During her visit to “The Real” couch, singer and drummer
Sheila E. dishes on the time she met and worked with countless legends like
Prince, Diana Ross, Michael Jackson and Marvin Gaye. -snip- From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheila_E. "Sheila Cecilia Escovedo (born December 12, 1957) better
known under the stage name Sheila E., is an American percussionist, singer,
author, and actress. She began her career in the mid-1970s as a percussionist
and singer for The George Duke Band. After leaving the group in 1983, Sheila
began a successful solo career, starting with her critically acclaimed debut
album, which included the career-defining song, "The Glamorous Life".
She became a mainstream solo star in 1985 following the success of the singles,
"The Belle of St. Mark", "Sister Fate", and "A Love
Bizarre" with the last becoming one of her signature songs. She is
commonly referred to as The Queen of Percussion.[3][4]"
**** Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post presents information and examples of the vernacular meaning of the saying "spill the tea".
The content of this post is presented for linguistic, socio-cultural, and political purposes.
Spill the tea is a phrase used to tell a person to share any
gossip that she knows. It's similar to the older "spill your guts" or
"spill the beans" phrases.
The phrase comes from "Spill the T," where the
"T" stands for "truth," which was introduced by drag queen
Lady Chablis in the 1994 book "Midnight in the Garden of Good and
Evil." However, the "spill the tea" phrase didn't become popular
in mainstream culture until 2018*.
The phrase is a little more clever than "spill the
T" because tea is something that you can actually spill but also still sounds
the same as if you were just saying the letter "T." The phrase is
typically used by females who love to gossip and want to know every dirty
detail of other people's lives. You may also see variations of the phrase, such
as "weak tea" or "give us the tea."
Example: "Stop holding out on us, spill the tea!" -snip- There are a number of online examples-including some cited in this pancocojams post-that refute the statement that the phrase "spill the tea didn't become popular in mainstream culture until 2018."
It appears that T, also spelled tea, had a double-edged
meaning in black drag culture. It could refer to a hidden truth, as Chablis
uses it, and it could also refer to someone else's hidden truth—that is,
gossip:
Straight life must be so boring. Because everyone conforms.
These gay kids carry on. ... They give you dance and great tea [gossip]. —
"Nate" quoted in One of the Children: An Ethnography of Identity
and Gay Black Men, William G. Hawkeswood, 1991
As drag culture—and particularly black drag culture—gained
prominence, so too did this dual meaning use of tea. It's spread far beyond
black drag culture at this point. The phrase "spill the tea," used as
an encouragement to gossip, has been used in everything from Harlequin romance
novels to "RuPaul's Drag Race"; "no tea, no shade" has been
featured in explainers on black gay slang; comedian Larry Wilmore used
"weak tea" regularly on his 2015-16 Comedy Central show in response
to people who weren't telling the absolute truth.
The expression appears to have originated in American black drag culture:
It appears that T, also spelled tea, had a double-edged meaning in black drag culture. It could refer to a hidden truth, as Chablis uses it, and it could also refer to someone else's hidden truth—that is, gossip:
Straight life must be so boring. Because everyone conforms. These gay kids carry on. ... They give you dance and great tea [gossip]. — "Nate" quoted in One of the Children: An Ethnography of Identity and Gay Black Men, William G. Hawkeswood, 1991
As drag culture—and particularly black drag culture—gained prominence, so too did this dual meaning use of tea. It's spread far beyond black drag culture at this point. The phrase "spill the tea," used as an encouragement to gossip, has been used in everything from Harlequin romance novels to "RuPaul's Drag Race"; "no tea, no shade" has been featured in explainers on black gay slang; comedian Larry Wilmore used "weak tea" regularly on his 2015-16 Comedy Central show in response to people who weren't telling the absolute truth.
(Merriam-Webster)
The expression is American: Spilling tea (American Slang)
On the day that I was working on this video, I searched ‘spilling tea’ online and found that it was in the headlines. “Rob Kardashian’s Instagram Is Disabled, But His Tea Spilling Continues On Twitter”. Spilling tea means to gossip about someone. So here, Kardashian was gossiping about his ex-fiance, which included posting naked pictures of her. Not good.
user121863, edited Jan 25 '18 at 22:28, answered Jan 25 '18 at 20:17
**** Excerpt #3 From https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=spill%20the%20tea "Spill the tea
To share gossip. A term started within the gay community of
San Antonio, Texas and spread originally throughout the South Central region of
the United States. Now used throughout the gay communities in United States and
possibly other countries. It comes from the idea of having old Southern tea
parties in the South to gossip behind people's back.
R: "Okay girls, it is time to spill the tea."
C: "What tea do you have?"
R: "A certain ex boyfriend of the grand Queen now
says he is straight" by Beava Diva April 09, 2012
**** A CONTEMPORARY POLITICAL EXAMPLE OF "SPILL THE TEA" From https://twitter.com/search?q=%23CallHisBluff [#CallHisBluff was rated as #10 in top trending twitter hashtags at Nov. 10, 2010 around
3:30 PM ET]
Lisa
@Lisa_is_Tired
5h
One of my top most favorite actors, spills the tea...#callHisBluff
Quote Tweet
Thread Reader App
@threadreaderapp
· 7h
Replying to @Moonfishlake
Halo! please find the unroll here: @EdwardNorton: I’m no
political pundit but I grew up w a dad who was a federal prosecutor & he
taught me a lot & I’ve… https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1329728889296355328.html
Share this if you think it's interesting. [emoji of a Robot face] -snip- Italics were added to highlight this phrase.
This hashtag refers to actor Edward Norton's tweeter thread which recommended that people call trump's bluff since he refuses to concede the election.
Expose someone's deception, invite a showdown, as in I don't
believe they have enough capital; I'm going to call their bluff. This term
comes from poker, where bluffing (pretending) that one has better cards than
one's opponents is an intrinsic part of the game, and calling someone's bluff
means forcing them to show their cards. By the late 1800s it was being applied
to other enterprises. Also see show one's hand."
Latest Revision: June 11, 2021 (title change & additional comments from 2019)
This is Part III of a four part pancocojams series on Todrick Hall's "Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels" song and video.
This post provides a definition of the phrase "wigs snatched" in Gay cultures, and presents some examples of comments from the discussion thread for Todrick Hall's song ""Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels" that refer to "wigs being snatched".
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/06/todrick-hall-nails-hair-hips-heels.html for Part I of this series. Part I presents an excerpt of an interview with Todrick Hall and showcases the official YouTube video of "Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels". Selected general comments from the discussion thread for this video are also included in this post along with a link to this song's lyrics and a link to another video published by Todrick Hall entitled "Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels - Behind The Scenes".
WARNING: This song contains profanity and other language that may be considered inappropriate for children.
**
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/06/examples-of-internet-jokes-question-how.html for Part IV of this pancocojams series. Part IV presents some examples of the "Question - How many ___? Answer - Yes" jokes from the discussion thread for the official music video for Todrick Hall's "Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels". Some comments that are part of these exchanges are also included in this post.
****
The content of this post is provided for cultural and entertainment purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Todrick Hall and all those who are associated with this video. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post. -snip- Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2021/06/what-she-snatched-my-edges-and-her.html for the closely related pancocojams post entitled "What "She Snatched My Edges" And "Her Edges Are Snatches" REALLY Mean."
****
DRAG CULTURE'S MEANING OF THE PHRASE "WIGS SNATCHED" (and similar phrases*)
From https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Wig%20Snatching
"Wig Snatching
A term used mainly by gay men and women to express extreme happiness or excitement when their diva has done something amazing, shocking, or gives life by any means
See also wig scalped "Beyoncé out here wig snatching with that Bowl Performance!"
"Did you see how Mariah came for Demi Lovato on Watch What Happens Live? I died! Wig snatched."
#wig#wig snatched#wig snatching#scalped#i live#gives life
by User_nombre April 15, 2017" -snip- *Similar phrases include "weave snatched" and "edges snatched".
The American slang word "snatched" is used as a verb or as an adjective. Verb: She snatched my wig.
Adjective. Her wig is snatched.
Here's an entry from urban dictionary about the adjectival form of the slang term "snatched"
Used to take the place of 'on fleek', 'perfect', 'on point'
or 'fashionable'.
Girl your outfit is snatched. Your make-up snatched huny.
They just hatin cause im always snatched.
by plumcoco January 31, 2016
This post refers to the verb form of the slang word "snatched".
My guess is that the verb form of "snatched" came before the adjective form. I also think that the phrases "snatched my weave" and "snatched my wig" were used before the phrase "snatched my edges".
It seems to me that the verb form "snatched my edges" or snatched my wigs or snatched my weaves" and the adjective form "snatched" aren't used as much now (2021) in African American Vernacular English. This may be a result of the fact that those terms began to be used by mainstream (i.e. "White") American culture in 2018 and 2019. (African Americans often move on to new venacular terms when White Americans start using vernacular terms that we [African Americans] adapted or created.)
****
SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THE DISCUSSION THREAD FOR TODRICK HALL'S "NAILS, HAIR, HIPS, HEELS" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQ04gPb4LlY
Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.
All of these comments are from 2019
1. Miguel Pérez
"Literally NASA is developing a space program to recover my wig"
**
REPLY
2. Kenyan Bunnie
"Miguel Pérez Can you give them a memo from me? My 4c curls might be on their way to Wakanda right now."
-snip-
"4c" = refers to one of the categories of hair texture that mostly refers to Black people's hair. https://www.curlcentric.com/hair-typing-system/
**
REPLY
3. xnono 95
"Could they recover mine too?"
**
REPLY
4. Cat Tricks
"I'd ask you to get mine too, but it would be kind of sad for Saturn to be without rings tbh"
**
REPLY
5. Harriet B
"Omg comment of the year goes to you 🏆I'm doonnnneeee!! Lmfho"
**
REPLY
6. IcyExclipse
"Grab mine while you’re at it"
**
REPLY
10. G Reacts
"LMAO I LOVE YOU BRUH HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA"
**
REPLY
11. Healthy Life, Happy Wife
"🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣"
**
REPLY
12. I have no creative username ideas.
"They were going to do that for me, but it flew too close to the sun and burned to a crisp."
**
REPLY
13. Markoh Cruz
"Wig snatched to the outer space YASSSSSSS!!!!"
**
REPLY
14. Andy Archer
"Yes!"
**
REPLY
15. Spartacus Ani
"Dead. This my ghost typing 😂🤣"
**
REPLY
16. Innocent OMEI
"BEYOND dead."
**
REPLY
17. Random Creative Taco 》!-//《
"I wish I thought of this but I don't have that kind of creative mind"
**
REPLY
18. Miguel Pérez
"Random Creative Taco 》!-//《 it was a bit of luck. Before I watched this I was watching a video where NASA explained that they had plans to go to the moon again (2020-2025 I think) and then I just linked this video with the NASA thing 🤷🏽♂️😅"
**
REPLY
19. AaronEmeliano
"My wig is past andromeda now"
**
REPLY
20. Danish
"Miguel Pérez best thing ever HAHAHA"
**
REPLY
21. Josy Ct
"🤣IM WHEEZING 😭🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣"
**
REPLY
22. themadusacascadeguy
"Breaking news:
Reports of wigs and edges launching into the atmosphere all around the world has suddenly escalated at an alarming rate. We'll keep you updayed"
**
REPLY
23. Amelia Rae
"You can see my weave in orbit"
**
24. 10,000 subscribers with no vids?
"I paid good money for my wig and I want a refund."
**
25. upchuckles
""Much that once was is lost, for none now live who remember it" - Galadriel when asked about the whereabouts of her wig after seeing this."
**
26. Jazmine
"Hunty I just grew my edges back why did you snatch them back off Todrick? Lmbooo"
**
27. Andy Archer
"I was about to throw shade and hit the dislike. BUT THEN STARTED DANCING AND HAD TO SLIP MY WIG BACK ON AND TAKE SEVERAL SEATS!"
**
28. Andre Voges
"The gays anthem for June. Happy pride month....go snatch some wigs"
**
29. Queen GrimmZin
"I need to buy a wig just to take it off. I found this by accident."
**
30. bubbles
"who wanna join the search party for my weave because it has been sNATCHED and LOST"
-snip-
This is how this comment was written in that discussion thread.
**
31. nursinggirl 1219
"this is the LGBT national anthem wig FLEWWWWW whew"
**
32. G
"The summer anthem we needed. My wig has been snatched. Thank you for this beat Todrick❤️🌈💓✨"
**
33. Hannah Dudley
"Viewer: my wig can't be snatched. All these YouTubers are no fun
Todrick: hold my heels"
**
34. Broken Doorbell
"I went out and bought a wig for them to snatch"
**
35. Ken Kaneki
"My wig has been sent back in time so that it never existed"
** 37. Kristen Huck "Producers: how many wigs do you want snatched?
Todrick: yes"
** REPLY 38. AntariRoyale "Mr. Clean - E X A C T L Y"
** 39. zevenix "RUPAUL WAS FOUND WIGLESS IN THE CORNER OF TACO BELL" -snip- This comment is written in bold font in that discussion thread.
** Reply 40. Coley Moley "Underrated comment 💙😂😅"
** Reply 41. Anjail Robinson "BwahahahHa 🤣🤣🤣🤣"
** Reply 42. Ioannis "ugh stop comparing people already. it's
toxic"
** Reply 43. josh plunkett "I laughed way to hard at this! Well
played!"
** Reply 44. Delt∆Sa√es "The best part is it's in a Taco Bell of
all places."
** Reply 45. fjordsi "@Delt∆Sa√es😂😂😂"
** Reply 46. Coley Moley "@Ioanniswho were they comparing???"
** Reply 47. zevenix "@Ioannisit's a joke calm down..."
** Reply 48. monikaaa ceee "Not in the corner of taco bell 😂😂😂"
** Reply 49. I'M GoneWithTheWind! FABULOUS!! "zevenix RAPUNZEL WAS FOUND BALD NEAR
NEPTUNE"
** Reply 50. Sophie J. "@IoannisI wouldnt say it's comparing, when you say wig snatched it's not
comparing you to them, it's about been shooketh."
** Reply 51. Danielle "😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣😂🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂🤣🤣😂"
** Reply 52. Userface4 "🤣🤣🤣 DYING"
** Reply 53. Konstancja "When I read this I was laughing so hard😂😂"
** Reply 54. Miguel Schäfer " @Ioannis Your comment is the real toxic one. No one
here is comparing no other and nothing is being done maliciously. Enjoy life a
little and don't take things so seriously or you'll become a damn Mary Poppins."
** Reply 55. Golden Grande "But...isn’t Rupaul bald?"
** Reply 56. Zoe Clay "i love you so mochi he’s bald yes, but he has millions of
wigs 😂"
****
This concludes Part III of this four part pancocojams series.
This is Part II of a four part pancocojams series on Todrick Hall's "Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels" song and video.
Part II presents definitions of and comments about some of the gay lingo that is found in Todrick Hall's song "Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels".
**
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/06/todrick-hall-nails-hair-hips-heels.html for Part I of this series. Part I presents an excerpt of an interview with Todrick Hall and showcases the official YouTube video of "Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels". Selected general comments from the discussion thread for this video are also included in this post along with a link to this song's lyrics and a link to another video published by Todrick Hall entitled "Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels - Behind The Scenes".
WARNING: This song contains profanity and other language that may be considered inappropriate for children.
Unfortunately, there's no clean version of this song available (yet?).
**
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/06/examples-of-internet-jokes-question-how.html for Part IV of this pancocojams series. Part IV presents some examples of the "Question - How many ___? Answer - Yes" jokes from the discussion thread for the official music video for Todrick Hall's "Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels". Some comments that are part of these exchanges are also included in this post.
****
The content of this post is provided for cultural and etymological purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Todrick Hall and all those who are associated with this video. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post.
-snip-
This series is part of a larger ongoing pancocojams series that showcases the creativity of Gay cultures. Posts in that series can be assessed by clicking on the "Gay culture" tag that is given below. This post is also related to an ongoing pancocojams series on African American Vernacular English [AAVE]. Those posts can be assessed by clicking on the African American Vernacular English tag given below.
****
DEFINITIONS OF & COMMENTS ABOUT GAY LINGO TERMS IN TODRICK HALL'S SONG "NAILS, HAIR, HIPS, HEELS"
Additions & corrections are very welcome.
Drop for me - a reference to the dip [read the entry for "shablam" below]
****
hunty
From https://www.popsugar.com/tech/photo-gallery/37912438/image/37912461/Hunty
"Hunty is a combination of "honey" and "c*nt*." It originated in the drag world and was popularized by RuPaul's Drag Race as a term of endearment to describe your friends. However, it's sometimes used in a demeaning way."
-snip-
This word was spelled that way in that article.
****
shablam
Excerpt retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vogue_(dance) -August 2014; Note that this paragraph is not longer included in the Wikipedia article for "vogue dance".
..."The dip is the fall, drop, or descent backward onto one's back with one's leg folded underneath. Mainstream dance forms popularized the dip, which is occasionally called the "death drop" when done in dramatics style. Due to popular media, the dip is sometimes incorrectly called the "5000", the "shablam", and the "shabam"; these misnomers stem from ballroom commentators chanting the word "shawam" when a voguer successfully completed a dip in time with the music while entertaining the audience.”...
**
From https://www.out.com/television/2019/4/05/dear-rupaul-stop-letting-people-say-death-drop-drag-race Dear RuPaul: Stop Letting People Say 'Death Drop' on 'Drag Race' BY MIKELLE STREET; APRIL 05 2019
"On Thursday night’s episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race, the remaining contestants competed in the Drag-lympics. With Travis Wall as their choreographer and Adam Rippon as the resident Olympian, queens were expected to put on performances (sometimes vogue-infused) making sure to hit specific focuses: fanography, voguing, and a shablam. And already, my friends, we have an issue.
Throughout the episode, the move of lowering oneself to the ground, one leg extended, is referred to as both a “shablam” and a “death drop” — in fact, it has been called a “death drop” throughout the history of Drag Race, and therefore largely throughout popular culture as a consequence. It has been justly referenced as a move originating from the ballroom scene as one of five integral elements of voguing. Except … it is not called a death drop. Or a shablam. And quite a few people pointed that out on social media.
[...]
Jiggly Caliente
@JigglyCaliente
The watered down vouging tho... it's called a Dip or Layout. Stop referring to it as a Shablam or death drop. Those terms should drop dead.
1:30 AM - Apr 5, 2019 · Queens, NY
[...]
Twiggy Pucci Garçon
✔
@SimplyTwiggy
This isn’t a question or a debate. #NoAppropriation. Period. It’s called a dip.
[...]
It’s a bit of deja vu (I myself have already written about the issue, explaining how the dip has been a move held throughout all variations of voguing, including Old Way, New Way and the popular Vogue Fem). Laganja Estranja, who arguably introduced the move to the Drag Race audience in her work room entrance, has also been unilaterally criticized of her use of “death drop” by the ballroom community. She has since abandoned the term, instead using dip.
Some believe that there is a difference in the terms: that a dip refers to a specific type of movement, and terms like death drop refer to others. This is incorrect. To be clear, a dip is a category of movement. Whether it’s hard and dramatic, or soft and slow, the movement is still a dip. Whether one does a scorpion or high kick before, it’s still a dip. Death drop is likely just a term made up by someone, not of the community, seeing the move and fabricating their own name. The move, my lovely friends, is a dip. Tell Ru I said it.
As for the term “shablam” which is mostly used by the dance community? Listen, I get it, things can be confusing. You watch your little ballroom clips and when people do a dip, you hear something that sounds like “shablam” either from the person on the mic or the crowd. First of all, that’s not the name of the move, it’s just an onomatopoeic cue that goes along with it. An emphasizing of the crash in the song. And second of all … it never was “shablam” anyway. It was “shawham,” as ballroom icon Jack Mizrahi, who originated the term and usage pointed out.”...
The term's first significant step into straight culture was in the 1990 documentary about young, black, and Latino drag queens in New York City, "Paris is Burning."
The central characters explain their culture and guide you through the underground world of parties and drag balls.
In one scene, a queen named Dorian Corey explains what "shade" is.
"Shade is, I don't have to tell you you're ugly, because you know you're ugly," she says.
When someone insults you directly, that's called a "read." For example, if I were to tell you that your glasses are ugly. Point blank. That's a read. Reads can be long or short.
"Shade" comes from reading, as Corey explains.
If I were to say in a terribly condescending voice, "Oh honey, I'm so glad you saved up to buy those glasses," that's blatant shade. I didn't insult the glasses, or you, directly. It's implied by my voice and the context of what I said. You know they're ugly.
Sometimes people don't get that they're being "shaded" — this is always sad."
To "throw shade" simply means you've said something shady to someone...
-snip-
That article includes the clip of Dorian Corey giving those remarks from the "Paris Is Burning" film.
****
tea
From https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=spill%20the%20tea
"spill the tea
[top definition]
when one tells an especially juicy bit of gossip "Girl, did you know Renee is having ANOTHER baby? And the babby daddy is the same guy who she found out has been cheating on her!"
****
tongue pop
From https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/d3kjex/hereditary-clicking-noises-sound-like-alyssa-edwards-tongue-pop This Hidden Meme Makes 'Hereditary' a Comedy, Jamie Lee Curtis Taete; Jun 19 2018,
Those ominous clicking noises get a lot less ominous when you make the 'RuPaul's Drag Race' connection.
"If you’re unfamiliar, Alyssa Edwards is a drag queen who appeared on two seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Her signature catchphrase (if a sound can be a catchphrase) is a tongue pop, as seen above.
Via Alyssa, the pop has crossed over into fairly mainstream queer usage. It has a variety of meanings, but is generally used to emphasize something, dismiss another person, or act as an exclamation point.
This type of tongue popping was in use before Alyssa, but there’s no denying the sound has become synonymous with her. If you google "tongue pop," she dominates the results"...
-snip-
Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=17&v=0Zps8WvVQdE for a YouTube video of Alyssa Edwards doing her signature tongue pops.
****
trade [give trade]
From https://www.queerty.com/a-handy-glossary-of-gay-terms-for-the-well-meaning-hetty-20141208
Trade
..."Trade are straight men seen as conquests for gay guys to sleep with. They’re usually on the masculine side of the spectrum, and are much sought after by a certain breed of gay. Offshoots include rough trade and prison trade. Trade can also mean “DL” or “downlow” — an otherwise straight guy who actively seeks hook-ups with gay guys on the side."
**
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trade_(gay_slang)
..."The term often refers to a straight man who partners with a gay man for economic benefit, either through a direct cash payment or through other, more subtle means (gifts, tuition payments, etc.).[2] Trade originally referred to casual sex partners, regardless of sexuality as many gay and bisexual men were closeted, but evolved to imply the gay partner is comparatively wealthy and the partner who is trade is economically deprived.
[...]
More modern usage has centered on any casual sexual encounter between men, and as an adjective to refer to any male considered masculine and/or sexually appealing.[3]
Often, the terms trade and rough trade are treated as synonymous. Often the attraction for the gay male partner is finding a dangerous, even thuggish, partner who may turn violent. That is not to say that people necessarily desire to be physically hurt, but the danger of seeking a partner in a public park, restroom, or alleyway may be exciting.[citation needed] Another variation is in comparison to regular trade, rough trade is more likely to be working-class laborers with less education and more physical demands of their work, therefore with a body developed naturally rather than in a gym. They may have a less polished or cleancut style than an office worker or professional businessman.[citation needed]"...
-snip-
The words given in italic or bold are written that way in that article.
**
From https://genius.com/17313038
Lyrics: Todrick Hall - Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels" Notes
"trade
From nicwolff, June 3, 2019
"A thuggish, straight-acting gay man, aka “rough trade”.
****
This concludes Part II of this four part pancocojams series.
This is Part I of a four part pancocojams series on Todrick Hall's "Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels" song and video.
This post presents an excerpt of an interview with Todrick Hall and showcases the official YouTube video of "Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels". Selected general comments from the discussion thread for this video are also included in this post along with a link to this song's lyrics and a link to another video published by Todrick Hall entitled "Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels - Behind The Scenes".
WARNING: This song contains profanity and other language that may be considered inappropriate for children.
Unfortunately, there's no clean version of this song available (yet?).
This post presents definitions of & comments about some of the gay lingo that is found in Todrick Hall's song "Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels".
**
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/06/examples-of-internet-jokes-question-how.html for Part IV of this pancocojams series. Part IV presents some examples of the "Question - How many ___? Answer - Yes" jokes from the discussion thread for the official music video for Todrick Hall's "Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels". Some comments that are part of these exchanges are also included in this post.
****
The content of this post is provided for socio-cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Todrick Hall and all those who are associated with this video. Thanks also to Chris Malone, author of the article excerpt given below, and thanks to others who all those who are quoted in this post.
-snip-
This series is part of a larger ongoing pancocojams series that showcases the creativity of Gay cultures. Posts in that series can be assessed by clicking on the "Gay culture" tag that is given below. This post is also related to an ongoing pancocojams series on African American Vernacular English [AAVE]. Those posts can be assessed by clicking on the African American Vernacular English tag given below.
****
SHOWCASE VIDEO: Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels by Todrick
todrickhall, Published on May 23, 2019
-snip-
Statistics as of June 4, 2018 at 3:21 PM
Total # of views -324,967
Total # of likes - 204,000
Total # of dislikes - 3,700
Total # of comments - 12,619
-snip-
Click https://genius.com/Todrick-hall-nails-hair-hips-heels-lyrics for the lyrics to this song.
****
ARTICLE EXCERPT:
From https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/pride/8512924/todrick-hall-interview-pride-month-haus-party
Todrick Hall Talks Pride Month, His Inspirational Fans & His New EP 'Haus Party, Pt. 1'; 5/23/2019 by https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/pride/8512924/todrick-hall-interview-pride-month-haus-partyhttps://www.billboard.com/articles/news/pride/8512924/todrick-hall-interview-pride-month-haus-party
Todrick Hall Talks Pride Month, His Inspirational Fans & His New EP 'Haus Party, Pt. 1'
5/23/2019 by Chris Malone
“Todrick Hall is one of the hardest-working people in show business. The triple-threat artist often balances behemoth solo projects like his Straight Outta Oz and Forbidden visual albums with his duties as RuPaul’s Drag Race’s resident choreographer, and is now gearing up for a jam-packed Pride month.
Today, Hall is releasing Haus Party, Pt. 1, the first installment in a series of EPs he created specifically with the LGBTQ+ community in mind. Following the EP’s release, Hall will be headlining a dozen different Pride celebrations all around the country throughout the month of June, performing some of his favorite tracks from Haus Party, Pt. 1, along with some fan favorites, before embarking on a thirty-city tour later this fall.
To celebrate the release of this love letter to the LGBTQ+ community, Hall spoke with Billboard on why he wanted to create this project, why this Pride month specifically means so much to him, and what he hopes will inspire his fans who often inspire him.
[...]
Let's talk some more about the music on the EP. Besides “I Like Boys” What songs do you hope will resonate with fans?
Well, my favorite one is “Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels.” That was such a random song. I was walking to get breakfast one morning and I just started writing the song. Most of the time I have a very clear narrative of where I'm going with the song, but this song came to me and it was just out the blue. And normally when I get a really random idea like that, I'd just shake it off and laugh to myself about it, but with this one, it was like really, really hauntingly catchy and I just kept singing it over and over and over again. It was difficult to say at first, but then I started being like, “I think people would actually like this song because I don't have a beat or anything in my head and the song is still catchy.”
When I first started going through the club before I was even old enough, any time “Get Me Bodied” by Beyoncé would come on, the floor would be completely flooded with people. It was like Simba being in the stampede with the wildebeests; you could not get to the dance floor fast enough to do your version of the dance, specifically when it got to the end of the song. Gay people love that song -- and it wasn't even made specifically for us and our community, but so many of the things we popularized were there. “Snap for the kids” and “Pat your weave” and “Do your Naomi Campbell walk” were some of the things that drag queens and people who were part of the queer community had clearly taught to Beyoncé and that she had seen.
I don't remember a song coming out since then that I've been that excited to see when it came on at the club, and I was like, “I want [‘Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels’] to be that song.” When it gets to the second half of the song, I want everybody to run to the dance floor and know all of the moves to do. So that's the song I'm the most excited about, because if it does what I hope it does, it will become like an LGBTQ+ phenomenon. That's what I'm hoping for."...
****
SELECTED GENERAL COMMENTS* FROM THE DISCUSSION THREAD FOR THE OFFICIAL YOUTUBE VIDEO OF TODRICK HALL'S "HAIR,HAIR, HIPS, HEELS" (with numbers added for referencing purposes only)
Note: I didn't read all of the comments in this discussion thread, but I read a lot of those comments. I selected these comments for their informational, socio-cultural, and/or witty/entertainment value/s.
All of these comments are from May 23, 2019 to June 4, 2019, and are given in relative chronological order excerpt for replies.
*These comments don't include examples from the two sub-categories of comments that are showcased in Part II and Part III of this pancocojams series.
1. Britney Lee
"If you don't understand this language then we can't be friends"
**
REPLY
4. Not a prodigy!
"I'm Brazillian and I understood almost everything..."
**
REPLY
5. Greder23
"That's...not what she means, guys. Not understanding english, understanding the fierce sassiness of the rhythm, lyrics and dancing."
**
REPLY
6. Sean J
"guys she mean the gay lingo lool guuurl!!"
**
REPLY
7. Greder23
"@Britney Lee no problem, darling, it was a light read. 💅🏿"
**
REPLY
8. Theory Guy
"Not every gay guy speaks like that.
Its really a stereotype that hes feeding right into. Tbh"
**
REPLY
9. Sean J
"@Theory Guy n we love it thats why we here!"
**
REPLY
10. jordan pastry
"Shablam"
**
REPLY
11. Arthur Adams
" "shablam" is the new "hi""
**
REPLY
12. Enrique Castillo
"Gay culture is having this inner strength that no one gets, only you do"
**
REPLY
13. Toby Toast
"Yas queen"
**
REPLY
14. Theory Guy
"@Jaken Lich12 oh i got the joke, its just i didnt think it was a funny joke."
**
REPLY
15. Consuela Lemon
"@Sean J It isn't "gay" lingo. It's specifically black and latino lgbt lingo from the ballroom scene."
**
REPLY
16. Sean J
"@Consuela Lemon if u wanna be specific .. sure. Gay lingo is and has always been borne out of urban settings...free for all to use."
**
REPLY
17. LOL LOL
"All you people talking about how your russian and brazillian she means if you dint understand the slang and sass😂"
**
18. foiv1
" "I don't play, I slay"
my new favorite catchphrase"
**
19. Diana Martinez
"The first time I heard it: I like it!
The second time I heard it: I LOVE it!
The third time: THIS IS AN ANTHEM!!!!"
**
20. Lauren Cook
"I love the evolution of todrick. From singing in Burger King to this. Sis, work."
**
21. Natural4CHairPassion
"Vogue has been redefined. Thank you Todrick Hall for reclaiming it."
-snip-
"Vogue" here refers to the dance form known as "voguing". Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/08/voguing-death-drops-death-drops-in.html for a 2014 pancocojams post entitled "Voguing Death Drops & Death Drops In Other Performing Arts (information, speculation & examples)"
**
REPLY
22. Lovechild84 Booming
"Redefined what are you even talking about how can you redefine something that is already thriving and flourishing"
**
REPLY
23. Natural4CHairPassion
"@Lovechild84 Booming this has the feel of the oldschool underground voguing in the 60's-80's. The scene had changed, and this brings it back, with a modern twist.
Art styles get redefined on a regular. I love the imeragery this envokes!"
**
REPLY
24. Lovechild84 Booming
"Natural4CHairPassion i think your wording just made it sound as if vogue was irrelevant but the present scene is thriving it’s changed to fit this generation"
**
REPLY
25. Natural4CHairPassion
"@Lovechild84 Booming the original vogue evolved into what is now. Vogue now is a wonderful amalgamation of cultures, history, dance styles, and the struggle of LGBTQ2+.
This song brings back the undergroundness of the original Vogue. The fact that most of the dancers are African American feels like an homage to the originals of Vogue, their struggle, and the fact that men were not supposed to love men.
To me, it elicits nostalgia."
**
REPLY
26. dimas rafael rodriguez
"This power ranger reunion was so sassy, i loved it"
**
REPLY
27. jodem7
"dimas rafael rodriguez 🤣🤣🤣🤣💀💀"
**
REPLY
28. 천사 NOIR
"I DIED"
**
REPLY
29. Yoyo Fred
"😂🤣🤣"
**
30. Rubie Ketsal
"The intro drew me in, but the on-point choreography and the song had me beyond hooked!"
**
31. vlog on a buget
"This would be a great zumba class i would 100 percent go to"
**
REPLY
32. Kent Mattern
"I would love that!"
**
REPLY
33. RanchoFundo
"Have some respect for the gay art"
**
REPLY
34. Wilbur J
"My husband is a Zumba Instructor and by the guidelines they technically aren't supposed to use music with curse words in it. Many do tho... He wanted to get Dem Beats but its got cuss words..."
**
REPLY
35. HomeztuckTrazh 413
"Gay Zumba"
**
REPLY
36. Natasha Garcia
"Oh my god right?!"
**
37. Guillermo Carvajal
"What kind of Black Panther suits are those? LOVED IT!"
**
38. ellie
"Remember Head, shoulders, knees, and toes? This is her now.
Feel old yet?"
**
REPLY
39. Remy Cheonsa
"I'm laughing so hard omg 🤣"
**
REPLY
40. Hiuska
"I AM HOWLING"
**
REPLY
41. Chris German
1 week ago
ellie wow! Only a few hours later and your comment is over 1k likes and trending lol
**
REPLY
42. ellie
"@Chris German hahahaha, me too! I just went to bed, woke up, and it's already a thousand likes. I'm honestly overwhelmed. Hahahaha"
-snip-
As of 4:26 PM on June 4, 2019 that comment by Ellie has 8.9K likes and 1 dislike.
**
REPLY
43. Reece Williams
"I'm just imaging little kids doing this now in class 😂"
**
REPLY
44. Lil Kay
"You win the comments section"
**
REPLY
45. jordan pastry
"GARL!.... dam that's funny"
**
REPLY
46. Dean Merritt
"Baby graduated 😂"
**
REPLY
47. *•Gacha Lune•*
"SHE TURNED INTO A BADDIE!!"
**
REPLY
48. rachel kiarie
"Yaass , Imma do head, shoulder , knees and toes like this from now on."
**
49. Joelle Priscilla Estrera
"This is probably the gayest workout music there is. I love it."
**
REPLY
50. Muzingaye Thaka
"😂😂😂😂😂idk why i died to this"
**
REPLY
51. Cheyenne Ellzey
"Joelle Priscilla Estrera hey we are gonna get fit the fabulous way."
**
REPLY
52. Lesley K
"As soon as I heard this -- this workout gunna kill me."
**
REPLY
53. Yue Zhan
"yeaaa gonna be my workout music too and I’m not even gay😂😂"
**
54. Jaemin Jung
"This song is such a bop I literally lost it. LMAO "You're doing great sweetie!!" 😂😂😍"
**
55. DarkStar 2225
"You did THAT PERIOD!!!!!!!!"
**
56. Boo Johnstun
"A drag queen Cha-Cha Slide. And we are living for it"
**
57. Sugarsh0ck 13
"Loving the look of this new Power rangers movie.
Love Todrick!"
**
58. Faith
"The fact that he sticked on fake nails to those gloves just makes this whole Video perfect😂♥️"
**
59. Ashley Taylor
"Omg this choreography is sickening!!! 😍"
**
60. Jared Lum
"I, for real, just love the YASness and aesthetics of this video. 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥"
**
61. Julie Morales
"The impact that this has, the slayage this has, the production level this has, the importance that this has, PERIODT! 🔥🔥🔥 Where can I sign up?!"
**
62. Just Pose Queen 😍😍😍
"Ballroom Fever is in da House
Greetings from Cologne Guuuuuuuuuurl 😘"
**
63. Setiawan Jodi
"This is super gay.
and i live for that .
slayyyyy mama..."
**
64. DarkStar 2225
"You did THAT PERIOD!!!!!!!!
No if’s, and’s or but’s PERIOD!!!!"
**
65. Susie W.
"Welcome to the 2019 version of the 'Head, shoulders, knees and toes' song. Enjoy."
**
66. RobertLoveLiveLife
"In time for Pride Month. Nice to see him use so many QPoC seeing how this is our culture. Werk Todrick!"
**
67. Jenny Boom
"Yesssssss!!! This video is poppin!! WERK Todrick!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️"
**
68. Keifer Bellajaro
"This is what Black Panther would look like if he was part of the LGBTQ+ community"
**
REPLY
69. Crystal Bruno
"Keifer Bellajaro OMG, I was thinking the same! 😎😎"
**
REPLY
70. Trimaine Elliott
"😂😂😂😂😂😂"
**
REPLY
71. Sharon Mahana
"I cant unsee it"
**
REPLY
72. Deyoncé W
"Lol Rainbow Kat 😂😂😂"
**
REPLY
73. Mario Fuertes Muñiz
"This is the true Black Panther!"
**
REPLY
85. EnniK Dance
"Who's to say that Black Panther ISN'T part of LGBTQ+?"
**
REPLY
86. Amiera Rice
"U RIGHT 😂😂"
**
REPLY
87. C. Kelly
"Period 💁🏾♂️"
**
REPLY
88. Jared Lum
"The pride parade in Wakanda is gonna be lit! 🔥🔥🔥"
**
REPLY
89. Lady Red
"@PhotoBomb 😄"
**
90. Zia Sia
"This Song n Vid actually made me feel emotionally strong n confident bout myslf.. This oozes positivity n m feel proud to be Me.. Love it!!!!"
**
91. JodiiAmber
"This video is beyond anything I've ever seen. It's giving me life! 👏"
**
92. Ms TeaKnee
"My jaw is on the floor!!! YOU ARE A STAR BABE!!"
**
93. Tyi Blackmon
"Watch this every time I need some positive energy"
**
94. Shaunie James
"Yyyyaaassss Queen you did that... My summer banger 2019... I don’t play I slay 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥"
**
95. Amya Enlow
"I STAN QUEEN TODRICK YASSS QUEEN 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🥰😍😍‼️🥵"
**
96. tashabear16
"This gave me all types of life yaaaaaaaassssssss!!! 💃💃💃🎶🎶"
**
97. S Monique
"You’ve got me!! Updating my curriculum: goodbye head and shoulders, knees and toes! Hello Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels!! Best deliciously gay video ever!! I love it💥"
**
98. Rose Salvatori
"Always amazed by the choreography Todric. I stan."
**
99. Jackie H
"Youtube Recommendations came THROUGH! 👏🏾🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥"
**
100. Rieko Crowe
"My favorite was blink for these how's
OMG I LOVE IT!!!! This Sooo going on my music list."
**
101. Dee Jay
"This is both the gayest and greatest thing I’ve ever seen in my life"
**
REPLY
102. V. Scott
"Dee Jay if this is the gayest thing you've ever seen, let me tell you you are living a sheltered life."
**
REPLY
103. Alejandro Blanco
"hanny, pls move to LA and go to hamburger mary'and 33 on a saturday night and you will LIVE"
**
REPLY
104. Eric Hufford
"Seriously? Guys dancing in heels is like day 4 of week 1 of gay 101 and this is actually kinda basic"
**
105. Cyan N
"I love how when he says "sashay" they do a chase. I love word play. (im just being a nerd ignore me)"
**
106. Forsaken
"Sisters' anthem. This is as iconic as YMCA. I pray this song makes history in the same way."
**
107. monica gloom
"This is the gay cha cha slide I didn't know I NEEDED"
**
108. Chiara Weiss
"I don't know why, but I can't stop watchin this! It's just so awsome xD"
**
REPLY
109. Selma Doll
"very this."
**
110. Juan McCrory
"Come thru Todrick! I loved every second of this. ❤️"
**
111. Carnaisha Baby
"Best version of Simon Says ever"
**
112. King Tunchi
"I'm so proud of him he made our community proud thanks"
**
113. K Qualls
"This is like the gay cha cha slide...I love this man 🤦🏾♂️"
**
REPLY
114. Aidan De Bruno Austin
"K Qualls the cha cha slide is already gay girl 😂😌"
**
REPLY
115. K Qualls
"@Aidan De Bruno Austin u know what...your rite🤣"
**
116. Kelly B Creation
"Omg yass this gave me life hunty!"
**
117. Jack
"I love it, I love them, I can't stop playing it. This is everything"
**
118. Lady Dusk
"Happy pride month!! ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜"
**
119. Not Carlie
"Y'all failed he didn't say Simon Says."
**
120. Shemaine Fox -Pickens
"Omggggggggg!!!!! Yaaasssssssss Toddy!!!! Give the world LIFE HUNTY!!!!!! I love you to the GAWDS and BACK!! Please come back to Charlotte!!!"
**
121. kanamekuran23
"I love the DIVERSITY"
**
122. Kiki Qbaum
"This is the definition of Fabulous"
**
123. Kyle Hearman
"This song is literally a gay dictionary lmao"
**
124. Adora
"this is gonna be the drag linedance and i love it"
**
125. Emy Pierre-Louis - Taeddie
"I don't dance, I WORK.
I don't play, I SLAY.
Words to live by."
**
126. Rebecca Archibold
"How is this video so simple, complex, chaotic and organized at the same time?? Pure art, we stan"
**
127. Michael De La Cruz
"MISS THING, this is my new anthem, my new walking tempo, my new EVERYTHING until your next work"
**
128. Oh God
"So this what blackpanter did after End game. Oh yes we stan!"
**
REPLY
129. John Laurens
"Oh God 😂😂😂"
**
REPLY
130. Jordan Rayner
"This needs to be a lipsync for Drag Race"
-snip-
"Drag Race" refers to the television series RuPaul's Dray Race.
**
REPLY
131. Julie Morales
"The impact that this has, the slayage this has, the production level this has, the importance that this has, PERIODT! 🔥🔥🔥 Where can I sign up?!"
**
REPLY
132. Wig
"Iconic"
**
REPLY
133. Elizabeth Sinclair
"I agree would be great for a lip sync"
**
REPLY
134. Ralph Richter
"Im sure they' re gonna use it!"
**
REPLY
135. Cameron Shaw
"It will be."
**
REPLY
136. Brace Face Lace
"This would be a tough song to lip sync but yass they need to do this song"
**
137. nanami akemi
"Black Panther: My costume is classy enough, nothing could be better
Todrick: Hold my heels"
**
138. Teru _
""I'm livin for the nails over the gloves 😂"
**
139. Jalen
"They gay Power Rangers preping for battle lol I can dig it! Been a while since I've watch a TH Vid."
**
140. Carrie Like the Movie
"I absolutely love this! I suddenly found myself whipping out my fan and shablamming! And I felt absolutely fabulous doing it!"
**
141. Klára Skořepová
"How do I suddenly feel so fabulous after watching this?"
**
REPLY
142. Monica Stewart
"I know right?!
****
This concludes Part I of this three part pancocojams series on Todrick Hall's song & video "Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels".
This post presents selected comments from a September 18, 2016 Reddit discussion thread for RuPaul's Drag Race- All Stars 2.
The content of this post is presented for cultural purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
****
INFORMATION & DEFINITIONS
RUPAUL'S DRAG RACE
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RuPaul%27s_Drag_Race
"RuPaul's Drag Race is an American reality competition television series produced by World of Wonder for Logo TV. The show documents RuPaul in his search for "America's next drag superstar."[1] Queen RuPaul plays the roles of host, mentor, and source of inspiration for this series, as contestants are given different challenges each week. RuPaul's Drag Race employs a panel of judges, including RuPaul, Michelle Visage and a host of other guest judges, who critique contestants' progress throughout the competition. The title of the show is a play on drag queen and drag racing, and the title sequence and song "Drag Race" both have a drag-racing theme.
RuPaul's Drag Race has spanned eight seasons and inspired the spin-off shows RuPaul's Drag U and RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars. The show has become the highest-rated television program on Logo TV,[2] and airs internationally, including in Australia, Canada and the UK. The show earned Rupaul a 2016 Emmy for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program, and the show itself was awarded as an Outstanding Reality Program at the 21st GLAAD Media Awards."
-snip-
The discussion thread excerpted below centers around ongoing drama between RuPaul and Phi Phi O'Hara, a drag queen who was a contestant on Ru Paul's Drag Race, Season 3 as well as a contestant on RuPaul's Drag Race - AllStars 2. Click http://www.thebitbag.com/rupauls-drag-race-stars-season-2-controversy-phiphi-not-attending-reunion-ru-throws-shade/182845 for information about that conflict.
****
SHADY
Here's a definition for "shady" from urbandictionary.com:
shady
"to be very sneaky, suspect, or to have an all around backstabbing personality Jocelyn or DJ is one shady individual, which is why she is called Shady C."
by ak3aeafdf May 30, 2014
-snip-
Also, here's a definition of "shade" and "throwing shade" from this pancocojams post http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/03/what-reading-someone-throwing-shade-no.html:
"My definition of "throwing shade" [is] 'to obliquely (indirectly) insult someone'....
[quoting a famous drag queen in the 1990 New York drag queen ball documentary Paris Is Burning]
In one scene, a queen named Dorian Corey explains what "shade" is.
"Shade is, I don't have to tell you you're ugly, because you know you're ugly," she says.
When someone insults you directly, that's called a "read." For example, if I were to tell you that your glasses are ugly. Point blank. That's a read. Reads can be long or short.
"Shade" comes from reading, as Corey explains.
If I were to say in a terribly condescending voice, "Oh honey, I'm so glad you saved up to buy those glasses," that's blatant shade. I didn't insult the glasses, or you, directly. It's implied by my voice and the context of what I said. You know they're ugly.
Sometimes people don't get that they're being "shaded" — this is always sad."
To "throw shade" simply means you've said something shady to someone."
****
TO BE "READ TO FILTH"
to receive a really good (vicious) read (insult)
****
RICKROLL
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rickrolling
"Rickrolling, alternatively rick-rolling, is a prank and an Internet meme involving an unexpected appearance of the music video for the 1987 Rick Astley song "Never Gonna Give You Up". The meme is a type of bait and switch using a disguised hyperlink. Those led to the music video believing that they were accessing some unrelated material are said to have been rickrolled."...
Pancocojams Editor's Note:
This is a small sample of the comments on that discussion thread. I'm most interested in the use of vernacular terms, and the use of cultural customs such as a "gay rickroll".
My apologies that some references and "in-jokes" in this post may not be understood by people who aren't active fans of RuPaul's Drag Race.
All of these comments are from September 18, 2016. They are given in relative chronological order based on in part on their publishing time, except for responses, and their subject. I've added "reply" for comments in the same sub-discussion thread.
As per the policy of this blog, amended spelling is used for profanity.
****
RUPAUL BEING A SHADY LADY....AGAIN
1. Submitted by hottea23 9/18/2016
RuPaul tweet:
"Sour grapes
Make the best
Whine"
2016-09-18 12:51 PM
**
2. katyaskid
"Her arms get so toned from stirring the pot"
**
Reply
3. MatronneGeorgia
"flashback to Ru's awkward bicep flex while using the mixer for the Tic Tac Lunch"
**
Reply
7. save-iour
"i stumbled here from /r/all, is this the drag equivalent of rickroll?"
**
Reply
8. Vibr8
"Yes."
**
Reply
9. madisonrupaul
"i can already tell it's rectangle girls because the link is purple from clicking it before
not today satan"
**
Reply
10. SplurgyA
"Every single time I fall for RectangleRoll I end up watching the whole thing"
**
Reply
11. willkip
"Weeeeeee just wanna celeb(rate)Rectangle gurlz of the wuurld"
**
Reply
12. LaTransBear
"You may be shaped like a buuuumblebee, but you're beautiful girl, just love your bodieeeeeeeeee!"
**
Reply
13. heartbeatbreak
"god&&mnit that's the first time it's gotten meeeee"
**
Onlove
14. "I like it better when Ru doesn't comment on these things.
It somehow seems to be beneath her to get involved. There is no dignity in dirt!"
**
Reply
mateytatey
15. "i don't get it omg help me"
**
Reply
16. eelsify
"Whine means complain. Sour grapes means you're a bitter betty."
**
17. 0six0four
"Ladies we might have a straight here! act cool"
**
Reply
18. adoredelanoroosevelt
"I love that this immediately translates to anyone"
**
19. Oh_nosferatu
"Thank you for coming prepared and having a fully charged battery."
**
Reply
20. hottea
"I learned my lesson when I got read for filth about my battery being on 18% last time 😂"
**
21. purpledildoinvader
"This seems really petty at this point."
**
Reply
22. DornishMasterPlan
"And Phi Phi's weeks long rants against the show and Ru isn't? But two tweets from mother and now it's "petty"?"
**
Reply
23. thankyeuw
"We do hold different standards for Mama Ru(who's the older one and basically is a legend) and Phi Phi"
**
Reply
24. purpledildoinvader
"The difference is that phiphi isn't a famous emmy winner with her own reality show who constantly preaches about love and forgiveness."
**
Reply
25. AlfieBoheme
"Phi Phi has been attacking the show and trying to 'expose' it with outright lies but this is disgusting behaviour from Ru imo. Phi Phi (and other contestants like Roxxxy) have spoken candidly in interviews, and even on the show, about fans vehement hatred and threats towards them. Ru stands with them in solidarity for the cameras but in reality all this petty Mom shade is gonna do is cause more distress and bullying toward Phi Phi"
**
26. Beharkei
"Grapes give me gas, I just avoid them."
**
27. carollitrel
"Rupaul will keep throwing shade at Phiphi at the reunion even though she's absent? She should step it up for her and address all the online bullying and death threats. Mama does not walk children in nature like that to let them get to that point. She's been shady and messy on the show and social media, ok, I get it, but we're all humans.
**
28. dignifiedstrut
"If Ru's gonna step out of her platform of dignified silence it had better be worth it. These petty and indirect meme insults arent really becoming of her.
Like it or not she has responsibility to either stay out of it or respond constructively, because every new social media swipe riles up thousands and thousands of fans to join the fray.
**
Reply
29. deidaradrew
"Exactly. Every person who wanted to attack Phi Phi has basically just been given permission. In a way yes, you want to get fans riled up. You want them to be excited and you want them to feel like they're participating, but it NEVER should be against someone."
**
30. 420BearGurl
"This might not be the Rupaul we want, but it's the Rupaul Phi Phi deserves."
This pancocojams post presents an excerpt from a 2014 thesis by Lamont Loyd-Sims entitled "J-Setting in Public: Black Queer Desires and Worldmaking".
This excerpt provides information about the origin of j-setting in Historical Black Colleges & Universities majorette dance lines with the possible (probable?) influence of a Black gay male choreographer or Black gay male choreographers/dancers. This excerpt also provides information about how Black gay males (particularly Southern Black gay males) have embraced this performance art and have evolved it beyond its beginning forms and venues.
The content of this post is presented for historical and cultural purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Lamont Loyd-Sims for his research and his writing. Thanks also to all those who are referenced or quoted in this excerpt.
****
EXCERPT FROM "J-SETTING IN PUBLIC: BLACK QUEER DESIRES AND WORLDMAKING"
[by] Lamont Loyd-Sims
A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of
Master of Arts in the College of Arts and Sciences, Georgia State University, 2014
[Page] 2
..."In an interview during a j-setting workshop for the Philadelphia Live Arts Festival and Philly Fringe (PLAFPF), j-setter, Kendrick Robinson states, “j-setting comes from the South...we took it from the dancers and majorettes at Jackson State University and decided to add a twist and make it more technical.”1
This “twist” that Robinson speaks about refers to the ways in which j-setting has transformed into something different than the style of dance commonly associated with majorettes at Jackson State University (“J-setting”, 2011). In an early 2009 issue of VIBE magazine, Terrance Dean contends that the style of j-setting was appropriated in the early 90s by black gay men who attended various HBCUs (Dean, 2009). Since men were typically not allowed to join drill teams or majorette squads, usually comprised of only women, they took the dance-style to Black gay clubs throughout the South...
[Page] 13
This examination of j-setting departs from other scholarly research on Black queer performance where “ballroom” culture, voguing, and drag performance dominate such discourse, (Bailey, 2011) often situated in the North East. J-setting is a style of dance performed primarily within black queer communities in the South. Since j-setting occurs mostly in the South, this research (re)situates queer experiences outside of the North East (New York City) and the West Coast (San Francisco; Los Angeles), which are common sites for depicting the realities of queer people. Thinking seriously about j-setting expands the ways in which we understand how Black queer folks utilize performance to construct their everyday lives in the South. Discourse regarding Black queer realities in the South is often limited to HIV/AIDS and homophobia, rejecting ways that we celebrate and honor our experiences as Southern Black queer folks (Johnson, 2008)....
[Page] 15
The manifestation of j-setting occurs as Black queer men seek alternative forms of masculinity, embrace a form of dance often relegated to the bodies of Black women, and receive other Southern Black queer men who are called to witness, embrace, and embody j-setting. Jsetting exists as Black queer men reject the dominant idea that the dance-style associated with majorettes exists solely for women. The imagined idea of Black queer men dancing as majorettes brings j-setting to life. This is how j-setting exists as a counterpublic for some Black queer men...
[Page] 20
2. WHAT IS J-SETTING?
As far as I know, the origin actually comes from Jackson State University. All of the teams model after dance lines at other HBCUs, but the name, “j-setting”, comes from the Prancing J-settes.
– Tim (aka Sincere) (aka Tammy)
J-setting is a style of dance commonly performed by Black gay men throughout the Southeast. It usually consists of a small group performing as a squad (team) in synchronized, lead and follow routines. While influenced by a number of different styles of dance including jazz and hip-hop, j-setting stems from the majorette style associated with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) (Lee, 2008). Majorette dance-lines exist as one of the spaces for women within band culture, which is very popular on the campuses of HBCUs. I might add that this style of dance is common at historically Black high schools and other colleges with large Black student populations.6
However, in the epigraph, Tim, who j-settes with J-Phi based in Atlanta, speaks about the influence of dance-lines at HBCUs on the dancing styles of various j-setting teams. It also seems clear that the style of j-setting has not stayed within the realm of the majorette dance-lines that consists predominantly of women. According to many of its followers, j-setting exists as a “twist” from the majorette style of dance, a deviation from the traditional dance-line style that is performed along with band music at HBCU football games.
The twist that j-setting offers is enticing for Black gay men because it is not tied down by dominant masculinity. It is a force that swerves away from gender norms that limit the possibility of our bodies.
[Note 6] This point often goes unacknowledged with people familiar with j-setting and its connection to HBCUs. There are schools with a predominantly Black student population that are not captured under the title of HBCU, but also have a similarly deep affinity towards band culture.
[Page] 21
2.1 J-setting and the Majorette Style
There are several characteristics involved within j-setting that speak to this “twist” or deviation from the majorette style—1) The name “j-setting” exists as an example of the direct departure from claiming the “majorette” name. It stems from the “prancing j-settes,” the majorette group at Jackson State University. The prancing j-settes are known for introducing this particular style of dance that moved their dancers away from depending on baton twirling to a more stylistic dance form, which incorporated thrusts and high kicks (Dean, 2009). 2) The physical spaces utilized for j-setting performances might include night clubs and public parks,
whereas majorettes often showcase their performances on the football field and stadium. Not only does football demand heteronormativity, the space where it is performed (on the field) reaffirms heteronorms with the example of female majorettes performing on the side, within the bleachers of the stadium, as the football players take “center stage” on the field. There is rarely space for women to participate as football players, and few opportunities for majorettes to garner the same amount of attention as male football players.7
There is also no space for (gay) men who prefer to perform as majorettes. Thus, j-setters have taken their performances to other spaces where they are the central focus. 3) Finally, as stated earlier Black (gay) men are the primary producers of j-setting, whereas the majorette style often refers to the dance line formation performed by women. J-setting allows male bodies to move in particular ways often relegated to female bodies. ...
[Note 7] During “half time” performances, majorettes often share the field with band members consisting of women and men.
[Page] 22
As most HBCUs are located in the South, it is no surprise that j-setting has particularly developed from Black gay men living in the South, those who also admire the performance of majorettes. The South exists as the regional space that holds many of the traditions associated with HBCU’s, particularly the phenomenon of band culture, and has been the primary space for the development of j-setting. While majorette dance-lines exist as women-only social spaces, aside from the presence of male choreographers, men often showcase their interest in the majorette tradition in spaces where they can be the main focus, particularly Black gay nightclubs throughout the South. The practice of male majorettes performing in night-clubs developed throughout the early 1990s. Male majorettes took their routines across the South to popular Black gay clubs such as Club 708 in Atlanta, Club City Lights in Jackson, and Allusions in Memphis (Dean, 2009). Specifically in Atlanta, where I have conducted my research, we can see j-setting at Club Rush (formerly Club Chaparral), or in Piedmont Park particularly during Atlanta’s Black Gay Pride (Lee, 2008). Such spaces exist as meeting grounds for j-setters to “battle” one another, learn new routines or trends from other squads, engage in communion with dancers and others who support j-setting, all working towards sustaining j-setting as cultural
work. In fact, most of the j-setters whom I have interviewed explain that their first encounter with j-setting occurred in a night-club...
[Page 23]
2.2 HBCUs, the South, and the Owners of J-setting
Yes, j-setting is big here because there are only real Black majorettes in the South.
–LaKendrick
We are into our marching bands down here, especially at HBCUs. It’s a Southern tradition.
–Kitty
...In “The Big Idea: J-setting Beyond Beyoncé,” Terrence Dean reminds us that the j-sette style at Jackson State University came into existence once majorette Shirley Middleton suggested that the dancers retire their batons and adopt dance routines that require line formations while marching to the music of JSU’s marching band, “The Sonic Boom” (Dean, 2009). Instead of choreographing routines that focus on baton-twirling, the Prancing J-settes adopted dance styles that included thrusts and high kicks while wearing pumps. However, Dean does not explore why Shirley Middleton decides to encourage the PJs to forego baton-twirling for new routines, or where she found the inspiration for the different dance style that eventually
[Page] 24
inspires the creation of j-setting. Middleton, a trained ballet dancer and former majorette, encouraged the sixth president of JSU, Dr. John A. Peoples, to allow the dancers to abandon their batons and perform to popular music while incorporating more athletic dance routines. Performing to popular music heard on Black radio made their dance-line completely different from others as they were able to better engage their student audience. Middleton also had the help of Hollis Pippins, a former twirler at JSU, who worked with the Prancing J-settes as a choreographer (Jackson, 2013). According to one particular blogger who describes him as a member of “the boys’ club”, it was rumored that Pippins was gay (Dee, 2006). While there is not much written that elaborates on Pippins’ contribution to the early formation of the Prancing J-Settes, his existence and work is a reminder of men’s early influence on the majorette style. Many j-setters often explain that the style of dance began with women, but this bit of information regarding the history of JSU’s majorette style illustrates how gay men have also been creative influences on the style.
Though the Prancing J-settes of JSU are credited as the primary influence for j-setting as we know it today, majorette dance-lines are common at other schools with large Black student populations. More importantly, band culture is huge at HBCUs, and majorette dance-lines are often constructed under band departments; for example, the Prancing J-settes are a supplementary organization within Jackson State University’s marching band, “The Sonic Boom of the South.” In the epigraph above, Kitty, who j-settes with Toxic (based in Atlanta), alludes to the way in which the South represents a regional space and culture that is very familiar with band culture. Here, we can imagine the possibility of the majorette style of dance lines as a largely southern experience—one not entirely owned or solely created by the Prancing J-settes....
[Page] 26
While most j-setters whom I have encountered name the Prancing J-settes as the first group to develop this style of dance, I could not help but think about the possibility of this being not completely true, especially with regard to the possible exchanges among Black institutions with regard to cultural work. We do not know what encouraged Middleton to shift the style of dance with the Prancing J-settes. Moreover, we do not know if Middleton and the PJs were influenced by other Black schools, or even dancers from non-Black institutions. One might realize that certainly styles of dance often build from others that already exist; this idea rightly pushes one to question arguments suggesting that the Prancing J-settes are the authentic owners of the majorette style as we know it today. While the name “j-setting” speaks to the influence of
the Prancing J-settes in the creation of the dance style, it necessarily leaves out the wider cultural context from which it emerged. The j-setters that I have interviewed for this research agree that j-setting stems from the PJ tradition, while also discussing how some j-sette squads pull from majorette traditions associated with other HBCU’s, such as Southern University’s “Dancing Dolls,” and Alabama State University’s “Stingettes.”
During the interview, LaKendrick, the captain of Toxic, reminds me that while majorettes and drill teams are popular in the South, they certainly exist in other regions as well. He discusses how he also looks at predominantly white schools that have dance-lines for inspiration for his choreography. The idea that the stylistics involved in j-setting do not solely depend on creative inspiration from the South also speaks to the adaptability of j-setting—it can exist in multiple places outside of the South. LaKendrick mentions a popular j-setting squad from Detroit, known as DDZ, as an example of the style of dance existing outside of the South. He
[Page] 27
explains that DDZ is actually a “legendary” squad, meaning that it receives the highest regards within the j-setting community.”...
During my interview with LaKendrick, he suggested that anyone who does not know about Hollis Pippins does not know the history of j-setting or the traditional majorette style. Unfortunately, I neglected to inquire about how he became familiar with Pippins’ work with Jackson State
[Page] 28
University’s Prancing J-Settes. Naming Hollis Pippins as a significant figure in producing what we have come to call j-setting also helps to reflect on the existence of Black gay cultural producers in the South. The website for JSU’s band, The Sonic Boom, offers very little commentary about the Prancing J-Settes, let alone its history with Pippins, compared to the attention given to its marching band....
It is also important that we recognize how the established queer formations that are privileged within Western discourse often make it impossible to imagine Black queer folks as cultural workers. The image often produced within such discourse produces a White homonormative temporal narrative for queer experiences and progress (Ferguson, 2007). Thus, it is no surprise that a figure like Pippins, who grew up in Mississippi, attended an HBCU in Mississippi, and helped produce a definitive style of dance is simply not known about, but difficult to even imagine as a possibility. Erasing the possibility of Pippins involvement in the beginnings of the majorette dance-lines happens when j-setters suggests that their way of dance was simply appropriated from the ‘real girls.’...
Before engaging with the notion of j-setting occurring in different spaces aside from football stadiums, along with other technicalities that differentiate it from its predecessor, I will continue with the style of j-setting and its relation to majorette dance-lines of HBCUs. According to Kitty, dancers may wear leotards and perform specific routines that are familiar due to their similarity to well-known women’s majorette squads such as those mentioned earlier. While baton twirling was abandoned by some majorette squads, it still shows up sometimes as part of routines within j-setting. It has been my experience that j-setting competitions may pay homage to its history which includes baton-twirling, and other “traditional” styles that consist of performing to band music, as opposed to solely hip-hop or house music, which are common genres for j-sette routines. At some formal competitions, there are specific categories that exist for a “field show” routine, consisting of music that utilizes band instruments. We might also see squads marching into the dance space, harkening back to the “real girls.” For example, during my interview with Dennis, he reminds me how marching in to the performance space exists as a ritual that his particular squad adopted from the Prancing J-settes. He explains that this
[Page] 30
particular marching technique is known as “salt & pepper,” where the dancers perform the following—
1. March with knees at a 90 degree angle.
2. The left leg goes out in front, along with the right arm (and vice versa); this happens simultaneously as if you are using salt and pepper shakers.
3. Keep switching as you continue marching to your destination.
While the Prancing J-settes utilize the marching technique known as “salt and pepper,” Dennis also states that marching in to the performance space is a tradition among most majorette dance lines. However, he could not elaborate on other squads’ marching traditions, which speaks to the dominance of the Prancing J-settes. Considering the ways in which j-setters pull from the Prancing J-settes dance style, they continue to be innovative with their own sense of j-setting.
[Page] 31
In my conversation with LaKendrick he mentioned that most j-setting squads attribute many of their techniques to well-known majorette dance lines. Those familiar with the majorette style performed at HBCUs know that it consists of pelvic thrusts and hip movements and routines that may seem similar to rhythmic gymnastics and modern dance, especially when performed in a large space such as a football field...
[Page] 32
In the same interview footage for the PLAFPF, Kendrick explains that “we took it from the dancers and majorettes at Jackson State University and decided to add a twist and make it more technical.” While the added “twist” that differentiates j-setting from the traditional majorette style may refer to Black gay men experimenting with femininity, it may also refer to new routines and extended dance counts. These changes may have been difficult to imagine before the naming of j-setting itself...
While the use of femininity continues as a tradition from majorette dance-lines, j-setting also incorporates masculinity that does not entirely depend on normative standards of masculinity (remember that it is impossible for j-setting to be seen as masculine, even when dressed as such). Tim offers the example of the squad, Memphis Elite as one of the first squads to incorporate a “masculine” stylistic within their j-sette counts. This is the shift within j-setting
[Page] 33
where it is not solely focused on mimicking the “real girls.” He explains that the inclusion of hip-hop music, as oppose to the more typical house music and traditional band music, led to a more masculine aesthetic within j-setting. Here, hip-hop, as a style of dance and music is understood as masculine territory which helps differentiate j-setting from the majorette style.
Kitty also suggests that some of the routines that male j-setters perform are more difficult than those common within the majorette style. He suggests that j-setters perform routines that go beyond the traditional 8 counts, while often dancing 16 counts and upwards of 32 counts. The 8 counts (or beats) refer to the number of movements that go along with the music’s beat or tempo. Kitty also discusses the male body as physically powerful, in comparison to women, allowing them to explore more “complicated” routines...
We already know that j-setting occurs mostly in the South, pulling from the majorette traditions that are often supported by HBCUs. But in this moment, I am thinking about the physical spaces where j-setting occurs. The spaces where j-setting exists do not typically include stadiums and football fields where majorettes typically perform. While Black gay men have been known to j-sette since the early 1990s, there is also knowledge of Black men performing dance routines commonly associated with the majorette style before the common usage of the term, “j-setting.” During our interview in June 2013, LaKendrick explains that while men were prohibited from performing with the all-female majorettes, it was common knowledge that male majorettes existed. Men performing in the majorette style are sometimes allowed to give solo performances, says Kendrick. However, it is not standard for the inclusion of male majorette performances. During an interview discussing men’s involvement with such dance-lines, Kitty explains that it was common knowledge that such spaces were limited to women. While male majorettes have been known to give solo performances, Kitty further states that it often consists of “baton-twirling” as opposed to the exact participation in the majorette dance-line. He states, “I wanted to be just like the majorettes, but could not because of the gender thing.” Here, while the traditional space held for majorettes is inaccessible to men, we witness how j-setting exists as a space that challenges the gendered discursive space of dance-lines as a possibility reserved only for women.
Since male majorettes are withheld from performing “on the field,” and largely invisible within the context of band culture, Black gay clubs became a space to showcase their desire to
{Page] 35
buck.9
The “field” is largely held for the labor of football players, and occasionally for the band, majorettes, and others who perform during “half time.” J-setting as its own cultural formation legitimizes and gives gay men a reason to dance in ways that are relegated to the bodies of women within the context of dominant culture. In reference to Black gay clubs, Kitty explains that they often exist in the place of “the field,” where they often put j-setting on display. Other jsetters testify to the way in which j-setting often shows up in a few of Atlanta’s well-known Black gay clubs...
[note 9] Some people emphasize the idea that “j-setter” is a name specifically reserved for members of the Prancing JSettes, and others who perform in a similar style (or “buck”) should be referred to as “buckers”.
2.4 Setting the Stage for Understanding J-setting as a Counterpublic
...In 2008, r&b pop-singer, Beyoncé released her music video titled, “single ladies,” and I along with many others watched intently to see how well she performed the dance choreography. Certainly there are plenty of music videos that consist of dancing, but has been rumored that Beyoncé was to be dancing in a style that many of my people consider sacred. Though j-setting is a style of dance commonly performed by Black gay men in the South, as I have discussed, Beyoncé’s performance was to elide this fact. Through the public display of “single ladies,” the mainstream public does not come to know this style of dance as “j-setting”--- it is evacuated of its history and context, and transformed into a style of dance that originates with (and appropriated by) Beyoncé. The single ladies video becomes a new pop sensation as YouTube floods with parodies and “copy-cat” examples of the supposed original made famous by the popstar...
When I see this major public debut of “j-setting” through Beyoncé, I witness the erasure of its roots. I write here about Beyoncé because j-setting receives its greatest public attention in its history through the pop star. The implications of Beyoncé as “creator” erases the ways in which j-setting represents a world framed through the performance of Black queer men...
The example involving Beyoncé’s “single ladies” is one way that we can recognize a shift in spaces that typically hold jsetting. Not only are the bodies involved in the video of women of color (not Black gay men), “single ladies” is also displayed on television screens within mainstream media, a particular space that is usually inaccessible to j-setting. J-setting as a stylistic art/dance form, with its explosive moves in confined spaces, is also circulated through YouTube—including Beyoncé’s performance and replications of the choreography by amateurs...
This circulation is significant as “single ladies” consists of Beyoncé (and back-up dancers) performing a mating dance to attract potential husbands. In this sense, Beyoncé’s “single ladies” uses j-sette choreography with an articulation of hetero-monogamous desires where women of color demand a commitment to marriage vis-à-vis, “if you liked it, then you should have put a ring on it.” This is a major shift if we understand j-setting as an alternative to normative scripts for gender performance.
[Page] 42
...the visibility of marginalized culture may signal its vulnerability through cultural appropriation. While the use of j-setting in Public may represent an example of a liberatory pursuit for Black gay men, its vulnerability may also be signaled. J-setting is still radically unstable in that it has not been completely institutionalized. J-setting as a Black queer formation is still largely unfamiliar to the Public. The significance of Black queerness within j-setting is erased once it is made Public."...
