Blue Hues, Ballroom Grooves, and A Whole-Lotta Genuine Views | An Interview with Dr. Shanté Paradigm Smalls

Inhale, Exhale, Inhale, Exhale. 

The dark blue hues of the night encapture the sky into a warm embrace as the city roars to life with the hysterical sounds of people. Blue is the color of freedom, open spaces, and wisdom. Hear the clatter of heels confidently kissing the sparkling concrete, the passionate bystanders shouting in protest, or feel the pouncing of heartbeats as lovers paint each other blue under the ballroom lights. The enthusiastic author of Hip Hop Heresies: Queer Aesthetics, Dr. Shanté Paradigm Smalls, is an avid reader, an intelligent mind that challenges the status quo and represents the whimsical chaoticness of a writer. Dr. Shanté Paradigm Smalls is the sky, the blueprint, and every blue hue under the disco ball. It's Smalls' world, and we're all just living in it as they describe the process of book writing, the exploitation politics of Queerness, and unrealistic standards from society on Beyoncé's internet. They groove to the beat of their drum while serving us "live your best life" realness. 

Inhale, Exhale, Inha- "Hhhhh!"

"And the category is Black but make it blue." Mhm, Honey.

The heart pulses back and forth, back-thump, thump, and on as the house music interweaves through veins with the shimmering blue hues of the disco ball engulfing the crowd. New York City culture is arguably Queer culture, as the ballroom scene contributed to what we understand as hip-hop today. "I was hip-hop. I mean, the louder one is that I'm a lifelong hip-hop fan. You know, just growing up in the New York metro area, growing up between New York and Connecticut, being introduced to hip-hop very early in my life. Maybe five years old and falling in love with not just the music but the culture, the aesthetics, and the language. The Black diasporic language was coming out of New York City, so the African-Americans, Caribbeans, and Black Latin Americans," Smalls recalled. Their experience with New York culture started at home because Smalls' exposure to hip-hop meant understanding the details first. Smalls immersed themselves into the culture by trying different practices of feeling the NYC scene through momentarily becoming a break dancer, being in a music group, and DJing for parties. The music is a bonus in hip-hop as most, such as Smalls, define it by living through hip-hop. The process of discovering hip-hop led them to grad school to uncover how Queerness fit into the equation. "Out of my love for hip-hop, my own practice as an artist. In grad school, this was my project. I was going to do a whole book on Queer hip-hop, and it emerged through the classes," said Smalls. The exposure to Queerness in hip-hop came as such a shock as Smalls would meet artist after artist that was Queer. It made sense as many artists had Queer parents like Jay Z. Smalls carefully crafted Hip Hop Heresies: Queer Aesthetics by learning the foundation of those power dynamics and how Black Queer/Heterosexual people differ from white mainstream as we grow to understand forgiveness to our peers, apologize for the immaturity of sexuality, and grow to learn the gender, sexuality facets.

As an artist in hip-hop, one of the most profitable avenues in the industry is to exploit Queerness. For instance, there are plenty of Queer artists that use their power as an edge over other marginalized members. The exploitation of Queerness can, unfortunately, start with an artist that is a part of Queer culture. Azelia Banks is a Dark-Skin Black woman who is notably an important figure to the community as she introduced house music through a unique lens. But Bank's problematic ways have overshadowed her talent through her spews of bigotry; Transphobia, Homophobia, etc. "I think she's a particularly challenging figure. In some ways, I think if she had better management, she would not have taken her own career. You know, so that's one thing. The second thing is, if she was a man, there's patriarchy here, for Black women in particular," stated Smalls. They do not condone Banks behavior by any means, but they do sympathize with her as the hip-hop industry has exploited her in ways that she now reinforces. Smalls mentioned public figures like Dave Chappelle, that has said his fair share of bigotry, and no one chose to cancel him as they were so quick to do Banks. They broke down those power structures, which changed Smalls' perspective because Blackness, especially Black Queerness, has no room for error. Smalls turned blue as they recognized that as people, we make mistakes and speak out of place, but forgiveness is not in sight for the marginalized. The exploitation of Queerness means in today's society that many Black Queer women present themselves as straight to be profitable, some will pretend to be Queer for the male gaze, and many are afraid of expressing themselves without being shamed. Smalls made these connections through Hip Hop Heresies: Queer Aesthetics because they think society weaponizes hip-hop against Black people for their errors when it's a mass culture with complications from damaging angles like exploitation.

Exploitation works in more than one way in hip-hop culture. Not only does it affect how artists function as entertainment, it has also set standards for "good" perfection. Hip Hop Heresies: Queer Aesthetics is an art that speaks about the hard truths of Queer culture in hip-hop, and Smalls shifts through what feels like we're learning beside them. "I love RuPaul's Drag Race. I'm watching the all stars season. And it was a lot of contestants there. And I was like, I think only two of them are Black people, you know?" Smalls understands that there is a pattern of how much Blackness is socially acceptable in open spaces. They believe that people will use Blackness as currency to be more profitable, especially in Queer spaces. Smalls emphasizes that most of our favorite Black Queer artists will refuse to date Black people because of anti-blackness despite being the representation for Black Queer music enthusiasts. Reality tv shows will only have one or two Black people to prevent backlash, but the constant exploitation sets an unrealistic standard. "I think that queer folks get caught up in that too, where they're like, you know, the internalized anti-blackness is like, oh, white people are more accepting of fairness," stated Smalls. They pondered how much white validity exists in hip-hop Queer spaces because most will date a white partner that is racist for acceptance, and Smalls argued that they would instead take their chances with a Black partner with differing opinions. At least then, it won’t entail traumatic experiences, and there would be room for learning, having those rough unfiltered conversations about the ever-changing expectations. 

Inhale, Exhale, Inhale, Exhale. 

Dr. Shanté Paradigm Smalls is the blue that greets you with a kiss in the morning, the blue that clasps around your waist in the sea on a hot day, or the blue that seeps from your eye from witnessing a phenomenon. There are beautiful blue hues, peaceful night muses, and a whistling tune. The long passion locs of knowledge rest upon Smalls’ crown as the earth experiences reside at their fingertips, and the hues of blue are ever-changing through their facets of life. They embody worshipping one’s culture with utter adoration and love but criticizing it where it needs to be. The collaboration of an author begins with understanding the background before immersing in the culture. "For me, supporting Black women, supporting Black Trans and Queer folks, you know, with my own funds, but also with the work I do," stated Smalls. Dr. Shanté Paradigm Smalls, your work has created a conversation for the masses, and you will forever be famous! You are an essential part of hip-hop.

"And the category is Blue but make it real."