OUTing The Music Industry

It takes a lot of balls for a black male artist to broach the subject of black gay men and HIV, so kudos to Marshall Titus. The video was directed by John Gress, whose work we have seen on the blog before(eye-candy), but this was a different direction for both of them. To say I was moved by the “I Will” music video would be an understatement – I actually shed a tear or two(who would have thought?). The video is so well done, we actually get to follow the story – from when the main character goes to get tested for HIV, to his positive diagnosis and the trauma that usually brings, to him disclosing to a guy he had met, to finally reaching a place of self-acceptance, as well as getting support from his friends. The purpose of the video was to raise awareness about the stigmatization of HIV positive people within the gay community. Well, mission accomplished!

Chicago based singer-songwriter, Marshall Titus, has been in the entertainment industry for about 30 years. He was a finalist on the 3rd season of Star Search, he has done Theater(Dream Girls, Five Guys Named Moe & The Wiz), he appeared in the movie Barber Shop and has done jingles for Budweiser, Mc Donalds and KFC. If, like me, “I Will” is your first introduction to this brother, please support him, by checking him out on YouTube, Itunesand Facebook. He also loves feedback, so please let him know what you think. This is proof that a great song can also have a very powerful, meaningful message. Marshall Titus has certainly raised the bar and I don’t know about you, but I will be watching to see what he comes up with next.

Read the entire article via Storm from http://www.blackgaymensblog.com/2011/10/22/marshall-titus-discusses-i-will-video-hiv-stigma/