Karamo Brown reflects on how hip hop culture in the early 2000s gave him identity and confidence, even though the scene wasn't welcoming to LGBT people. He found strength in the music and community during a time when acceptance felt impossible.
Was there a breakdown where you said, I'm gonna own who I am fully, all parts of me? I would say that it was hip hop culture in the 2000s, which might sound weird because, I mean, hip hop culture in those early 2000s wasn't so embracing of the LGBT community. But for me, you know, young 23 me who was putting on a do-rag and an 4X white t-shirt felt very confident in who I was because of watching these hip hop artists ascend to success, be confident. I found an identity in that. I found strength in that. And I walked through this world with those sort sort of like, this is who I am. And so it wasn't a person, but it was these individuals that were like, these are the communities I'm coming from. And even though they weren't my communities necessarily.
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