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Hiding in Hip Hop: On the Down Low in the Entertainment Industry--from Music to Hollywood [Paperback]

Terrance Dean
3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (67 customer reviews)

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Book Description

June 30, 2009

Now in paperback, MTV insider Terrance Dean presents an explosive memoir about the down low culture of Hollywood and hip hop, where seemingly straight male celebrities find themselves in intimate relationships with other men.

Featured on the Wendy Williams show and given a month-long special presentation on Gawker, Hiding in Hip Hop hit the shelves by storm. Terrance Dean was celebrated across the blogosphere and in publications such as Time, Newsweek, and New York magazine. Now in paperback, the book continues to lift the lid on media’s dark secret.

Within the masculine culture of hip hop and Hollywood, there is a well-known gay subculture that industry insiders are keenly aware of but choose to hide. Terrance Dean worked his way up for more than ten years in the entertainment industry from intern to executive, and has lived the life of glitz and bling along with Hollywood and Hip Hop’s most glamorous heavyhitters. With a family full of secrets and working in an industry founded on maleness—where one’s job, friendships, and reputation all depend on remaining on the down low—Dean writes a revealing account of the journey of coming out from hiding.

Full of startling anecdotes and incredible true stories, Hiding in Hip Hop is not a traditional tell-all. A personal and poignant memoir, it is also one of the most provocative and honest looks at stardom and sexuality.


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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A fascinating peek inside hip-hop's last taboo." -- Newsweek

"Dean's descriptive, page-turning exposé about his closeted same-sex romances with Hollywood and Hip-Hop's leading Black men will be a rude awakening for many and healing for others." -- Essence

Review

"A fascinating peek inside hip-hop's last taboo." -- Newsweek

"Dean's descriptive, page-turning exposé about his closeted same-sex romances with Hollywood and Hip-Hop's leading Black men will be a rude awakening for many and healing for others." -- Essence --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 305 pages
  • Publisher: Atria Books; Reprint edition (June 30, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1416553401
  • ISBN-13: 978-1416553403
  • Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.9 x 8.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (67 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #213,923 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Speaker, Educator, Author, and Hip Hop Head Terrance Dean is the author of the explosive and provocative memoir, Hiding In Hip Hop'On the Down Low in the Entertainment Industry from Music to Hollywood (Simon & Schuster/Atria Books June 2008).

Dean has worked in the entertainment industry for over 10 years with heavy hitters such as Spike Lee, Rob Reiner, Keenan Ivory Wayans, and Anjelica Houston. He has worked with television and film production companies; MTV Networks, B.E.T., Savoy Television, Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures, and Sony Pictures.

Dean is the founder/creator of Men's Empowerment, Inc. and co-creator of The Gathering of Men with Adeyemi Bandele. Adeyemi is the husband and spiritual partner of acclaimed teacher and best-selling author Iyanla Vanzant. Dean is the author of the best-selling book for men of color, 'Reclaim Your Power! A 30-Day Guide to Hope, Healing and Inspiration for Men of Color,' (Random House/Villard May 2003).

Deans' New York based organization, Men's Empowerment, has been in existence for over five years and has over 300 men of color from various backgrounds involved with the organization.

Men's Empowerment is an organization that is dedicated to the transformation of men of color in their communities for their own self-empowerment. The not-for-profit organization is a hugely popular empowerment group, which allows men of color to communicate, share and participate in an environment where brothers can 'check their egos at the door' and create bonding relationships with one another. The brothers share experiences in their lives, which helps build a foundation of support for men to freely be in a room exchanging information to make powerful transformations in their lives. Some of the featured guest speakers have included, Emil Wilbekin, former Editor-in-Chief, VIBE Magazine; Kevin Powell, Author and Activist; Stacy Spikes, CEO Urbanworld Film Group; Gordon Chambers, Grammy Award Song Writer; Omar Tyree, Author; and Kevin Lyles, Chairman of Warner Music Group.

Dean's first best-selling book, 'Reclaim Your Power!' assists men with daily reminders of meaningful spiritual meditations that can be practiced anywhere and at anytime. This book provides simple reminders of being still and listening to your inner voice, remembering to breathe and having faith in the midst of the storm. This powerful compact book also provides worksheets, which allows the reader to become interactive with the process of nurturing their spirit. This book definitely leaves the reader feeling empowered!

Dean is a 2005 John Seigenthaler Journalism Fellow from Vanderbilt University. He is a contributing writer to the anthologies, 'Souls of My Brothers' and 'Always Too Soon.' He has also appeared across the country on popular syndicated radio shows and has made television appearances on NBC 10 Philadelphia, WB 11 New York, and FOX 2 in Detroit. Dean has written for The New York Sun, The Tennessean, Fatherhood Today, The Michigan Chronicle's Front Page, Flirtingtime.com and Blackmeninamerica.com.




Customer Reviews

I did not like the book because he did not reveal any names. Sassy1981  |  18 reviewers made a similar statement
The author was very discreet in his encounters and this book was more like a life story. Mario Estell  |  9 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 24 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Emotional Purging June 18, 2008
Format:Hardcover
Hiding in Hip Hop: Confessions of a Down Low Brother in the Entertainment Industry by Terrance Dean is an intimate account of the author's experience as an undercover brother. As a child, Dean was forced to cope with issues surrounding drugs, abandonment, AIDS, and molestation. As an adult, those issues still plagued him, but he was able to add sexuality to his list of problems. His fulfillment in having sex with other men would not have been so huge had he not been a part of the entertainment business. But because he was flooded with images of masculinity and saw how the rich and famous treated those who were openly gay, he contrived an artificial existence as a heterosexual man ultimately hiding in Hip Hop.

Dean was not the typical down-low guy though. In actuality, he loathed the way some down-low men lied to their women. He also was not too keen on playing second fiddle to men who wanted to have their cake and eat it too. Dean wanted much more. He wanted real love. And he wanted to know how he could attain that love and still be accepted in a business that was all about images and facades. Through his desires to love freely, dealing with his estranged family, and attempting to find a way to overcome his conflict with his sexual preference, Dean started Men's Empowerment where he invited his peers to discuss the stressors that came with celebrity and/or power. Men's Empowerment became a seed flourishing into other groups that helped communities in New York and ultimately helped Dean do some serious soul searching.

Hiding is Hip Hop was a decent read. It garnered so much attention that by the time I read it, I was so intrigued by the celebrities Dean was not naming and almost missed the point of his book.
... Read more ›
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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Glad there were no names May 24, 2008
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I am glad Terrance Dean didn't name names. At first I thought that it was a ploy to sell books or for legal reasons. Once reading I realize that if he would have named names then he would have been a sell-out. It would have been out of character for someone in his situation.

The book detailed the struggles of a bisexual African American man working in a highly publicized industry. I was shocked at most of what I read about the "down low brothers" but not entirely surprised considering the nature of the book.

The riddles are not entirely easy to figure out. I think I immediately knew who one of the people, Ella (I think that was her psuedo-name), was. Otherwise I think the descriptions hides the identities of the people involved very well. And really...I DON'T want to know who everyone is. T.M.I. for sure.

This book was a fast read. Not something I would reread but definitely sheds some light on a sensitive situation.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Our Life and Times May 10, 2008
Format:Hardcover
Like most people, I went into this book more excited about celebrity dirt. As you'll quickly discover, this is a book about a man's life, a true memoir. Yes, there's a little bit of sex here and there, and some celebrity references, but at the end of the day, this is a memoir about a man's search for identity and salvation.

Terrance Dean receives an A+ for his brutally honest portrait of his real life insecurities, confusion and loneliness, making this book so worth reading. So much more than which celebrities are doing what, this book really brings to light the fight or flight mentality so many black gay men endure every day in every part of this country, just to survive.

How I wish this book had existed 20 years ago.
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23 of 30 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Oooooh! I've made a couple of guesses already! May 4, 2008
Format:Hardcover
Yes, yes, yes, I know. This is supposed to be a serious book about a gay man's struggle to accept his sexuality, and love himself for who he is.

And it is that.

But I'm not going to lie, I bought it to find out which ones of these so-called gangsta hip hop stars is really homo. Be honest! Isn't that why you want to read it?

There are a few names mentioned in the book, but it's mostly descriptions of the stars -- so thinly veiled you can guess who the author is talking about. I'm not a real for real hip-hop fan, but even I was able to guess four or five. And let me say (are you ready for this?), if I'm guessing correctly, one of the people mentioned played a large part in Karrin Steffans' book, Confessions of a Video Vixen!

Can you believe it?

I do!

I'm not going to spoil it by posting my guesses, because 90 percent of the enjoyment of the book is figuring it out for yourselves. But another rapper mentioned is tatooed, and always rags on homos in his raps. Yep, yep, yep!

I heard that the author is supposed to be on the Wendy Williams show on May 13th, and I can't wait!
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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Keep It on the Down Lowwww!! May 23, 2008
Format:Hardcover
i was anxiously awaiting the release of this book and i was thrilled when amazon received it early. once i began reading this book, i was shocked to discover that he used monikers instead of giving actual names. i really wanted to know the names of the gay rappers and other allegedly gay entertainers that the media speculates about. altogether, this was an enjoyable read because he spares no details when it comes to his life. this book would've been a 5 star had the timeline not been all over the place and he would have given out the actual names of his lovers and the other men and women who were part of his downlow circle.
3.5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars So Vague
The Tea was completely missing, however it did make me ummm & wonder who was or is that character true identity, but thank you very eye opening. Read more
Published 17 days ago by gail bullock
5.0 out of 5 stars greatness
Great book
by terrence dean. Will be looking forward to any of his upcoming stuff. Great one
Go terrance dean please drop a few names so that we canfully get it
Published 2 months ago by Pen Name
4.0 out of 5 stars Good book
It was very informative had me trying to be a detective and trying to fugue it out but overall it was good
Published 2 months ago by jobby jamerson
4.0 out of 5 stars Good read
I liked the book he was very detailed except for the fact he changed the character names. I was more interested in hearing about his life with his family.
Published 2 months ago by Kellee Jackson
1.0 out of 5 stars The pages written are only good to wipe your _____ with . or pick up...
Having personally known Terrance Dean I would have to honestly say this book is a fraud, and a total waste of your money! Read more
Published 3 months ago by nahshon dion anderson
5.0 out of 5 stars A great read
I could not put this book down. It is a rollercoaster of deep truth and the author does a great job keeping your attention in his amazing true life story.
Published 3 months ago by Richard James
5.0 out of 5 stars Scandalous
Great read I didn't wamt to put this book down! The author used very colorful description's for various chapter's of his life and I felt like I was there for every interaction he... Read more
Published 7 months ago by B
2.0 out of 5 stars Nothing Explosive Here!
This book is nothing too explosive or revealing. Anyone that knows anything knows that there is DL activity anywhere, and hip hop is no exception. Read more
Published 10 months ago by GregNYC
2.0 out of 5 stars Terrance Dean's "Hiding in Hip Hop
I'm not writing a detailed review because this book didn't really have a plot and it definitely wasn't a "tell-all" in my opinion. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Keish
5.0 out of 5 stars The Celebs On The Down Low
this book is good and interesting im trying to figure out who is who on the downlow,celebrity said in living color,martin,national security,white men can't jump,and dont be a... Read more
Published 18 months ago by jessica
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BOYCOTT THIS BOOK
A person would be a FOOL to buy this book. YOU'RE BEING PLAYED!!!

#1 If this person were writing the truth, he'd use real names--like Supahead did! Anybody can make up some BS and claim it's true by not mentioning names. He's playing on this your fears of DL men.

#2 Have you seen this... Read more
Aug 7, 2008 by R. Washington |  See all 4 posts
New Interview with Terrance Dean and PSA for Gay Youth Be the first to reply
Live Q & A with Author Terrance Dean-- Tues. June 24, 2008 Be the first to reply
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