from www.washingtoncitypaper.com – Hip-hop moguls have a long tradition of multitasking: Over the years, rappers have doubled as actors, restaurateurs, clothing designers, videographers, and snack promoters. But local rapper Imani the Misfit is pretty sure he’s charting new territory, as far as side-projects go: He bills himself as “Maryland’s First Bisexual Porn Star Rapper.”
Sure, there are bisexual rappers—Nicki Minaj comes to mind. There are porn star rappers—porn performer Pinky recently entered the rap game. There could even be another bisexual porn star rapper somewhere out there.
But Imani thinks he’s the first to accomplish the feat in the state of Maryland. “It’s basically a title I’ve never heard anyone claim before,” Imani says. “I don’t know if I am the world’s first, but I wouldn’t doubt it.” And even if he were, he’d still hold on to the local flavor. “I want people to know that I’m from Maryland,” he says. “It’s just kind of a rapper’s thing to want to put your area on the map.”
Of all of Imani’s qualifications, the “rapper” part was the first to emerge. “I was a musician first,” Imani says. Growing up in Maryland and then New Jersey, he learned drums, keyboard, and vocals in his church’s gospel choir. He started rapping at age 13, but focused on playing drums in friends’ go-go bands before he starting rapping in earnest in 2004. Last Friday, Imani released his latest single, “My Definition of a Drug,” on Amazon and iTunes; he’s still at work on his upcoming full-length effort, “The Gold Pill.”
After coming out two years ago, Imani started thinking of himself as a “bisexual rapper,” he says. “But then I realized that just saying ‘bisexual rapper’ didn’t fully describe what I do. I also pose for nude erotic art. And I think that the combination of me being a musician and being in porn, it adds to the sensation of it all. It’s a unique combination.”
The “porn star” part is still in development. Imani began posing nude within the past year—including shoots with local photographer Sean Dibble, for whom he’s posed naked and dripping in blood. He’s yet to get into the video market.
“In Maryland, the porn industry is mostly guys starting up a porn company and looking for girls,” says Imani.
“I’ve had a few opportunities to do movies, but every time an opportunity comes up, something stops it from happening,” he says. “I’m starting to wonder if there’s like some spiritual force trying to stop me from doing a movie.”
There are more immediate forces attempting to stop Imani from speaking out about his sexuality. “Especially in hip-hop, that’s something that you don’t say,” says Imani. “I’ve heard rumors of people being on the down low, but they’re not going to say it because in hip-hop, being bisexual is like the last thing that you want to be,” he says.
Imani says he’s received death threats over his sexual orientation. He’s also received letters from fans thanking him for helping them come to terms with their sexuality. “There is a fascination that some people have. I’m kind of one-of-a-kind. I say a lot of things that will alienate me, but those things also make me special in other people’s eyes. And a lot of people who are bisexual or gay will support me just [because I’m] open about it.”
There’s only one demographic he’s not representing: “My age is something I don’t really like to talk about,” he says.