Your Black Bloggers The official gathering spot for black bloggers
On Sept. 7, the popular reality series “Love & Hip-Hop: Hollywood” introduced its first gay couple. In a “shocking” reveal, model and producer Milan Christopher and rapper Miles Brock entered the series as music collaborators who also happen to be madly-in-love. There was only one hitch: Brock’s unwillingness to be fully “out” with Christopher, fearing repercussions from his family, the hip-hop industry, and his longtime girlfriend Amber.
The couple’s rocky, complicated relationship is, in many ways, like any other in the franchise, which follows hip-hop artists and hangers-on in cities including Atlanta and New York. Produced by rap entrepreneur Mona Scott Young for VH1, the franchise has set record-making ratings for the network with its stories of love and betrayal — usually accented with lots of shouting matches, fights, and drink throwing. It’s also been criticized for being too “ratchet” and perpetuating negative representations of black relationships that focus on dysfunction.
And yet, when the inclusion of Christopher and Brock was announced last month, it seemed like it could mark an exciting turning point for the franchise, and for black reality television at large. Could the inclusion of these new cast members mean a chance at redefining depictions of black love on screen? Could reality television, particularly shows that focus on black people, finally be ready to embrace the LGBT community?
Yes. But also, no.
