Kris Ex Called Me a Faggot

Yesterday, in retaliation for the bad review I gave his "autobiography" of 50 Cent, acclaimed hip-hop writer Kris Ex wrote about me on a few different blogs with an underwhelming attack on my air tight blogger credibility.  (Kris couldn't use his own blog because Bryon Crawford hi-jacked the URL and put out a press release to brag about his gulliness).

Now, I'm cool with cats publicly getting at me, word to Jimi Izrael. However, I was jarred by how Kris Ex's disses were mostly just calling me "queer", "gay", and a "hermaphro-something."

Yikes. Why is it still ok in hip-hop to use gays as a diss? I've come to expect (but not accept) that from our rappers, but not from hip-hop journalists like Kris Ex, who we trust with our truth telling.

This is not an isolated, one person thing slip. The whole sloppy event is co-signed by each writer who allowed it to be hosted on their site.

Worser still is that Oliver Wang clapped it up, dedicating a whole post to highlighting Kris Ex's slur filled rant. Yes, Oliver is the same guy who threatened not to link any hip-hop blogger if they continued to use the phrase, "No Homo." I guess a respectable journalist like Kris Ex gets the EZ pass.

There's a lot more to be said about hip-hop and homosexuality besides just, "Slurs are bad", but i don't have the time to get my Keith Boykin-on. Maybe next post.

I do think the writers who allowed Kris Ex's homophobic missive on their sites owe hip-hop an apology. Or, they should be ready to accept the aftermath of the actions of whoever they choose co-sign (that's not some silly veiled threat, just a small life lesson, kids.)

----
New readers to this site probably think I'm saying this because I'm salty about Kris Ex. Long time readers know that I'm unflappable and always try to look for the higher ground in these "beefs". I mean, somebody has to make space for these discussions during the lull between 50 Cent shootings.

CORRECTION- Oliver never said he'd not link to a homophobic site, he was only chastising people for using that negative language. See comments below.

Comments

[cherryl with 2 R's]

hashim are you gay? if so i want to exchange house music tapes! kidding. but if you are gay i want to know because i'm nosey.

also, i blog about "homo thugs vs. non-homo thugs" here: http://heavymentalist.blogspot.com/2005/07/homo-thugs-vs-non-homo-thugs.html .

Guess i should've said "no homo thugs" but i wasn't thinking about it at the time...btw, i don't know much about kris ex, but wangster, i've slap-boxed with him once. i still like to read some of his stuff though...he's quite the interesting cat overall...

i also think bryon crawford is gifted in a unique way. ingenius. and i don't think folks sexual orientation or looks or any personal stuff should be addressed in business beefs...

also...in case you *do* have some house music tapes - whether or not you are gay - email me! peace

[nOva]

It's sad when people use those terms to lash out. More than anything it shows a lack of imagination and vocabulary.

[Hashim]

nope, not gay here.

And gay disses don't phase me. It would have hurt if he called me a sellout, industry insider or something.

[Bol]

The post bigging up exo at pooplicks has magically disappeared. No retraction or anything.

[Oliver]

Hashim,

I never said I wouldn't link to a site that I felt was homophobic. I thought the whole "no homo" thing was rather juvenile and tired but I wasn't even directing that at anyone in particular (everyone assumes I was talking about Bol, but at the time, I saw it crop up on message boards far more than other blogs).

Shit - if I were to delink from any site that was in the least politically unsavory, I'd have NO links.

Bol - I took the link down because Kris said this beef was squashed. And if that's the case, I thought continuing to link over would simply keep fanning the fire. As I see it, this whole affair isn't about Hashim and Kris anymore.

As for posting a retraction, are you serious? When's the last time any blog has posted a retraction for removing a post? This isn't the NY Times.

Besides, I don't have press release skills like some folk. (Nice touch by the way - you don't see that everyday).

[Tego]

Wow. that's a disgrace! Addicted to beef!

[Hashim]

the beef is sqaushed. Exo and I spoke about our differences.

The conclusion- I'll still critique his work with the same humor and intensity, but won't attack him on a personal level. And I guess Kris Ex agrees not to try to Kevin Powell me.

[Joe Grossberg]

"to Kevin Powell me"

And what does "Kevin Poweling" mean?

I know he's a black hip-hop writer, but maybe you're alluding to something that doesn't appear here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Powell ?

[sally]

hashim,
i'm just wondering, because following this whole thing from posts and comments it seemed like kris ex was pissed off at you for taking over his URL and having it redirect here, before byron crawford had it, rather than a bad review....did i misunderstand something?

[Bol]

>As for posting a retraction, are you serious? When's the last time any blog has posted a retraction for removing a post? This isn't the NY Times.

People do that shit all the time. And just because everybody else doesn't do something isn't a good reason why you shouldn't.

>I know he's a black hip-hop writer, but maybe you're alluding to something that doesn't appear here

Yeah, Kevin Powell once bit somebody in the ankle. jimi izrael wrote about it quite a bit last year.

[Miss Hipstah]

This whole beef thing is amazing. Just the sheer gully-ness of the situation...

Oh and Hashim, if you ever want to discuss homosexuality in hip hop, hit me up. It's personally one of my favorite topics. You know there's a gay hip hop movement right?

[Hashim]

sally,
not to get too much into my convo with Kris Ex, but when I explained to him I deleted his url in order to avoid beef he mentioned the bad review of his book as the catalyst for all this stuff before he even realized the url was picked up.

[sally]

oh, i didn't realize you deleted it. i thought you made it so that it redirected to your own site. that is what kris ex made a point of focusing on in the beginning of his PSA so i thought that was the source of, or at least a major component of, the beef.

[exo]

I hate having to clarify this, but here:

Sally had it right in the first place. As I told you, Hashim, I was responding to your picking up my old URL. Neither you, nor the other little boy "jacked" anything -- you're picking through my garbage, which is pretty sad.

Until he learns the difference between harsh criticism (which serves a purpose, even if it may be a bitter pill to swallow) and trivial opinion (which is just bitter to be bitter), I really could care less what Hashim has to say about anything I do; but I am really beginning to worry about his ability to understand the english language at this point -- I "mentioned the bad review of [my] book as the catalyst for all this." When? Where?

I'll admit the slurs were a lowblow, but, these things happen when you get to squashing ants with a sledgehammer. FTR: I got no beef with the LGBTQI community; anyone who thinks I was being homophobic can have that discussion with me at a later time. (That's what the email address is for, you know.)

Bol: That's some truly funny shit, but can you make that "douche" page a bit more brolic? Maybe you could do one of those on-line petitions or something. I really don't have time to keep up with this shit and don't mean to tell you how to do your job, but you do this right and you can probably cake off so much more lovely than you're doing from that car insurance shit. Don't fuck up now.

[Bol]

Maybe I will start a petition.

[i'm the skwidawd]

> I got no beef with the LGBTQI community...

What's the "I" stand for? Incontinent?

[i'm the skwidawd]

Indifferent?

[i'm the skwidawd]

Investigating?

[sally]

eric-
intersex, i think?
sally

[TheDonger]

This internet gangsterism/thuggery ain't no joke!

[i'm the skwidawd]

oh, ok. like hermaphrodites. i looked it up.

[ian]

> Hip-Hop Hates Homos?

About as much or as little as the rest of the world I would say....

[kristhabottybwoy]

kris kristofferson a bitin ass hasbeen who write books with pras and 50 that dont sell. He gotta superhead xxl and the voice to find work and wanna rap like old bald Elliott. kris the big homo thug bitin otha niggaz words and stylez and failin every time.

[Hephaestion]

Karma can be a bitch. So if you gonna hate on someone, you'd better have a REAL reason or you gonna pay one day.

We all need to be about love and justice. Pure and simple. And that includes love and justice for our gay brothers and sisters.

[Don Quixote]

Hey there's queer Hip Hop nights in Gay Toronto's - Queer West Village and nobody whines or bats an eye. Get over it!