Rod 2.0:Beta

B2K's Lil Fizz Slams Omarion and Raz B, "I Don't F--K with Homos"

Turning from the election to the ridiculous: Lil Fizz, the least talented member of the former chart-topping and very homoerotic boyband B2K, emerges from obscurity to proclaim his heterosexuality and slam his fellow B2Kers Omarion and Raz B.

In a new video posted yesterday, Lil Fizz and a life-sized sockpuppet repeatedly gay-bait and mimic Omarion's speech and mannerisms, establish their street cred by giving shout outs to various gang members in Inglewood and South Central, and, demand Omarion immediately hire them to write and/or "produce some new beats." Lil Fizz also mocks Omarion by making none-too-subtle hints toward his possible sexuality and taunts the band's former lead singer by holding up his BlackBerry Curve to the camera to display a text message. Fizz is the perfect example of the cute guy who loses his charm the minute he opens his mouth. And Fizz wonders why he is unemployed ...

"Oh and fu-k Raz B and his gay a--," Fizz says before signing off, laughing about Raz B's recent projects and insisting he does not "fu-k with homos." Ironically the kid uses a homoerotic slang—"That's why nikkaz are always on my d--k!"—to explain his "popularity."

You keep telling yourself that ... "Lil Fizz".

Lil Fizz Disses Omarion and Raz B [Dime Wars]

Did You Read? ...
"Why Would Any Straight Man?" [R20]
Raz B Guest Stars on Noah's Arc [Jasmyne Cannick]
Jody Watley on Black Homophobia [R20]
Raz B Will Play Gay [R20]
Heart of Love [R20]
Trade Alert [R20]
Raz B Has Pride[R20]  
Shocking! Bow Wow Mocks Omarion's "Tight Jeans" [R20]
Bow Wow Only Teasing Omarion [R20]
Homoerotic Omarion Fan Fiction! [R20]
Confirmed: Omarion Wears "Tight" Slacks [R20]
Omarion: I Wear Tight Jeans to "Show Off My Figure" [R20]
Bow Wow and Omarion Walk Out of Lame Interview with BET's Toure [R20]
Bow Wow Flaunts It [R20]
Bow Wow: "Chemistry Between Me and Omarion" [R20]
Bow Wow and Omarion on Next Week's "Ugly Betty" [R20]
Rumors: Are Omarion and Bow Wow a "Duo"? [R20]
Details on the Gay Rapper [R20]
 Blame it on HBO [R20]
An Open Letter to the O [R20]

Raz: "I'm Exploring Myself"

"I'm exploring myself as an actor. I thought it was a good step toward my acting career." That how former B2K badboy Raz B—or, simply Raz, as he is now being called—describes to Clik magazine his role in last week's episode of Noah's Arc, where he played a gay, HIV positive young man.

Most Rod 2.0 readers should be familiar with many of the issues raised in the Clik interview—such as Raz's appearance at gay prides and being the subject of gay rumors. As we noted before, Raz says that he was attracted to the role because of the character's "positive message." In the interview, he passionately discusses the need for HIV prevention amoung black youth. "It's a sad situation when so mmany young people are infected with HIV. Especially [when it's preventable] and our youth try to ignore it. And now they start crying wishing, 'I would have.' "

By the way, this isn't one of our interviews. The article was written by Lloyd Dinwiddie of O1LT.com.

Previously:

"Why Would Any Straight Man?" (Rod 2.0) Raz B Guest Stars on Noah's Arc (Jasmyne Cannick) Jody Watley on Black Homophobia (Rod 2.0) HIV Among Gay Black Men Will "Skyrocket" (Rod 2.0) Raz B Will Play Gay (Rod 2.0) Heart of Love (Rod 2.0) Trade Alert (Rod 2.0) Raz B Has Pride (Rod 2.0) John Legend and Cornel West (Rod 2.0) Ray J's One Wish (Rod 2.0) Taye Would Play Gay (Rod 2.0) A Conversation with Darryl Stephens (Rod 2.0) Rockmond Dunbar Joins "Noah" (Rod 2.0) Keith Hamilton Cobb Joins "Noah" (Rod 2.0)

RockaCandy interviews Raz B, who explains how B2K became ripped-up teenyboppers: "We would do that out of fun and being stupid because all of us had to look tight. In the "Uh Huh" video we were ripped; we were on low carb diets and stuff for a month."

· E. Lynn Harris on the level of disrespect within our own community; "I'm currently writing a character in his 40's who is trying to date. He's looking for a long term relationship, so I looked at all these boards on the internet. The stuff people write! No fats, no femmes, no whites, no queens. It's mean spirited! And I think we've always treated each other that way." ELH brings up a very serious issue which segues into a study that we saw at FoBrothas—Do We Treat Each Other Worst Than The Str8s? Sadly, sometimes that answer is yes.

· MSNBC reports on gay Muslims in the UK, profiling a 30 year-old man named Ubaid who is also the secretary of Imaan, Briatin's only lgbt Muslim group: "Imaan's members feel like they are targets of both a wider society that discriminates against Muslims, and a Muslim community that sees homosexuality as a Western disease. 'Now we're dealing with Islamaphobia within the gay community, and Muslims who say gays can't be Muslims' Ubaid said."

· Ann Coulter doesn't deny plagiarism charges levelled by the New York Post. Instead, she zings the tabloid: "How crappy a newspaper is the Post? Let me put it this way: It's New York's second-crappiest paper." We're assuming that the first would be the Times. BTW, Coulter's syndicator, UPI, has asked for a copy of the plagiarism report.

Danyel Smith returns to Vibe as the EIC. Danyel penned the critically-acclaimed Bliss and had been editor of Vibe from 1997 to 1999. "I have always been a strong supporter and believer in the VIBE brand, and I am thrilled to rejoin as editor-in-chief." We're thrilled that you're returning.

Just Waiting for the Right Girl

Confirmed: Omarion has "had" a girlfriend.

The bubble-licious heartthrob talks about life after B2K to Hip-Hop Soul, the new grown n sexy publication by XXL. As the countdown to his sophomore album continues, it's interesting to watch the publicity machine go into overdrive. Unfortunately, Omarion's spin team hasn't yet opened the chapter on the dangers of discussing women via third person plural-slash-gender neutral pronouns such as "they" and "them."

Omarion "knows what it feels like to have a girlfriend." Unlike other very! straight! celebs who only date in Europe, Omarion has remained single because, well, he's just waiting for the right girl:

Even when it comes to dating, the single heartthrob would rather settle down than shack up. "If I'm going to be with somebody," he says, "I feel like they should have the potential to be my wife."

Of course "they" should. "We" never thought otherwise.

Man in the Mirror: JPEG and PDF

Previously:

Gay or Rapper? Part 2, 3 and 4 (Rod 2.0) Blame it on HBO (Rod 2.0) Omarion Single on Ringtones (Rod 2.0) An Open Letter to the O (Rod 2.0) Raz B Will Play Gay (Rod 2.0) Heart of Love (Rod 2.0) Ray J's One Wish (Rod 2.0) Ray J Says "No", Tyson Says "Yes" (Rod 2.0) John Legend and Cornel West (Rod 2.0) Trade Alert (Rod 2.0) Raz B Has Pride (Rod 2.0)

"Why Would Any Straight Man ..."

Earlier this week, AOL Black Voices columnist Jawn Murray published an interview with Raz B who revealed more on his upcoming role on Noah's Arc, and, addressed the many rumors surrounding his sexuality. It's a good thing that we didn't post earlier because the story's dynamic has shifted.

But first the interview. Raz says that the character will appear in a special episode on HIV:

There wasn’t any kissing or anything of that nature. It was a very, very positive role. It was to raise the awareness for kids with HIV and the kids who have AIDS. That’s our demographic. Fifty percent of those people are our people. I felt like it was a mature decision for me to play a gay character.

We're already on record for applauding his willingness to take on a gay role and are even more impressed that the character will (hopefully) launch some much-needed discussion. HIV/AIDS is a deadly serious topic that many in our own community want to ignore. For example, Monday was the 25th anniversary of AIDS. Check the number of comments at KeithBoykin.com here and here. Note the number at this weblog in this post and especially here.

Now, point and click to Concrete Loop and check their comments board on the Raz B story. 464 messages and the vast majority are hateful and anti-gay—so many that Angel, the fierce sistah who runs the site, closed the board. The comments range from the typical "he seems kind of suspect" to #120 "I dont understand why any straight man would want to play as a homo."

There are some good people. A few brothas spoke up, such as #22 who echoes our feelings: "If the Raz-B is gay, and I don’t believe he is, any wonder why he would stay in the closet. That’s why those black celebrities that are indeed gay, stay in the closet. This boy played a gay role on a TV show and the way people are reacting is pitiful and sad."

Pitiful and sad indeed—both on the straight side and the gay. That's exactly why we continue to support Raz B and all others like him.

BV Buzz with Jawn Murray (AOL/BV thanks WSM!)

Raz B Talks About Life After B2K (Concrete Loop)

Previously:

Raz B Will Play Gay (Rod 2.0) Heart of Love (Rod 2.0) Ray J's One Wish (Rod 2.0) Ray J Says "No", Tyson Says "Yes" (Rod 2.0) John Legend and Cornel West (Rod 2.0) Trade Alert (Rod 2.0) Raz B Has Pride (Rod 2.0) Taye Would Play Gay (Rod 2.0) A Conversation with Darryl Stephens (Rod 2.0) A Conversation with Keith Boykin (Rod 2.0) A Conversation with Luther Mace (Rod 2.0) Patrik-Ian Polk in "Genre" (Rod 2.0) Rockmond Dunbar Joins "Noah" (Rod 2.0) Keith Hamilton Cobb Joins "Noah" (Rod 2.0) Complex Rockmond (Rod 2.0)

Raz B will play gay on Noah's Arc. According to the latest podcast at Pink Mafia Radio, the gay-friendly heart-throb and former B2K bandboy will play a love interest in the upcoming second season. But a love interest for ... whom? Noah? Wade? Trey? Doug Spearman, the actor who plays Chance, is the subject of the very fresh q&a. Doug sheds some light on the hot news and also discusses something that we've always wanted to know: What was up with that kissing scene? Bravo to Steven at PMR; this is a great interview and we take back everything that we said about Chance. ;)

· Hot Lunch offers a hot MP3 remix of Mimi's "One and Only." How hot? "Makes me want to just put on a nightie and shimmy around the room with waxed legs and big hair ..."

· The Advocate interviews American Idol's Kimberly Locke, clearly disappointed by Mandissa. Blacks, gays and "other minority groups in America have all been through our struggle, and we know what it is to be judged, why would we project that onto someone else?"

Raz B Interview

DeMario Thornoton, aka Raz B, is interviewed by Pink Mafia Radio during last week's appearance at Club 501 in Washington DC. The podcast is one of the better recent interviews with the artist—up for discussion are his new album and solo career, homophobia in hip-hop, and, the gay rumors and controversy that has followed him ever since last summer's performance at Oakland's black gay pride. Instead of running from the innuendo—and possible PR backlash—the former B2K member says that he's embracing his gay fans and hopes to perform at several pride events this summer. "If you don't like someone because of their sexual preference, there's something wrong with you. I'm about lifting people up, not putting people down." The teen heart-throb was also asked point black, are you gay?

Heart of Love

Almost two weeks ago, the comment thread on Raz B's decision to perform in Washington DC quickly escalated into a ridiculous referendum on straight performers who "only try to make money" from gay audiences. "Ridiculous" because it's the nature of the entertainment industry—or any industry, for those of us who understand the basics of micro-economics and a capitalist society—to maximize market share. One comment suggested that Raz B said in a magazine interview that his playing for gays "was just a gig" and his intent was only to make some coins.

The December interview was in Sister2Sister and a reader sent the link. Of course, Raz B says absolutely nothing of the sort. Instead, the former B2K member says that he wanted to set a good example.

Raz B: Oh yeah. I performed at the Pride festival and it was very controversial.
Ericka: Why did you do it?
Raz B: You know, God led me to do that. And to get my confirmation, two days after I did the performance, Kanye's on TV talking about issues with a lot of gay people and stuff like that, you know what I mean? So no discrimination to anybody. I come here with a heart of love.

The young heart-throb also says that since the event, he's had to deal with rumors that he's gay. We all know the intense peer pressure on black men, especially the younger ones, to appear hard and to reject the gays and any behavior not deemed "masculine." Kanye West has said that since his statements in support of the gays, he's had to cope with the exact same drama. So let's give Raz B a break. No one said that the singer was a super sensitive, socially responsible politically progressive activist. But at least Raz B is showing more love than the majority of his peers.

Raz B Talks (Sister2Sister) Trade Alert (Rod 2.0) Take Raz B Home (Rod 2.0) Raz B (Official Site) Ray J's One Wish (Rod 2.0) No Ray J (Rod 2.0) Is Hip-Hop Homophobic? (Vibe)

Ray J's One Wish

Apparently, Raz B has created a trend and now another hip-hop heart-throb will be performing for the brothaz. Ray J—younger brother of Brandy and on-again, off-again boyfriend of Lil Kim—will make an appearance at a Washington DC gay club in about a month. Ray J will be in concert on Friday, February 17th at The Edge.

Normally, a simple club booking wouldn't be considered news. But given much of hip-hop's hostility toward gays and the rampant hyper-masculine posturing adopted by many male performers, the Ray J performance is breaking news. The new, gay-friendly marketing strategies adopted by Raz B and Ray J are impressive thresholds in the industry and in relations among black gays and straights. Hopefully, the lead provided by Raz B and Ray J will be a template that other performers will follow.

The good news about Ray J's performance: It's being marketed as oh-so-hot and oh-so-gay. The promo photos of the performer are sexy and the party promises to be much like The Edge or any other Friday night, including the fierce sounds of DJ Sederick and "Sexy Male Dancers." Kudos to event performer Daryl Wilson for presenting a yet another marquee name for the boys in DC and not toning it down or making it gay-light.

One last question: So Raz B and Ray J are down. Who's next?

Ray J: If Raz B Can Do It ... (Boogie Tonight v2) Ray J's One Wish (202DC) Trade Alert (Rod 2.0) Raz B Has Pride (Rod 2.0) Take Raz B Home (Rod 2.0)

Trade Alert

Demario Thornton—aka Raz B, the former singer with B2K—continues his march from teen heat-throb to gay-friendly hip-hop star. On January 25, the singer performs at Washington DC's "Trade Wednesdays" at the 501 Club. Back in July, you'll remember that Raz B performed at Black in the Life, Oakland's black gay pride. You gotta love the kid for embracing his gay audience. (thanks Bernie)