Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Hip-Hop And Black Queer Defiance, Elyssa Durham

Culminating Experience Projects

This project explores the ways in which critical race theory, the Black, queer experience, and Black masculinity impact hypermasculine and homophobic expression through hip-hop and how Lil Nas X defies gender expectations. Critical race theory, Black, queer experiences, and Black masculinity work cohesively to provide context to societal expectations of Black gender and the ways in which Black people have historically been oppressed. Queen Latifah and Da Brat signal their queerness through fashion and masculine rap and flow through their projects during the 90’s, despite a feminine, light-hearted expectation of female rappers at the time. They would influence queer boundaries …