FX Networks
If you haven’t been watching the new FX series Chozen, you are missing out on a truly historical moment: the first gay, white rapper and his incredible rise to mediocrity. Chozen is a hilarious show, and if you’re unsure as to whether or not you’d be entertained, please enjoy the lyrical stylings and amazing visual quality of his single, Murder, Sex:
So now that you’ve experienced that, we can discuss a few of the many reasons that hip-hop desperately needs a show like Chozen. For one, any movemement that has the tendency to take itself too seriously is always in need of a good parody. “Murder, Sex” sounds like a ridiculous name for a song… unless you’re an avid listener of rap music. In which case the song sounds like about 70 percent of popular rap. Chozen‘s hook is even reminiscent of an old Juelz Santana song (actually titled “Murda, Murda”). All that to say, any show that pokes fun at some of the things that have become a staple in hip-hop (i.e. murder and sex) is a show that deserves our attention.
And then there’s the character of Chozen, and his goofy but supportive buddies. It goes without saying that hip-hop is not exactly embracing the same-sex marriage movement with open arms. In other words, homophobia and anti-gay mentalities are a huge part of the culture. There were even negative reactions to the series, which Method Man (who voices one of the characters) ended up defending on Twitter. This is a complicated issue and, obviously, one cartoon show on FX is not going to solve the problem. But in making Chozen a humorous character who really does embody some of the traits of your protoypical up-and-coming rapper, the creators of the show are at least introducing this idea of an openly gay rapper which may, in fact, help to create space for the real thing.
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