Chicago-based queer rapper Big Dipper late last month released a new music video for his debut single, the "Bambi" soundtrack-sampling "Drip Drop."
The track's video (embedded below), directed by Tobin Del Cuore with music by Dan Foley, was described as "fresh, funny and raunchy" by the rapper himself and we couldn't dream up a better description. This is fun stuff for fans of the likes of Nicki Minaj, Kid Sister or fellow gay rapper, the New York-based Cazwell.
The Huffington Post recently spoke with Big Dipper about his debut track, plans for the new year and showing his "true colors" as a purveyor of polished, catchy "bear rap." [As Urban Dictionary points out, a bear, in this context, refers to "a husky, large man with a lot of body hair."]
HP: How long have you been rapping and what inspired you to dive into the scene?BD: Hip-hop music has always spoken to me, but I started taking it seriously about a year ago. I do a lot of other work in the entertainment world and have spent a lot of time not being a performer, doing behind-the-scenes stuff producing and directing, but I wanted to take on this performance element.
I definitely identify in the bear community and haven't seen anything out in the world like that. There's something about comedy, performance and storytelling that I've always been really invested in, but to put a spin on the sexuality and the parody has been my main focus with Big Dipper. I try to put together something smart and funny, but also shocking and sexual. I figured, why not put out something relatable to the bear community -- it feels like an untapped market, which is really exciting.
Who would you say are some other artists who really inspire you?I've been inspired by hip-hop music since my childhood. I sort of grew up listening to a lot of hip-hop music a lot of the big, mainstream folks. Kanye West is a huge influence, as are Nicki Minaj and Jay-Z, as well as underground stuff, people like Slug, the MC of Atmosphere. A guy out of New York, Cazwell, is a huge inspiration to me. I really love what he has to offer.
The video for "Drip Drop" is impressive. Tell me more about its creation.We did a Kickstarter for the video and had a lot of different people support it, which was really exciting. We shot it over the summer in three days, all over Chicago and then we edited it. We were holding onto it and doing some private screenings, but now it's been about two weeks since it was posted on YouTube. It was taking the plunge to put it out in a really public way.
It's interesting that you're putting yourself out there not only as a gay rapper, but a gay bear rapper. Tell me what that's been like for you.I see these superstars of hip-hop out in the world and they have to have stylists and art directors and all these things. The entertainment world is full of gay people. Hip-hop has become so mainstream over the last 30 years since its birth that now is the time that everybody can sort of appropriate their own perspective on the genre.
The thing we do in the gay community is that there are all these labels like, yeah you're gay, but are you a twink, a daddy, an otter, a bear, a queer. However small you break it down, it becomes more of a niche market and its own genre, like bear rap, twink rap or club kid jock rap. I think there's a market for everyone out there and the bear identity, to me, is a movement that is growing and more and more people know about it. In the '90s, people shaved their beards to fit in, but now people are identifying as bears and want to be bears. It's become a sexy, sexy thing as of late -- so this is really a perfect way for me to show my true colors.
What else is coming up for you, Big Dipper?I'm hoping to put out a little EP, something around five tracks, hopefully by this summer so that I can have that up for sale and to keep making music. I'm writing every day, meeting with music producers all the time and there's a lot of excitement right now. This track was my baby and it took a long time for it to birth, so once it's done, the focus now is to do the music in an aggressive way. The next song is titled "Meat Quotient" and that's sort of written, I just need to finish the beat and do the recording of it. That's going to be equally as, if not more, raunchy than "Drip Drop," which I'm really excited about.
WATCH the (somewhat NSFW) video of "Drip Drop," complete with a crew of woodland creature backup dancers: