With the evolving passion that the LGBT community is seeing with Hip Hop and R&B music, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at the emergence and evolution of the Hip Hop and R&B movement. Looking for an expert in this area, one name kept coming to the surface, DJ Stoney. An accomplished DJ, he was able to share some insight with us. A DJ since 1984, he is just the person that can simplify the details. He has a list of accolades from clubs all over Chicago land and now he's currently a resident DJ at Spin, Circuit and the Prop House. Now let's take the opportunity to ask this great musician some questions. What separates Hip Hop from R&B? Hip Hop is a combination of all things musical... R&B is strictly rhythm and blues....Hp Hop includes spoken word, jazz, pop, R&B even rock....but to answer the question directly Hp Hopis the outspoken brother or sister of R&B.......Hp Hop speaks to the younger generation in ways that R&B can't....it's honest whether it's positive or negative it's honest. How do you explain the success of this genre? Anything you're looking for you can find it in Hp Hop culture from socially conscience artists like common, Talib Kweli to controversial artist like 50 Cent & Ludacris. Since Hp Hop is not one thing it attracts a larger audience.....it's now pop music and accepted by the mainstream even 30 yrs after its conception. Why do you think Hip Hop and R&B are so popular with the gay community? I believe that people in the gay community have always liked pop, R&B, Hip Hop& alternative music, those forms of music wasn't featured on the dance floors in our nightclubs here in Chicago till the Rails marketing group (promoter at the prop house on Friday nights) started making it available to the black gay community in 1998 here in Chicago. Hip Hop is pop music most of the top selling CDs over the last 3 yrs. have been Hip Hop or R&B artists so it's only natural that the gay community would take notice. there are various events in the gay community that feature non standard dance music on the dance floors and since the creation of my party Ear Rotic @Spin in 2003 there have been many more events catering to a more urban music format on Halsted street. We as gay people are so use to being over looked and always having to prove our selves much like Hip Hop artists just trying to be heard without censorship....the reason it may have taken so long to hit the gay clubs is because of those few homophobic recording artists creating a bad name for the genre....Hip Hop is about self expression, freedom of speech and letting your hair down.......and I believe the gay community understands that and are able to look past the negative recording artists. What else should our readers know? Regardless of what you've heard or read negative about Hip Hop from homophobia to sexism to drug use, people must understand that that's a very small percentage of Hip Hop culture those things have been and currently are issues in other music genres like rock, disco, pop, jazz etc.......true Hip Hop culture is about creating your own, speaking your mind at all costs and enjoying every minute of it......it's only natural that the gay community embrace Hp Hop music....and finally.....Please check out the hard working LGBT Hip Hop artists on GAYHIPHOP.COM