nice one.
the phrase kinda gets on my nerves. it's just makes you sound a bit insecure. no homo.

Dude, you seriously rock my socks. And at the very end of the video, I was laughing hysterically. :)

My greatest hope for the male portion of our population is that they will someday understand how much MORE masculine they seem when they are comfortable enough in their masculinity not to CARE if someone thinks they are gay. And my greatest hope for ALL of us is that we will someday live in a world where being gay isn't something someone wants to avoid being seen as.

Keep preaching it, man, because I like what you are saying. :)

lovely commentary on the lines between reclamation, satire and reinforcing bad frames! my inner linguist is weeping with joy.

This is a great video all around. Hip-hop is such a perception-heavy institution out of force (not necessity) that it has to start using disclaimers to protect this hypermasculinized culture it's in. That's pretty damned drastic and deep -- and it's all marketing. If you were just kicking it with your boys and you started reciting some lyrics about money coming out of your ass, and they clowned you for it, you would distance yourself from that rapper. Two quick words keeps your sales up, keeps the money popping out of your ass, and keeps the homophobia flowing.

I don't think there's a female equivalent for "no homo," though.

But you knew that, haha. :)

I love Jay Smooth. ALL HOMO.

jc ftw.

Keep bringin it, Jay!

Haha! Great video.

As sad and hateful as it is, replace "nohomo" with the "N" word and you've got the justification average white folks have between themselves about racist remarks in jest. Lame but true.

I've always seen people who use "no homo" as a way of satirizing homophobia alot like the people who use the n-word as a way of satirizing and criticizing racists

The truth is, the only reason we continue to use the word is because we lack the self-restraint to remove it from the language of hip-hop.

The history stuff was great. Keep it up, Jay.

Good Post. It really started with either Lord Sear, Stretch Armstrong(pause), or Damon Dash.

Thanks for pointing out that if person X is not the original target of a derogatory term, then person X does not get to "reclaim" the word. That resonated deeply with me.

You did it again. On point.

This needed to be done.

lol.....
"just forget it came out of my mouth" pretty much sums up the enitre video.

you are gold Jay Smooth.

'No homo' is merely an extension of the misogyny that permeates hip-hop and the rest of the world. If homosexual men were big, brawny, macho guys who acted like men 'are supposed to act' but just liked to fuck other men, there probably wouldn't be much of a problem with it.When men stop hating women, homosexuality will be a non-issue. Kill misogyny and you end many woes in this world. Not just for women. Not just for homosexual men. But for everyone.

As an 'older generation', suburban, white woman who happens to be a homo, I was alarmingly unfamiliar with the whole 'no homo' thing. But, thank you for pointing it out. I like the economy of words. Now, when my 'older generation', suburban, white, hetero dude friends say, 'Not that I like men or anything but...,' I can then tell them all they have to say is, 'no homo'. It is only then you can be assured the phrase will die a healthy death among anyone who even thinks he is remotely 'hip'.

PS...I absolutely love your videos.

I've heard this word numerous time, i've read it on blogs but it sounds so goddamn stupid that i've never used it. and because of this video, i will never ever ever ever use it.

No homo.

-Al

that.was.awesome. and far overdue. glad to see you still doing your thing man.

Now, when my 'older generation', suburban, white, hetero dude friends say, 'Not that I like men or anything but...,' I can then tell them all they have to say is, 'no homo'. It is only then you can be assured the phrase will die a healthy death among anyone who even thinks he is remotely 'hip'.

LOL

Penises Rock! (No homo)

You are ALWAYS saying what I am thinking albeit in a far more eloquent way. Your videos have become part of homeschooling my 13 year old son. Yup, yer a civics class in and of yerself.

You rule the freaking planet.

This HOMO, loves your NO HOMO video. You so rock.

Your best yet. Classic. I was cackling at the ending.

So I first came here from Making Light for the racism video, but I've stuck around even though I'm not a big hip-hop listener because I am learning a lot about the scene and why it is awesome. Also, since the gender and anti-gay references did a lot to turn me off to hip-hop it's really cool to see that there are people on the inside that have intelligent thoughts about these things.

In short: HAWESOME. =D

I think I just came out of no-homo addict phase, but you know what i hate about when you playin it, people usually intentionally say homo things just so they can get away with it. (which is so breaking the rules of the game).

Also, forgot to mention its white 2nd cousin "That's what she said." Well, i guess that wouldn't fit the homoerotic point.

great blog! i'll stay and watch.

A friend of mine who's gay worked at a summer program for high schoolers from PA but mostly from Philadelphia--"no homo" was really popular among the kids and not many people got how it was really offensive to people who are gay.

As a way to critique it, my friend started saying "no hetero!"

That was so stupid. There is nothing wrong or even slightly homophobic about that term. You are a typical self-righteous white person with way too much time on your hands. Don't talk about hip-hop culture anymore, you sound like a retard.

I really enjoyed this, it was really insightful, tactful, and funny. Although I believe that satire can be a useful device for critiquing prejudice, I've always thought "No homo" was kind of stupid and crude. You've just gained yourself a fan, Mr. Smooth.

^ ^ I don't know if Joe's comment right here is satire or not for obvious reasons.
I can see why No Homo is offensive to gay folks the same way the phrase, "That's gay" is used to denote something unpleasant or defective. I've heard this one used by suburban white kids.

I never say no homo. If I'm about to say something that might urge me to use the term, I just rephrase it right before I say it, in the most obvious manner possible.

I Love Jay. Homo. I want to rub his bare naked skin. Homo. I want to taste his saliva straight from his mouth. Homo. I want to play role playing games, he plays Jay, I play his cat, and I lick him. Homo.

Hillarious J smooth is the best blogger on the internets! His opinions are always insightful as well as comedic. I know I'm on his jock right now (no homo) lol

once again, you assess a crappy part of our culture and take it to task, and sounding hella awesome whilst doing it. no wonder you're called jay smooth!

Can I just go back to saying pause, lol.

Can I just go back to saying pause, lol.

'No homo' is merely an extension of the misogyny that permeates hip-hop and the rest of the world. If homosexual men were big, brawny, macho guys who acted like men 'are supposed to act' but just liked to fuck other men, there probably wouldn't be much of a problem with it.

A lot of people say stuff like this, but I don't think it's quite true. I agree that to some extent antigay bigotry is an extension of the misogyny that permeates the world. But that homosexual men might be big, brawny, macho guys who just like to fuck other men is just what scares a lot of guys. Because who are those big macho gay guys going to fuck? Why, them, of course. Which is why fucking other males is a popular wishful-thinking expression of dominance among insecure boys (i.e., just about all of us, including us gay men), but being fucked -- being penetrated at all -- is terrifying. That's why you get the jokes (for example) about soap dropped in the shower: don't bend to pick it up, because you might get punked.

This ties into misogyny, of course, because of its deeprooted assumption that being penetrated is degrading and dirtying. What about the women these guys want to penetrate? Well, they're bitches / whores / sluts. Some women are Angel Mamas, so it's an insult to suggest that they might be penetrated. So homophobia isn't simply disgust at "effeminate" men, however you conceive of them; it's also a terror of being feminized by being penetrated.

I don't think pause made it further east than philly...no homo.

me and one of my boys have started using the term as a synonym for "for real" and never in the "proper" context...cause it's so inane. no homo.

(i can just imagine someone a la Jim Carey in In Living Color saying 'You're not saying it right!")

But, off the rip we don't have to get REAL political to argue that we've all got a signal commitment to depower the term. The assumptions embedded in the term literally infect all of us, but particularly black and latino men. So it's not quite good enough for us to not use it and critique it's use by others.

no homo.

you americans put way too much value into words............ why the fuck is this even a relevant conversation? im gay, and not in the least worried about what word someone uses or not......

words are just words man

chilax

"I am not going to say it." lol Priceless. Love it as usual.

Yo Jay the commentary is on point as usual. I often throw out no homo in convos just for the absurdity of it, but i try to follow it up with a NO PHOBO.

well mr. smooth... seeing the comments that preceeds mine.. i think you've just relaunched it..
looks like nobody has gotten the point!
do not use it! 'no joke' ;)

Nothing but love for you bro.

Back again to add a possible guideline for the use of "no homo":

You may amend your statement with "no homo" when you are describing actual homoerotic acts that you have performed, will perform in the near future, desire to perform, or are performing.

That keeps it neatly to reclamation, plus it does have a chance at being funny. ^_^

Living with the fear of “being” anything is to live in direct contrast with “being” who you really are. Conformity is not the characteristic of fearlessness. Not encouraging homosexual activity in personal relationships or in our culture (in Hip Hop) is actually very respectable. Better put, to exemplify fidelity and responsibly parent your children in (man/woman) relationships is honorable and can inspire a positive impact on someone close to you. Less favorable than a fear to be gay in Hip Hop is the exploitation of women, drug solicitation, and violence.

For beginners, the term “No Homo” is actually very homo, introducing homo-erotic images into conversation from phrases that make no sexual references at all …that is until “No Homo” is said.

Example: the end of the video – “forget that it came out of my mouth”

It’s disgusting and annoying, but it’s not a “should I – should I not” say it (type of thing) as to imply that someone may be offended. It’s simply an impractical and futile attempt to dispel homosexual connotations from one’s own statement …more offensive to a heterosexual.

I despise the use of the term but hey some people like to follow trends...Jay you are a trip

Yo Jay
What do you think bout variations on it, like this:

Man i heard you run New York (no Cuomo)

or

Damn, im tryna get down with a Hebrew National dog (no shlomo)

or

that painting really bends society's norms (no PoMo)

???

I researched and wrote a big lovely essay about this. I think you've done more justice to the social side of "no homo" and defended it, the way I use it, as a humorous and almost meta-use of homophobia (which, in the end, is not homophobia at all?).

Thesis: This essay argues that the source of homophobia within gangsta rap music can be explained through the presence and pervasiveness of hypermasculinity in both the rap genre and black communities.

I just found your blog. And I have a huge crush on you.

I think some of the homophobic culture in hip-hop is profoundly offensive...which can also make it a occasionally funny.

I came across this, and thought of your blog post.
http://tinyurl.com/62xyny

I don't know how I came across this vlog via youtube, but it's got me hooked on the rest of your stuff.

YOU ARE BRILLIANT!

LOL! Finally somebody has the bravery to stand up and speak out against one of the stupidest phrases of all time. People who say 'no homo' are insecurefags.

me and one of my boys have started using the term as a synonym for "for real" and never in the "proper" context...cause it's so inane. no homo.

nice thought, but using "no homo" to mean "for real" is about the same as "no lie" or "no joke".
implying that homos are lies or jokes doesn't sound very respectful to me...

It's like when my queer friends and I say "that's so gay" to make fun of homophobes. And sometimes we switch it up and say "that's so straight."

On a totally different note, I love your voice. No hetero.

I prefer "no dodo" as a mock version of that saying.

It's not even the prejudice that annoys me. It's the mixing of ignorance (which they are actually PROUD of. lol) and violence. To be that violent about something they know so little about and are frankly too fucking stupid to even research is ridiculous.

Gotta love it. lol. Racism, sexism, homophobia, religion pushed as a casual fashion trend minus any real messages or criticisms, simultaneous mixing of hardcore violence and anti-intellectualism, hatred of other's musical tastes. I mean, I know all genre's fanbases have some level of elitism and ignorance, but FUCK. I think mainstream "rap" culture is setting a new record. Most negative by far.

lol u sound like a black guy

thanks so much for this video. just became aware of the phrase earlier and now i feel sufficiently informed.