Dear Hip Hop,

Over the past few days, I’ve been asked why the theme for this year’s black gay pride in Los Angeles is Hip Hop. Growing up as a young black male in the South was hard, but being from New Orleans, Hip Hop was always the soundtrack to my life. Hip Hop embraced me like a fatherless child from the very beginning. I remember the first time I heard “You Got Me” by the Roots’:

If you were worried ’bout where

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I been or who I saw or

What club I went to with my homies

Baby don’t worry you know that you got me

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There was something about that song that I connected with. It was undeniable. Hip Hop was the one consistent thing that. Truth be told it’s not easy to survive the streets of America as a black male, but you taught me how to survive and somehow you always made me feel more powerful. Whether it was stressing when Christmas dissed us or the sound of Timbaland’s legendary drums cradling Aaliyah’s fragile tenor, I felt comfortable expressing myself through you. I related to you. You gave me the okay to do me. And somehow in doing so, you allowed me to find myself.

And I want you to know who I am. I am a strong black man… And I am gay… And I am proud.

It took me forever to build up the courage to tell you that. You haven’t always been accepting of who I was, but we’ve always known there were truths we both had to accept. When we lose our favorite artists to senseless street violence we both are reminded that we are only one degree away from our predestined fate of jail or death. These are unfortunately the similarities of discrimination that have bonded us from the beginning. Whether it be through the eyes of the police or the eyes of our parents, our bond is inextricable.

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But, today’s the day! My proudest moment. My chance to honor you with a celebration that speaks to how much I respect you. I honor you, I admire you, I’m thankful for you and I love you. You played a heavy hand in the way that I was raised and I reveal myself to you because I realize how alike we are. I am Hip Hop too.

“Hip Hop at some point makes you wanna move, makes you wanna dance, makes you wanna have a good time. And that is what pride is all about, a good time. Something that makes us proud of who we are. And that is what BLACK PRIDE is about, having the pride of who you are.”- Brandon Anthony

www.LAGenerationX.com

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LA’s Black Gay Pride begins today Wednesday July 1st – Sunday July 5th

B.A.S.H. | Brandon Anthony’s Socialite House

Twitter/IG: @brandonanthony_