Black Gay Author Terrance Dean Comes Back “Out” in Hip Hop Re-Introducing the Titles That Started It All, Hiding In Hip Hop and Mogul Now Available as eBooks

Nashville, TN – Hip Hop is officially ‘out.’ Openly gay and transgender personalities are now featured on top rated TV network shows like Fox’s “Empire”; Netflix’s “Orange is the New Black”; and even on reality TV on VH1’s “Love and Hip Hop: Hollywood.” While some may not remember, it was best-selling author  Terrance Dean who first flung open the door and literally pushed Hip Hop “out” of the closet. Hip Hop has not been the same since!

In 2008 Dean released the book that turned the entertainment industry upside down, or for some right side up. His memoir, HIDING IN HIP HOP: On the Down Low in the Entertainment Industry – from Music to Hollywood (Simon & Schuster/Atria Books – May 2008) was an explosive tell-all revealing intimate and heart-wrenching details about his personal life as a gay man in the entertainment business. Terrance tore the lid off a hidden culture within the testosterone-driven world of Hip Hop when he revealed a new dimension in a world notorious for its larger-than-life masculine swagger. Bravely unmasking the deep secrets of a prominent gay sub-culture within not only the entertainment community, but more specifically, within the confines of hip hop, HIDING IN HIP HOPbecame the runaway, most talked about, and most Googled book sensation of the year.

Dean then followed up with his fictionalized novel account, MOGUL (Simon & Schuster/Atria Books – June 2011).  MOGUL went even deeper inside Hip Hop to reveal just how rampant homosexuality reigns in an industry that on the surface purports hyper-masculinity as its calling card.  MOGULfollows Aaron “Big A.T.” Tremble, a young music icon, as he juggles money, fame, and women as CEO of a record label, while also indulging in a clandestine relationship with his hot superstar artist, the sexy hunk, Tickman.  MOGUL gave readers the inner behind-the-scenes moves of a community of down low and gay industry companions, known as ‘The Family,’ who support and propel Big A.T. as Hip Hop’s most beloved producer. Dean’s debut fiction release ripped through the industry as insiders, naysayers, and fans speculated and compared the tale to real life rumors and hearsay.

Dean met the controversy head on, even as media and readers alike were not quite ready to accept the truth he was serving. However, accounts and predictions he made at that time have now come full circle and today, in 2015, Hip Hop has been fully outed.
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“I am elated that my book, HIDING IN HIP HOP, has helped to spark this discourse. Years ago, while I was touring and conducting interviews, I predicted that Black LGBTQIA persons would come forward and no longer be relegated to the “closet.” Now, with talented artists such as, Jussie Smollett, Frank Ocean,Laverne Cox and Felicia “Snoop” Pearson, we are seeing ourselves as part of the fabric of America, and, more importantly Black life and Black culture,” expresses Dean.

“When I wrote MOGUL I had no idea that a show like “Empire” or even the recent airing of VH-1’s “OUT In Hip Hop” would be possible. But, after my book was released, I knew I had done something powerful, transformative, and trailblazing,” asserts Dean. “As a writer, artist, or creative person when you produce a product you don’t think of the future. You’re only present in the moment. You never know what the world will say or how people will respond. Yet, when you do something so provocative, so intense and against the grain, and people respond positively and negatively, then, you know you’ve done your job. I’m thankful each day God has given me a voice, and visibility, to express myself in all of my blackness and gayness.”

Speaker, educator, author and Detroit native, Terrance Dean took a hiatus from the entertainment industry and received his Master’s in Theological Studies from Vanderbilt Divinity School in 2014. He is currently a Ph.D. student in Religion at Vanderbilt University in the Graduate Department of Religion. He is also a 2005 John Seigenthaler Journalism Fellow from Vanderbilt University. Dean has lectured and conducted workshops at noted institutions of education around the country.

In 2011, Dean was acknowledged as the first Black gay author to be nominated for two Lambda Literary awards for two books in two different categories; his book, “Visible Lives” was nominated for LGBT Anthology, and his book, “Straight From Your Gay Best Friend” was nominated for LGBT Non-Fiction. Dean is a contributing writer to the anthologies, Souls of My Brothers and Always Too Soon.
 

Dean has written for and been featured in mainstream and urban media outlets around the globe. He has also appeared across the country and internationally, on popular syndicated radio shows and made numerous national television appearances.

Dean currently writes a weekly advice column,”Straight From Your Gay Best Friend,” on the popular urban website, Bossip.com, reaching by over 100,000 readers weekly.

Both HIDING IN HIP HOP and MOGUL are available in hardback, paperback, and as eBooks wherever books are sold.

Connect with Terrance Dean on Twitter at @terrancedean and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/terrance.dean .



“Hiding in Hip Hop” Author Terrance Dean Prepares to Set the Industry On Fire With New Book Release MOGUL: A Novel

New York – On April 4th, music producer and popular New York DJ personality Mister Cee was arrested for sexual lewd acts with a man. On April 17th, “straight” rapper Lil B sent the Hip Hop world into a frenzy when he announced plans to title his upcoming album, “I’m Gay.” Then on May 15th, CNN’s beloved news anchor, Don Lemon ‘came out’ and went public revealing he’s gay. But on June 14th, when entertainment industry insider and best-selling author Terrance Dean releases his anxiously anticipated debut novel MOGUL (Atria Books Original Paperback – June 2011; $15) these revelations will all make sense.

Though fictional, MOGUL goes deep inside Hip Hop to reveal just how rampant homosexuality reigns in an industry that on the surface purports hyper-masculinity as its calling card. MOGUL follows Aaron “Big A.T.” Tremble, a young music icon, as he juggles money, fame, women and running a record label, while indulging in a clandestine relationship with his hot superstar artist, the sexy hunk, Tickman. MOGUL gives readers the inner behind-the-scenes moves of a community of down low and gay industry companions, known as ‘the family,’ who support and propel Big A.T. as Hip Hop’s most beloved producer.

MOGUL is the explosive factor that ties together the recent rash of real life homosexual media reveals. Society is not as ‘straight’ as it seems!

Terrance Dean

A rollercoaster read MOGUL will incite speculation as Dean paints a true-to-life portrait of the entertainment business and its many personalities. His larger-than-life characters hint at real life celebrities. The drama reads like the events of today’s fast paced headlines. And the sex sizzles off the pages. Dean’s debut fiction release centers him as a novelist grounded in the game. Interestingly, amid the excitement, passion and suspense, Dean writes with truth and sincerity that evokes compassion for his characters. He keeps the reader entertained, while at the same time dispelling the many misaligned preconceptions about what one thinks they know about not only the entertainment business, but the world of men who love men.

Dean’s Hiding In Hip Hop: On the Down Low in the Entertainment Industry from Music to Hollywood(Atria Books – May 2008) tore the lid off the down low culture within the testosterone-driven world of Hip Hop. Uncovering a secret dimension in a world notorious for its larger-than-life masculine swagger, Dean bravely unmasked elements of a prominent gay sub-culture within the confines of Hip Hop. The book was a memoir which freed the author as he came to terms with his own sexuality.

Dean has since solidified his stance as a no-holds-barred gay author. His book, Straight, From Your Gay Best Friend – The Straight Up Truth About Work, Relationships, and Having a Fabulous Life! (Agate Bolden Books – October 2010), and advice column with the same name at www.HelloBeautiful.com, have since endeared him to an audience that recognizes he keeps it real at all costs. On the surface, it may seem sensationalistic, but his pure intentions for self-liberation, self-love, and self-worth are always right beneath the surface. In fact, his first book, Reclaim Your Power! A 30-Day Guide to Hope, Healing and Inspiration for Men of Color(Random House/Villard – May 2003) laid the foundation for the journey Terrance Dean finds himself traveling with his work. His third book. Visible Lives: Three Stories in Tribute to E. Lynn Harris (Kensington/Dafina Books – May 2010) for his dear friend and mentor, New York Times best-selling celebrated gay author, the late E. Lynn Harris, further showcased his commitment and stance as a writer dedicated to a community that will continue to be heard and acknowledged.

“‘MOGUL’ is a story that I’ve wanted to tell for a long time, and I’m happy it’s finally being told. There are many gay men and women in the entertainment industry who silently work behind the scenes without recognition. As someone who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade, I feel people have a misconstrued and delusional idea of what celebrities lives are like, and what the industry is like,” reveals Dean.

“I want to invite readers into this world of power, seduction, and fame showing at what costs, and length, a person will go to rise to the top. Besides, I also feel it’s important we start a serious conversation and dialogue about homophobia in Hip Hop, and within the Black community. We’ve done so much when it comes to repealing, ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ in the military. I feel it’s time to repeal the same within the entertainment industry, particularly amongst Black celebrities who are afraid to come out for fear of backlash,” adds Dean. “Its no longer about ‘hiding in hip hop.’ Its time to bring it all out.”

Terrance Dean is hosting two forums in support of the release of MOGUL. The panels, “Young, Black, Gifted and Gay…Powerful Men In The Entertainment Industry,” will be in New York on Tuesday, June 14 at the Center For Fiction, 17 East 47th Street, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.; and in Atlanta on Thursday, June 29 at Outwrite Bookstore, 991 Piedmont Avenue, Northeast, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.