“I commissioned this woman to make the video. I just gave her two rules. One: you can’t show drugs. And two: it can’t be a boy–girl couple. You got to go either girl–girl or boy–boy. She chose to go girl–girl. Maybe she thought hip-hop just wasn’t ready for a boy–boy video—and she was probably right. I thought if you went boy-boy, it would freak people out and it would be interesting to watch people’s reactions to that. But from checking all the e-mail and MySpace messages—I check all of that shit myself—some people thought it was being stereotypical and trying to appeal to 15-year-old boys, but I’ve also gotten messages from gay and lesbian groups, and it’s been positive. The most interesting criticism I’ve gotten has been that people think it looks too much like an American Apparel ad.”

To read the article in its entirety, pick up the Summer 2008 issue of Beyond Race Magazine.