Smoking Gun has a perfect batting average when it comes to any sort of credibility damage (they exposed Rick Ross as a corrections officer), of course The Breakfast Club own roaster Charlemagne Tha God would take Cee to task after the news broke via the NY Daily News.

Was The God right in his statements? It’s up for discussion but he had a valid opinion. He didn’t attack Cee over being gay but rather attacked the situation. In his eyes, no forty-four year old man should be roaming the streets of New York looking for a prostitute and if said man get’s arrested for it then that is his fault. The naivety shown by Funkmaster Flex about the situation only further solidifies Power 105′s stance on the matter.

Flex obviously wanted to stand up for his guy, a friend of his for numerous years but the damage is done. No one fabricates police records and if it’s occurred more than once then facts are facts. With his image tainted, does it make Mister Cee a less trustworthy name behind the turntables? No, of course not. What Cee was charged and accused of is something in his personal life and that image has nothing to do with the man who essentially gave hip-hop The Notorious B.I.G. and countless others.

It’s the image factor in hip-hop that has always sullied most and while many choose to accept certain situations (see R. Kelly and more) and move on, it still stings not only hip-hop but the community period that refuses to accept that not everyone in its fraternal club do the exact same things.

As dream hampton pointed out in her article, Cee's involvement in this incident raises further awareness towards bi-sexual men and the scares they bring home to their wives. Are we damning Cee in any of this? Not exactly, but a strong contingent will and they won't have anything to do with two mics & a turntable.

Let Mister Cee deal with the situation in court and at home because the matter of public perception will now hound him until the end of time. Even if the second man in the car denies the actions occurring, just by placing himself in the environment, it’s a loss.

A loss that has the community unable to fully accept it.