Recognition of rock ‘n’ roll’s origins in rhythm ‘n’ blues was slow in coming and it took the showbiz honchos years to openly praise the contributions of gay culture to that underdog known as disco music, but not nearly as long as it’s taking the entertainment industry to embrace hip hop’s queer crowd and its growing artistic output. In your face! features Man Parrish, pioneer of the art form whose 1982 track Hip Hop Be Bop (Don’t stop) is hailed as the first hip hop record by an openly gay person; Yo Majesty, fêted rappers whose lyrics about lesbian desire often remain underreported by the established music press; openly bisexual musician Meshell Ndegeocello and prominent drag-queen RuPaul, whose nonchalant flaunting of their queerness earned them heavy rotation on mtv during the nineties; renowned video directors like Jean-Baptiste Mondino, Kevin Bray, Merrill Aldighieri and Francis Legge, who challenge hip hop’s hegemonic visual discourse by bending its gender stereotypes out of shape; stars of the international homo hop scene whose careers won momentum after being portrayed in Alex Hinton’s documentary Pick up the Mic; and other talented artists who conquer eyes and ears with powerful images and vigorous fusions of hip hop and contrasting musical genres – from r&b, soul and funk to pop, electro and house.