Poet-rapper-performer-professor-singer-songwriter-speaker blogger-recording artist...Tim'm West is the personification of a post-millennial Renaissance man, an artist extraordinaire who could make a go in any one of those fields but keeps busy in all of them. He is a man on a mission with the courage and hubris to put himself in the public eye as exactly who he is: a proud, complex gay man confronting personal issues in public forums and making enormous headway in opening minds. He also has inspired a couple of generations of young people coming up, and his work provides encouragement and support for his peers and elders.
Years before the expanding gay hip hop movement (or homo hop, as it's sometimes called) was all over the media, West was one of the founding members of DDC, Deep Dick Collective, conscious rappers addressing gay issues and whose gay members were all the way out. Just their existence at Pride festivals and clubs all over the Bay Area, where I first encountered them, was confrontational, and their recordings were avidly circulated in the community. Their joy at being valid hip hop artists dealing with unspoken issues was contagious, and they developed a rabid following. West remained accessible and active in political and gay rights communities while pursuing his musical dreams, and actively supported and advised other artists trying to engage some of the musical areas he and DDC were pioneering.
Then in 2004, West stepped out from the pack he helped create with his first solo recording, "Songs From Red Dirt," a superb melding of conscious rap, beautiful vocals and melodies, and heartfelt stories about Tim'm, his life and experiences. "Red Dirt" catapulted the homo hop movement into the musical stratosphere and proved, once and for all, that a record about one gay man's experiences could be exhilarating, danceable and addictively listenable. It quickly became my favorite record of that year and I can't tell you how many people of various persuasions I turned on to this true masterpiece.
In the intervening years, Tim'm West has continued his multi-hyphenate pursuits, publishing books of poetry, teaching students at various universities across the country, leading workshops, performing spoken word and music all over the damn place. He has released two more solo CDs, "Blakkboy Blues" and "In Security: The Golden Error," which, if there was any justice in what's left of the music industry, would find homes on alternative radio everywhere. They are cutting edge contemporary and remain fresh and vital, as they still deal with issues that mainstream artists shy away from.
Tim'm West, the Godfather of OutHipHop, is perhaps our most important voice. Yes, his singing is beautiful, his melodies compelling, his words clever, funny, from the heart and to the point. Crucially, he is still out there presenting his truth no holds barred, opening doors for others to follow, and pursuing new dreams. He's still a young man. Long may he reign.
You can check out, download and order Tim'm West's music at iTunes. cd baby and amazon. I've said it before: Do not sleep on Tim'm West. You'll really be missing out.
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