Billy Dean Thomas

Billy Dean Thomas, AKA “The Queer B.I.G” is a Hip Hop recording artist and composer born and raised in Harlem, but currently residing in Boston. Billy Dean challenges the music industry with polyrhythmic flows that align with intersectional feminism, social justice, and the difficulties of growing up in NYC. Billy Dean is also an “artrepreneur” with a passion for building models to support artistic sustainability and finding ways to incorporate the artist's voice within institutional structures. After sharing their story on ABC’s "The View" and releasing their debut EP “Rocky Barboa,” they have been invited as a guest to perform at The Brooklyn Museum, The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, The Museum of Fine Arts and WCVB’s channel 5 news. This year they have been nominated for two Boston Music Awards, were selected as The Boston Foundation's 2018 Lab Grant recipient, and have recently been selected to be a MASS MOCA resident artist.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of the artist