What Mister Cee’s (Sort Of) Confession Says About Homosexuality and Hip-Hop

Sep. 12, 2013— -- Veteran radio personality DJ Mr. Cee is back on the air today, after spinning what was to be his final set from New York City’s Hot 97 yesterday. Cee announced his resignation Wednesday amid yet another controversy involving transsexual prostitutes. And without offering much details, Cee told listeners this morning that he was simply “tired of trying to do something or be something that I’m not.”

The only problem? Cee didn’t really offer an explanation as to who or what that “something” really was.

Instead, in an emotional interview with Hot97 program director Ebro today, Cee admitted to lying about his involvement with transsexual prostitutes in the past.

“Have I lied about getting sexual fellatio in the car with a transsexual? Yes, I have lied about that. And I feel bad for the listeners that it did take a video for me to say this,” Cee said.

The video he’s referring to is a YouTube clip from popular blogger Bimbo Winehouse purportedly of Cee attempting to solicit Bimbo for sex. While Cee himself isn’t seen in the footage, he all but admitted to its authenticity and insisted the video was taken towards the end of last year.

“The person who I was in the car with. I know exactly who that person is, “ he says, “That’s neither here nor there.”

The fact is that this isn’t Cee’s first run-in with the law involving soliciting sex.

Back in May, Cee was busted for allegedly trying to solicit a transsexual prostitute in Brooklyn. And in 2011, he was ordered to receive three months of counseling after he was caught receiving oral sex from another transsexual prostitute.

Still, Cee insists that he never has, and still does not, consider himself to be gay. “I've never had actual sexual intercourse with another man and vice versa. That’s never been done to me,” Cee said in the 30-minutes-long interview.

So, what’s fueling a barrage of confused and in some cases, angry tweets is that while soliciting prostitutes is in an of itself illegal, and therefore, actionable, why is Cee still so ambiguous about his own sexuality? After being busted with transsexual prostitutes multiple times, what gives?

It’s no secret that the hip-hop industry is fraught with homophobia and misogyny. Look no further than the latest scroll of tweets about Cee to get a taste of that. But it’s unfortunate that a legend of his caliber, whose credits include producing the Notorious B.I.G’s instant classic debut “Ready to Die”, still can’t be forthcoming about his sexuality for fear of isolation, retribution, and rejection.

Through tears in the interview, he admitted that his dilemma has always been a fear that he would not be viewed the same, saying he’s been “in denial with this for a very very long time.” He also broke down when speaking about how he feared the situation would affect his ability to care for his family.

Yes, artists like Frank Ocean and Macklemore have made great strides in creating a more inclusive hip-hop community. But what’s it going to take to create a shift in hip-hop’s overall attitude towards homosexuality?

In a recent interview with Mother Jones, Talib Kweli offered up this gem of hope: “There just needs to be a gay rapper who’s better than everybody.”