Hip-hop and porn are hardly strange bedfellows. Both have been flirting with each other over the last 10 years with no real tangible results—until now. Hip-hop megastar Snoop Dogg recently released a successful adult title on Hustler (Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle), and now the original freaks of the industry, Digital Underground, seek to one-up Snoop with their new video magazine coming out next month entitled "Sex and the Studio" (Metro Studios).
Why all of this crossover? The hip-hop and porn communities suddenly find themselves mainstream in post-millennial America—so it should come as no surprise that the two genres are increasingly working together. The Bay Area platinum-selling hip-hop crew Digital Underground has been championing pornography since the early 1990s. They named-dropped X-rated star Vanessa Del Rio on their underground single "The Freaks of the Industry" before most Americans had even heard her name. But now the crew has the chance to truly show America what pornophiles they really are with "Sex and the Studio."
"It's like Girls Gone Wild meets 106th & Park," explains Digital Underground's Money B. "Sex in the Studio" contains five hardcore sex scenes (featuring names like India, Chloe Black and Daisy Dukes) balanced between edgy and uncensored interviews with hip-hop artists like Redman and Warren G.
So, do the hip-hop stars totally abstain from the XXX action? Not exactly—but don't expect to see Redman and Snoop double-teaming India just yet. Many of the high-profile artists appearing in "Sex and the Studio" don't want to upset their managers or labels too much by their involvement with the project. According to "Sex and the Studio" producer Money B, it all comes down to trust.
"Basically," he says, "most of these artists are friends of mine and they don't really have a problem with disclosing personal information or acting sexual around me or the girls. They know that I'm not going to portray any of them in a bad light. I'll look at the tape when I'm editing, and if it seems like there is something that misrepresents any of these artists, even if they were being completely honest, I'll edit around that for their sake."
Money B and his partner Clee (also from Digital Underground) say they've had the concept for a hip-hop magazine video series that contains porn elements for years. However, it was only after the success of Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle that Metro decided to give the series a chance.
"I think, from the hip-hop side of it, we've always accepted porn," says Money. "From the adult side of the business, I think that they realize that this is a whole new genre of porn that they can package, market and sell."
And "sell" is exactly what Metro plans to do with "Sex and the Studio." Sam Nelson, general manager of Metro Studios, says "when you combine true innovators of hip-hop and the true innovators of porn, you know you are going to get something special. We are throwing a lot of resources into promoting this series."
While it may come as a surprise to no one that rappers dig porn, very few hip-hop artists have actually put together a solid concept for meshing rap music with adult entertainment. Digital Underground's "Sex and the Studio" looks to open the floodgates wide open for the still emergent genres. They shouldn't have any trouble attracting the biggest names in porn, hip-hop and the fans that love both.
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