Quote of the Day: Nas
Posted by Bossip Staff
Nas recently discussed his upcoming album which will be called Nigger now, not “Nigga”:
“I’m a street disciple. I’m talking to the streets. Stay out of our business. You ain’t got no business worrying about what the word ‘nigger’ is or acting like you know what my album is about without talking to me. Whether you in the NAACP or you Jesse Jackson. I respect all of them … I just want them to know: Never fall victim to Fox. Never fall victim to the sh– they do. What they do is try to hurry up and get you on the phone and try to get you to talk about something you might not know about yet. If Cornell West was making an album called Nigger, they would know he’s got something intellectual to say. To think I’m gonna say something that’s not intellectual is calling me a nigger, and to be called a nigger by Jesse Jackson and the NAACP is counterproductive, counter-revolutionary.”
“I wanna make the word easy on mutha—-as’ ears. You see how white boys ain’t mad at ‘cracker’ ’cause it don’t have the same [sting] as ‘nigger’? I want ‘nigger’ to have less meaning [than] ‘cracker.’ With all the bullsh– that’s going on in the world, racism is at its peak. I wanna do the sh– that’s not being done. I wanna be the artist who ain’t out. I wanna make the music I wanna hear.”
“This Nigger album is bigger than an album. This is for my daughter, when she looks back and sees all the chump n—as in the game, she’ll say, ‘My pops was a man.’ When I have more kids, they’ll see, ‘He was a man.’ That will inspire them to be real in their life. Some people say I’m conscious, some say I’m a gangsta rapper — it’s just me doing me. I’m stomping in my own lane. I’m doing what I do.”
“We’re taking power from the word,” he added. “No disrespect to none of them who were part of the civil-rights movement, but some of my n—as in the streets don’t know who [civil-rights activist] Medgar Evers was. I love Medgar Evers, but some of the n—as in the streets don’t know Medgar Evers, they know who Nas is. And to my older people who don’t now who Nas is and who don’t know what a street disciple is, stay outta this mutha—-in’ conversation. We’ll talk to you when we’re ready. Right now, we’re on a whole new movement. We’re taking power from that word.”
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thats right esco educate these people
First!!
Alot of what he says is true. I’m still not sure if the title is the right way to go. If everybody was on the same page with the way he feels, black and white then maybe it wouldnt be such a big deal
whatever…I still don’t like the word.:(
I knew he had a good reason behind the title. But isn’t it a shame what people have to do to sell records now-a-days?
meanwhile we have brothers getting their jaws broke, stomped in the street being called a “Nigger”
hey bossip…
WHY DIDN’T YOU MAKE THIS POST TITLE:
IS NAS AN UNCLE TOM?…DISCUSS
I understand what he is saying. Taking the sting out of the word. I get it. Like Salvation takes the sting out of death. Speak NAS!!!!!
I KNEW HE HAD AN EXPLANATION FOR THIS….I JUST KNEW IT. AND HE’S RIGHT, IF CORNELL WEST WAS COMING OUT WITH SOME “NIGGER” BOOK, I WOULD BE LIKE “IM CURIOUS TO READ THIS, I HAVE TO CHECK OUT HIS P.O.V. AND WHAT IS INSPIRING SUCH A PROVOCATIVE TITLE.” I GOTTA GIVE A FAIR CHANCE FOR MY MAN NAS TO ELABORATE, I KNOW HE WON’T LET ME DOWN *FINGERS CROSSED*
Shut-Up….pure ingnorance….. This is what Bill Cosby is talking about. How can you make a word like that positive, why would you want to. Attention whore, new album… what better way to sell.. then to cause controversy……pure ignorance….
“I wanna make the word easy on mutha—-as’ ears. IGNORANT….
“This is for my daughter, when she looks back and sees all the chump n—as in the game, she’ll say, ‘My pops was a man.’ …Teach your daughter who Medgar Evers was, since you claim they don’t know, not about a derogatory word….IGNORANT
That is some bullshit! First of all, you can’t compare the word “cracka” to the word “nigger” because white people were not captured, enslaved, lynched and oppressed with that word. It doesn’t have the same volatile history, therefore it doesn’t have the same power! Nas, the word has NEVER been “easy on muthafukka’s ears”, so what makes you think that by naming your album “Nigger” that you are going to magically change all that? Do you REALLY think that your daughter is going to look back on this project and say “My father was a man?” Do you really expect us to believe this shit?
Nigger, please!
DAYUM!
Nas, you so wise! (In Gina’s voice from Martin)
DAMN NAS DROPIN HEAVY KNOWLEDGE
I MIGHT COP IT IM NOT REALLY INTO EAST COAST RAP BUT
NAS IS TIGHT.
http://WWW.MYSPACE.COM/THAGRINDAHOLIC
“LATER 4 U” REALEST SHIT I EVA WROTE
why do people like him are so stupid. Why doesnt his wife stick her foot up his ass if she so dominate towards him so he could understand. I don’t see spanish people saying what up my SPIC!!
wow Nas! when you grow up to be an old man you will look on this foolishness and weep because it will lead to a whole generation’s worth of trouble. you are so deluded and wrapped up in your status as the’ only intellectual rapper’ that you actually believe your nonsense. YOU ARE NOT TAKING THE POWER OUT OF THE WORD, YOU ARE MERELY MAKING IT ACCEPTABLE FOR WHITE PEOPLE TO DEMEAN AFRICAN AMERICANS. This is foolishness which I was convinced was nothing but a rumour. And all of this for what Nas? Because this album (like your last one) won’t sell anyways. So what have you ultimately achieved.
IF YOU THINK NAMING YOUR ALBUM ‘NIGGER’ IS A GOOD THING THEN YOU TRULY DESERVED TO BE CALLED A ‘NIGGER’. And stop calling yourself a disciple. You are a disgrace and an embarassment and I would hate for others to think you are one of the black leaders of the street. I’m disgusted
I understand what Nas is trying to say even though I disagree with him. The only way to take the pain out of the N-word would be to forget where we came from and how it affected our ancestors. I can’t speak for every black person but I for one don’t want to forget it. It’s the same as the nooses in Jena, Louisiana. It was so horrible b/c those kids who hung it knew the pain and hate behind it. Even though none of the kids involved were alive when lynching was going on, hundred of years later it still hurts and it still affects us. I don’t want to take the sting out of the word. I want to evolve from the word, educate people on the word, and I want black people to stop calling other black people the word. Real talk.
SOME OF THE POSTERS MISSED THE POINT…WHAT HE WAS SAYING WAS “GIVE ME A CHANCE TO LET YOU KNOW WHERE IM COMING FROM,” THE SHIT AINT OUT YET KEEP AN OPEN-MIND, I MEAN IF WE’RE GOING TO BE ALL OUTRAGED HOW ABOUT SONGS WHERE RAPPERS CLAIM TO BE SO HOOD, AND BEING THE DAMN SNOWMAN, AND CALL THEMSELVES DUFFLE BAG BOYS AND NOTHING UPLIFTING ABOUT THAT BULLSHIT…I GUESS THEY HAVE TAKEN THE STING OUT OF BEING DRUG DEALERS
If he comes out with this album everybody has to boycott this album to show him that this is not tolerable and not giving him money for this foolishness.
roger ram
hey bossip…
WHY DIDN’T YOU MAKE THIS POST TITLE:
IS NAS AN UNCLE TOM?…DISCUSS
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co-sign 100%
Well this is reality and he’s right, we hear this word every damn day whether we say it or not, we still hear it, do we stop and tell them how ignorant they sound? Hell no, so you cant be mad at Nas and call him ignorant for wanting to provoke some thought about this word. I just hope he knows what he’s doin 4real.
I just luv him.
Kelis is a very lucky chick.
1st of all, y’all are wrong for tht pic of my baby, Cornell. lol
For real, though, I’m usually all for intellectual rap. A lot of it is crap, so it is always nice when an artist is trying to inspire thought. Nas, like Kanye, Common and sometimes Jay-Z, used to be like that. Now he is joining the ranks of those using controversy to sell albums.
He can talk about taking the power back from the word, but I don’t care how many times he raps the word “nigger,” if a white person calls me that, it is still on.
Nas is a talented dude with a honest spirit. That being said he needs to get off the drugs and think of a more “CREATIVE’ word for the album.
He’s right about Mr. West too.
Anything he says, I always listen to cause I know it’s progressive.
I feel that way about very few people.
To all the people who are dissn Nas
How is Nas titling his ablum N- any different than the rappers whose every other word is N- in every song? Bossip posted an interview of Lil Wayne not too long ago and he used it in his interview. Really how is it any differet? I really want someone to answer this.
@Octavia
In response to:
He can talk about taking the power back from the word, but I don’t care how many times he raps the word “nigger,” if a white person calls me that, it is still on.
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Discrimination or prejudice based on race is one of the definitions of racist. It’s okay for blacks to use the word but if a white person says it you ready to go to jail? This is why our culture is always last when is comes to something positive. THE WORD IS BAD NO MATTER WHO USES IT. PERIOD. WHEN WILL WE GET THIS???
That’s the point though AND.., it’s NOT any different. And it would be hypocritical for any of the rappers to say that they use it to bring “awareness and change” to it’s power. None of them are doing that! So what does that make Nas?
Correction: that should read “None of them are SAYING that!”
EVERYONE WHO PLANS ON “BOYCOTTING” THIS ALBUMN MUST BOYCOTT 98% OF HALF THE BULLSHIT THAT COMES OUT TODAY THAT THESE RAPPERS TRY TO PASS OFF AS MUSIC. I HEAR WHITE KIDS RAPPING LYRICS TO RAP SONGS ALL THE TIME, ARE THEY SUPPOSED TO STOP WHEN THE RAPPER SAYS NIGGER IN A SONG OR IS IT OK FOR THEM TO SAY IT, WHITE PEOPLE CAN’T CALL US NAPPY HEADED HOES BUT LUDACRIS CAN PUT OUT A RAP SONG TALKING ABOUT I GOT HOES IN DIFFERENT AREA CODES, CMON MAN, WRONG IS WRONG. WE CAN’T ADOPT THE ISAIAH THOMAS RATIONALE OF IT’S OK FOR ME TO SAY CERTAIN THINGS BECAUSE IT HAS LESS STING. MY MOTHER TOLD ME, HOW AM I GONNA BE MAD AT SOMEONE CALLING ME SOMETHING IM NOT, THAT’S LIKE SOMEONE CALLING ME A JEW, HOW AM I GOING TO BE MAD? IM NOT JEWISH. I DOESN’T MATTER IF IT WAS INTENDED TO BE INSULTING, WORDS CAN ONLY AFFECT ME IF I ALLOW THEM TO, I HOLD THE POWER TO BE OFFENDED. PEOPLE CAN ONLY DO WHAT YOU ALLOW THEM TO DO TO YOU, SO I CHOOSE NOT TO LET WORDS AFFECT ME, I DON’T CARE WHO SAYS THEM
Nas is one of the most prolific and intelligent rappers on the scene…he is one of the only ones that actually take whats going on in the streets and is speaking on it…regardless of how his image in the media is portrayed… Im from the South…and I pretty much stay true to what i like but Im buying the album…i wanna hear what he has to say! at least he’s not supermaning on yall hoes…
AND…
To all the people who are dissn Nas
How is Nas titling his ablum N- any different than the rappers whose every other word is N- in every song? Bossip posted an interview of Lil Wayne not too long ago and he used it in his interview. Really how is it any differet? I really want someone to answer this.
…………………………………………..
It is not any different. BOTH uses of the word are in my opinion wrong, self-hating, damaging to our race and degrading. I am not a hypocrite, I disagree with the use of the word, period.
Notice how all the posters who will support Nas will no doubt be hood rats. Or should that be hood niggas. Truely intelligent african americans will see straight through this mess. Its only the porch monkeys who cannot see the damage they are inflicting on the whole race by the use of that word. such people deserve to rot
richie
That’s the point though AND.., it’s NOT any different. And it would be hypocritical for any of the rappers to say that they use it to bring “awareness and change” to it’s power. None of them are doing that! So what does that make Nas?
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I agree but I’m just shocked by all the he’s ignorant crap that people are saying like to hear a rapper use the N-word is something new. By the way some of these people are reacting the word wouldn’t be used at all if we really boycotted artists that used the word. Why did it suddenly become so bad today? AND… to those people dissn Nas do you own any of his albums? Do you own any albumns that use the N-word?
and for those of you not familiar with hip hop especially from down south…a ho is a noun…person place or thing…so is bitch…its called creative creation people…just because someone says bitch or ho does not mean its automatically degrading women…hello?!?!?!? I know people arent really that slow…
I SUPPORT NAS AND IM NOT A HOODRAT OR HOOD NIGGA, AND I LIKE TO THINK OF MYSELF AS AN INTELLIGENT BLACK WOMAN, MAYBE I THINK OUT THE BOX
I am glad that we now agree with Whites that we deserve the N*** word.
That just tells the Whites that they were right to call us that.
But be warned if some Black or White calls my kids that with an N***er or N**ga they are going to the hospital with a broken jaw.
I have taught my kids not to be Black idiots, but to think for them =selves.
You people who use the N*** word are the real “Uncle Toms” find your own word to describe yourselves idiots! don’t use the Whites man’s word.
stop it. just stop it. nas you are not smart enough to pull this off. put the gimmicks down and pick up a book. stop trying to sell out your entire race just to sell albums. did you learn this tactic from your boss Jay-Z?
I mean out of ALLLLLL the rap singles wit’ the word Nigga or Nigger….. I’m suprised that anybody would be suprised if Nas took it a step further to call his album that….. And Nas isn’t the 1st rapper to name his album the N word…. I mean NWA had efil4zaggiN?….and wasn’t nobody complainin’…. O.D.B had Nigga Please…. wasn’t nobody complainin’…. Dick Gregory wrote a book called Nigger…. wasn’t nobody complainin’…. so why complain now…. I’m sure Nas has a bigger purpose to name his album that word…. and he’s made his point….. and he didn’t necessarily compare Nigger to Cracka…. he just said that Cracka had less sting than Nigga does….. and all y’all self righteous mofos…. if y’all ever bumped Jay-Z’s “Aint No Nigga” or “Jigga My Nigga” and know ALL the words to them songs…. y’all shouldn’t have a problem wit’ Nas…. and if you’re familiar wit’ Nas and his catalogue…. you know BETTER than to think that Nas is anything less than an intellectual…. and if y’all bring up the fact that Nas is a High School drop out…. lemme tell y’all somethin’ beforehand… YES he is… but he self educated himself at home by readin’ the dictionaries, doctor, and lawyers books that his mother had in the house…. and that contributed to his brilliant lyrics and songs that has made to solidify his career….
Some of you are hypocrites. You’ve used that word since you were young. Why are you mad now? Did you boycott Dick Gregory? Did you boycott Quentin Tarentino or Martin Scorcese or any other Director/Actor that incorprates that word in their movie dialogue? Did you care? Why do you care now? Do you think this album is honestly going to get pushed by the label? There’s a lot of risk involved with this type of controversy–it’s a high possibility that it won’t be sold in Walmart (biggest CD seller). It’s all just publicity huh? Nas don’t need the money, his rep is already solidified, so what is he really gaining? You answer those questions first then I’ll consider your arguments.
@MSABOGADA,
I am glad that you have the mental fortitude to dismiss the word. But you do not speak for all of Black America. People have different experiences. Some are empowered and some are not. So for some, that word strikes a chord that you will not be able to identify with. For you, it is as simple as “mind over matter”. But if you have not walked in a man/woman’s shoes, if you have not lived the civil rights movement, it isn’t the same thing as reading about it! You gotta get deeper than that.
Please Nas…DON’T INSULT OUR INTELLECT!
You’re doing what Brittany’s doing…and it works!
Nigga’s in the hood could care less if you (try ) to take the sting outta that word! You could care less either.
Controversy sells…. trust me , we get that. But bro. please don’t scapegoat on a word and try to pimp that word.
NAS—-IF A WHITE KAT CALLED YOU NIGGER….YOU WOULD GO BROOKLYN ON HIS ASS…
and i said that to say this ……STFU, and just put out good rhyme’s,and hang out with your dynomite looking better half,and leave the (controversy to people with no talent…..)
think
http://www.blackwiz.biz
@Mary J. Blige
@Richie
@TruthTeller
I knew I wasn’t the only black person who not only doesn’t use the N-word but don’t allows others to refer to me that way. Thanks for letting me know that there are more of us out there
@ terika
I’m sorry I must disagree. Calling someone a bitch or hoe is degrading to anyone especially women. These two words have become a synonym for the word woman, female, girl, or lady. I hate that you feel this way but obviously you have every right to. It just adds fuel to the fire.
He’s lost his mind. No matter how you dress that word up or down, it’s hurtful, derogatory and stupid. If we put as much fight into changing our economic situation, as we have in fighting to keep this word alive, we’d all be Zillionaires. Wake up Nas – you’ve fallen asleep at wheel.
Real recognize real.
@AND
It’s a matter of self respect, if you respect yourself and have pride in your family heritage, then you don’t allow anyone to call you outside of your name, nor to use an historically nasty word to refer to you or your family.
I love my family and myself too much.
Negro please! Nas, sweetie, sit your tail down somewhere……You all are right, what he is doing is no different than what other rappers do, but does that make it right? This is why I don’t buy all that mess now. I don’t allow my kids to listen to it, and I sure as hell don’t allow that word to come out of my or my kid’s mouths! He is just as ignorant as anyone else who chooses to use that word and then proclaim, “But, by using it, we are softening the word!” Once again, Negro, please!
This is foolishness..the N word can never be positive. Thats like me hanging nooses and saying, “I was just trying to hang nooses to take the sting out of what it meanss” GIve me a break! Black folks look for ANY reason to stay ignorant
Let’s see Kanye and 50 used their little beef to create a buzz for their albums. Jay-Z is doing his whole American Gangster movie thing to garner attention. Then comes Nas–sitting at home with chlamydia and crazy Kelis, thinking to himself “What has happened to me and my career. I haven’t put out a solid album in years. I need something big, something real big. Oooo I know…”
@AND.. You betta believe that I don’t go for that “nigger” shit and all the children in my family know it too, because no one in my immediate family will stand for it!
@Avery
ROFLMAO!! Right on, Brother/Sister!!
@Avery,
You are right Nas us trying to salvage his career on the backs of Blacks. Isn’t that a form of prostitution?
SMDH..Our ancestors were beaten, raped, tortured, and murdered while being called the “N” word…you can’t take the power, the pain or the sting out of that word! The fact that Nas thinks it’s okay to label his album with such a painful word proves to me he had no idea what it means to be a “real man” because to me a “real man” is Martin Luther King Jr. If he were alive today could Nas stand toe to toe with him and look him in his eyes and call him a N****r and think it would have no sting!!
Sparkle
SMDH..Our ancestors were beaten, raped, tortured, and murdered while being called the “N” word…you can’t take the power, the pain or the sting out of that word! The fact that Nas thinks it’s okay to label his album with such a painful word proves to me he had no idea what it means to be a “real man” because to me a “real man” is Martin Luther King Jr. If he were alive today could Nas stand toe to toe with him and look him in his eyes and call him a N****r and think it would have no sting!!
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I wonder how the rap game would be period if Martin Luther King Jr. were still alive. Don’t you?
when will we ever move pass this word, as black people. Yea, I know some yt people say it and think it everyday, but we need to let it go, and let others know that we have grown as a culture and the N word is just that a word. By naming this cd Nigger, lets ignorant people know that, that word can still hurt us. There is more of a struggle going on in our black community that stems very far from the word Nigger. Nas needs to focus on putting something positive out there for young black men, teaching them how to be family men, respectful men, working men.
NAS is a rapper. An entertainer. Nothing more, nothing less. He’s not a fuckin’ prophet or a civil rights leader, so don’t take him so goddamn serious.
He’s got a lot of you fools up in arms over a mere demonstration of free speech. As with any other form of entertainment, you can choose to pay attention, or not. Your choice. But he doesn’t speak for a nation of blacks – he speaks to “his” people (and THEY know who they are).
Bravo Nasir!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WTF?? **SMH** This is the problem, Nas.. The disconnect between the young and old. This just shows why discussion and interaction between the two groups is necessary instead of the both sides pointing the finger at each other. And please explain to me how the word “nigger” stings? It doesn’t sting Nas, it fuckin’ burns.. That was the last word a lot of black people heard before they were fuckin’ lynched and beaten to death. That word is associated with so much pain, you’re blessed Nas, to be where you are because people chose to believe the latter and that they weren’t “niggers” they human-fuckin’ beings and deserved to be treated as such. Please don’t diminish it. And because you have the knowledge of the civil rights movement and the struggle behind it, you should do your friends a huge favor and school them on that, since it’s a fuckin’ shame men your age don’t know who the fuck Medgar Evers is and that he laid down his fuckin’ life them. I don’t care what the fuck you say on wax, the word Nigga/Nigger is not o.k. to be used by anyone. You’re kidding yourself if you think your going to be able to take the power away from that word. Please believe that if a white person called you that you would be all over that mofo with the quickness.
You have good intentions, Nas. They’re just misguided.
Some of you are hypocrites. You’ve used that word since you were young. Why are you mad now? Did you boycott Dick Gregory? Did you boycott Quentin Tarentino or Martin Scorcese or any other Director/Actor that incorprates that word in their movie dialogue? Did you care? Why do you care now? Do you think this album is honestly going to get pushed by the label? There’s a lot of risk involved with this type of controversy–it’s a high possibility that it won’t be sold in Walmart (biggest CD seller). It’s all just publicity huh? Nas don’t need the money, his rep is already solidified, so what is he really gaining? You answer those questions first then I’ll consider your arguments
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Exactly….
We not only need to move past the word Nigger but we also need to move past the whole Noose thing. Yeah it happened and yes it brings back memories of hate and slavery and all that but as long as white people know that we are sensitive to it, they know they have the power to make us react. Personally, if I saw a noose hanging somewhere, i could ignore it and that’s that. People who hang nooses and call us nigger are just ignorant and only do it because they know it will spark some type of controversy and also make us “angry”. So, in doing that, they have accomplished what they set out to do because we don’t know how to just let it go. We need to focus on moving forward. As long as we let things of the past affect us then the same way we do now we will always, in a sense, be living in the past. I’m by no means saying we should forget about our history in this country but we need to focus on the present issues. Black families are still broken. Our black men are still being locked up. We are still killing each other. Too many black kids, and not to mention some parents, cannot speak proper english and think slang is ok. What about all that? This is what Cosby is trying to bring to the forefront so that hopefully we will wake up. I’m frustrated because I don’t think it is hard for us to change some of the issues we have. I just feel like we are too damn lazy and too quick to blame everyone else!! Have a great weekend and wake the f&ck up!!!!!
What in the nigger loving shit is this hhahahahahhahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa??? NAS! MY MAN MY MAN!!!!!!
helltothanaw
WTF?? **SMH** This is the problem, Nas.. The disconnect between the young and old. This just shows why discussion and interaction between the two groups is necessary instead of the both sides pointing the finger at each other.
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After just reading this it really hit me that this is what we are doing. The olders ones Oprah, Bill, Jesse, etc are blaming us and we are pointing the finger right back at them instead of trying to understand each other. I will never know what it is like to be told I am not allowed into a restroom or denied an education b/c of my color. NO ONE IN MY GENERATION WILL (I’m 22) but on the flip side the older generation doesn’t know how hard it is to survive today. They say “at least you can go to school, when I was young they put me the fields to work” we say in response, “yeah I can go but the books are out dated and falling apart, people are bring knives and guns to school, people are trying to beat me up, and on top of all that the teacher treats me like shit”. We all come from the same place now we need to get on the same side.
Hypothetically speaking,
What if Dr. Martin luther King Jr. had Nas’ mentality on the subject. I hated to desecrate this speech in this fashion spo please forgive me. I am making a point.
I Have a Dream (v.2007)
A Nigga has a dream
I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.
Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Nigger slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.
But one hundred years later, the Nigger still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Nigger is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Nigger lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Nigger is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we’ve come here today to dramatize a shameful condition…
… A Nigga has a dream , down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of “interposition” and “nullification” — one day right there in Alabama little nigga boys and nigga girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers…
A Nigga has a dream
…And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, niggas and crackas, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Nigger spiritual:
Free at last! Free at last!
Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!
Wow Nas is sounding real ignorant. Nas you are NO Cornel West. I thought you tried to elevate rap music,but I see not.
Sad.
I guess I’m not understanding Nas’ point. It seems to me that the word is already too “easy on the ears” of a lot of young people these days. I often hear it used with impugnity and without regard to context by those who claim to be innured to the word’s sting. That is, until someone who is not of their race or peer group decides to use it publicly or directs it at them. But in order for the word to truly lose its shock value, that would necessarily require that use of the word no longer be in the exclusive domain of one group. In the commercial marketplace of ideas, are we yet ready for Toby Keith album titled “Nigger?”
@ AND…
You are sooo right. I’m 5 years older than you and understand exactly where you’re coming from with the issues that we faced coming up in school with the educational system crumbling right before our eyes.
Richard Pryor on the word “Nigger”
http://youtube.com/watch?v=fEVmAbxC14g
Newsflash Nas…the “taking it back” movement already happened. And guess what, it didn’t work.
See told ya!
@M.DOT Please read my reply to MSABAGODA.
Also….
What you fail to understand is that you cannot tell people to get over something that has such a deep, violent history. You can’t isolate it in a bubble and examine it. It just doesn’t work that way! Like it or not it is a part of our history; a negative part. And like all negative things in our life they must be dealt with. Get past it? HOW? By ignoring it? Yeah, that works. Psychiatrists’ offices are FULL of people who tried that method. You say we should focus on “moving forward” and ” the present issues”. Well present issues are born from past actions. They go hand in hand. The state of Black America today is entrenched in the Black America yesterday, starting from slavery. So in order for us to “wake the fuck up”, we have to deal with what put us to sleep in the first place. And by the sheer fact that the word “nigger” is used by people as a “greeting” or term of endearment”, proves that we still have alot of dealing to do.
Taking the sting out of it.
1st Black man: “Hey man, why are you, whipping me, spraying me with high pressure water, letting your dogs bite me, discriminating against me, calling me a nigga, calling our women hoes, murdering my brothas…”
2nd Black man: “I’m taking the power from the crackas. I’m making it sting less.”
KKK man #1: “I guess we need to go to the unemployment office. Were out of a job”
KKK man #2: “Or we can pull up a chair and watch these dumb niggas kill each other for us first.”
Oct 19, 2007 – 1:06 pm Andie
Newsflash Nas…the “taking it back” movement already happened. And guess what, it didn’t work.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cosign!
Gone head Mr. Jones
“Right now, we’re on a whole new movement. We’re taking power from that word.”
That is all…….
Let somebody call Nasir’s daughter a nigga. I bet he’ll be humming a different tune; tombout he taking the sting out of the word…..
Nas you are one of the greatest MCs in hip hip so stop trying to be so desperate to stay relevant. I understand that being a conscious rapper doesn’t give you the ends that a lot of these ignorant rappers make an easy buck off of…but please…I have too much respect for you to be going in the direction of unoriginal sell out road.
Bahama Mama, can you be more elaborate? You quote what he says but you don’t explain exactly HOW the “sting” is being removed. Am I to assume that if your children were called niggers by their classmates that you would be “un-stung”?
Chile, pleez!
I have to agree with Harlem Chic. I know what he is trying to do but the word isn’t what is harmful. It’s the thought process behind it and that is what he need to be battling.
T.I. DENIED BAIL
@ Richie
when bossip posted this when it first came out that his album was gonna be called Nigga, I said that words are just words, while I understand the meaning and the hurt behind them, they are only as powerful as u let them become.
I’m not blessed with kids yet but I’d try my hardest to teach them that same way of thinking..Words can’t hurt you…only if u let them.
I am not a big Nas fan, but he is DEFINATELY on point. The word Nigga only means something because WE GIVE IT POWER!!! Just like the word BITCH!!! Women have taken the power out of that word. Now you can be a SUCCESSFUL Bitch, a DUMB bitch, a SMART bitch or otherwise. Women even call themselves or each other that because MOST of the time a man calls you a bitch because you are successfull without him or you won’t give him what he wants. Either way….WE WIN LMAO!!!
Bahama Mama,
I understand that, but my question was not about what you would teach your children. My question was how the word would affect YOU if your children were called nigger. No sting? At all?
this will never happen, ever. I can’t imagine people saying “yo’ go get that new nigger album” it just wont happen
And… wrote:
“I will never know what it is like to be told I am not allowed into a restroom or denied an education b/c of my color. NO ONE IN MY GENERATION WILL (I’m 22) but on the flip side the older generation doesn’t know how hard it is to survive today.”
———————————————-
Why wouldn’t we know? We ain’t dead yet. You say you will never know what it’s like to be denied the use of a public restroom or a decent education because of your color, but I’ll bet you’d know exactly how to react if a white man called you a nigger to your face.
And besides that….a lot you you all went to predominantly BLACK schools I assume because you all mention if Nas’ daughter was called a Nigger he would probably react differently. But I grew up around ALL white people and ALL white schools up until High School out here in L.A. with more Latino/Mexicans and I was NEVER called a nigger until I hung around my own people. Sadly, I have adopted the word, but refrain from using it unless I am describing a REALLY IGNORANT PERSON because that it what I was taught all my life to mean on top of the fact that I have 2 little black boys whom I don’t want to get the idea that that is what they are because I fight hard for their educations.
@Oh effing Pleeze,
I know plenty of women who do NOT feel empowered by the word bitch and would whoop your ass if you called them one. I’m sure that your mother would not appreciate it either. I know mine wouldn’t.
I’ll wait until I hear the first single to see what kind of message he is trying to send before I pass judgment merely based on an offensive “word”. Nas isn’t like a Young Joc, Jeezy or Lil’ Wayne so I will give him the benefit of the doubt for now.
Shame on Nas for using the hardships of Blacks in this world for publicity to sell a few records so he and Kelis can go around acting like Niggers.
I lost all respect for him.
Idiot. Any black still using words such as Nigger or trying to be a nigger is a loser.
Im disgusted.
Kdogg
Hypothetically speaking,
What if Dr. Martin luther King Jr. had Nas’ mentality on the subject. I hated to desecrate this speech in this fashion spo please forgive me. I am making a point.
I Have a Dream (v.2007)
A Nigga has a dream
I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.
Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Nigger slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.
But one hundred years later, the Nigger still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Nigger is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Nigger lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Nigger is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we’ve come here today to dramatize a shameful condition…
… A Nigga has a dream , down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of “interposition” and “nullification” — one day right there in Alabama little nigga boys and nigga girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers…
A Nigga has a dream
…And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, niggas and crackas, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Nigger spiritual:
Free at last! Free at last!
Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!
——————————————————————————————————
Its useless trying to get through some of these people. They want to defend everything black, no matter how wrong it is.
And as for your second comment, I for one, was not brought up in a predominantly Black school. What has THAT got to do with anything? The word is foul regardless of WHO says it. And YES, if Nas’ daughter was called a nigger, he would be “stung”.
Richie
Nope, not me it wouldn’t it sting. And that’s real talk
Maybe we should start naming our kids Bitch, Hoe, and Nigger.
That way anytime someone called them that they would not be calling them out of their name
@ole school in response to:
Why wouldn’t we know? We ain’t dead yet. You say you will never know what it’s like to be denied the use of a public restroom or a decent education because of your color, but I’ll bet you’d know exactly how to react if a white man called you a nigger to your face.
_________________________________________________
I’ve been called a nigger to my face by white men and women and 50,000+ people didn’t have to come march for me b/c me and some of my girlfriends went back and whooped their asses. Tyler Perry said it best in Family Reunion. “It’s not what people call you it’s what you answer to.” Anyone can call me whatever they want. I am not now, nor have I ever been, nor will I ever be a NIGGER, NIGGA, OR NIGGAH so when people call me something that does not apply to me I simply look around and ask “Who are you talking to?”
And, why do “some” younger people keep thinking they invented the wheel. Black folks have been using the word nigger amongst themselves for generations. The distinction is that we always had the good sense to keep it between “us,” and did not seek to exploit it commercially the way some rappers and comedians do today.
And black folks are not the only people on the planet to have a long, hurtful history with pejoratives directed against them. Amongst others, I’ve heard Polish people call themselves Polacks and Italians call themselves wop and guinea, but they don’t attempt to elevate these derisive terms to a commercial artform while simultaneously complaining when others want to join in on the “fun.”
Bossip are yall changing formats again??
WTF STOP IT & GO BACK TO THE FUGMONSTER WESLEY SNIPES MUG SHOT DAY’S!!!!
richie
@Oh effing Pleeze,
I know plenty of women who do NOT feel empowered by the word bitch and would whoop your ass if you called them one. I’m sure that your mother would not appreciate it either. I know mine wouldn’t.
________________________________________________
Co-signing 10000000%. My grandmother, sister, or niece wouldn’t like it either.
And… why would you and your girlfriends need to whup anybody’s ass for calling you nigger if the word has no power?
@Bahama Mama
Yep, thats what everyone wants to believe, until it actually happens to them. So forgive me if I don’t quite believe you. But you know what? Good for you! If you are that solid with it, then AMEN! But I’ll say it again; your experience and mindset is different from others. Some have been oppressed all their lives and that word is just another stab to the heart. Not everyone is as emotionally evolved as you, BM. MOST people that I know and have met casually DO NOT like the word. Even if they USE the word, they would still fight if “the wrong person” said it in “the wrong way”. So consider yourself a unicorn in a world of black horses.
And I am STILL calling BULLSHIT on Nas.
@ole school
In response to:
And, why do “some” younger people keep thinking they invented the wheel. Black folks have been using the word nigger amongst themselves for generations. The distinction is that we always had the good sense to keep it between “us,” and did not seek to exploit it commercially the way some rappers and comedians do today.
And black folks are not the only people on the planet to have a long, hurtful history with pejoratives directed against them. Amongst others, I’ve heard Polish people call themselves Polacks and Italians call themselves wop and guinea, but they don’t attempt to elevate these derisive terms to a commercial artform while simultaneously complaining when others want to join in on the “fun.”
_______________________________________________
I don’t know why “some” younger people act the way they do. I am amongst them but I do not speak for them. You should direct that question to those who do feel that way. Also I completely agree with the rest of your post. What you allow your family and friends to call you is fine. I have a problem with the black people who “assume” it’s okay to label me with certain derogatory words simply b/c I am a “sistah.” As if it is a compliment to be called the N-word, bitch, or hoe. Like you, I don’t understand.
@ole school in response to:
And… why would you and your girlfriends need to whup anybody’s ass for calling you nigger if the word has no power?
_____________________________________
If you go back and read my first two posts you will see that I am one of the people on here that agrees the word does and always will have power.
@M.DOT…I AGREE WITH YOUR POINT, I WENT TO AN ALL WHITE HIGH SCHOOL, OUT OF MY GRADUATING CLASS OF 300+ STUDENTS THERE WERE 3 BLACKS (INCLUDING MYSELF) AM I GOING TO SAY NO ONE EVER CALLED ME A NIGGER, MADE REMARKS ABOUT THE SIDE OF TOWN I LIVED ON OR TRIED TO SNEAK IN LIL JOKES ON THE COOL…NAW, THAT STUFF HAPPENED TO ME, BUT THE THING THAT WOULD TRIP PEOPLE OUT WAS THAT THEY COULDN’T SHAKE ME. I WOULD LOOK AT THEM LIKE THEY HAD LOST THEIR MINDS AND KEEP STEPPING. WHY WOULD I ACT A FOOL AND BEHAVE EXACTLY HOW THEY WANTED/EXPECTED ME TO? THEY WANT TO CALL ME A NIGGA, I SHOWED THEM ABOUT A NIGGA, I WENT TO COLLEGE, LAW SCHOOL AND NOW IM ONE OF ABOUT 5 BLACK ATTORNEYS IN ONE OF THE LARGEST LAW FIRMS IN THE CITY…NIGGA MY ASS. ACTIONS SPEAK MUCH LOUDER THAN WORDS
MSABOGADA
@M.DOT…I AGREE WITH YOUR POINT, I WENT TO AN ALL WHITE HIGH SCHOOL, OUT OF MY GRADUATING CLASS OF 300+ STUDENTS THERE WERE 3 BLACKS (INCLUDING MYSELF) AM I GOING TO SAY NO ONE EVER CALLED ME A NIGGER, MADE REMARKS ABOUT THE SIDE OF TOWN I LIVED ON OR TRIED TO SNEAK IN LIL JOKES ON THE COOL…NAW, THAT STUFF HAPPENED TO ME, BUT THE THING THAT WOULD TRIP PEOPLE OUT WAS THAT THEY COULDN’T SHAKE ME. I WOULD LOOK AT THEM LIKE THEY HAD LOST THEIR MINDS AND KEEP STEPPING. WHY WOULD I ACT A FOOL AND BEHAVE EXACTLY HOW THEY WANTED/EXPECTED ME TO? THEY WANT TO CALL ME A NIGGA, I SHOWED THEM ABOUT A NIGGA, I WENT TO COLLEGE, LAW SCHOOL AND NOW IM ONE OF ABOUT 5 BLACK ATTORNEYS IN ONE OF THE LARGEST LAW FIRMS IN THE CITY…NIGGA MY ASS. ACTIONS SPEAK MUCH LOUDER THAN WORDS
______________________________________________
I applaud you on your self control and discipline. This is exactly what I’m talking about with only answering to what applies to you. AND…then some people say we have no positive black leaders or good black men. Why not? You are! You are a leader whether you know it or not. You are an example of Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream manifested into reality. I congratulate you.
Nas is prolific? Nas needs to sit his stupid ass down and shut the fuck up.
I don’t even like to post words like that, but it is so sad to see so many people sounding like they support this title. I truly hope it is a hoax, but I feel for anyone who thinks that society will ever see the “N” word as something as strength.
People, please wake up. Stop helping to upgrade a word that was used to degrade your ancestors.
To the person who went back with some girlfriends and beat up someone that called you the “N” word …
Have you heard of Jena 6? They beat someone up to. What happened to them. Wake up from your ignorance, little girl.
Ole school, please school the fool.
This boy is foolish. He has to stoop this low to sell records. And to think I thought his talent was enough. Clearly not the case. I am officially over him and his wife. I intend to write Def Jam and I encourage other too as well to stop this and/or boycott the album. This boy is just beyond stupid and so is the record label. Sell your soul and degrade yourself, your people and ancestors to sell albums. I ask all YFB’ers to joing. YFB you asked us to stop racism again Jenna 6 so you know know better. Let’s all get together and stop Nas. Seems he is the one who needs the educating.
The really sad thing is that we argue with one another on what to say with one another. Inside our community if we want to say nigger or nigga we should be able to say it.
I was raised in Richmond, VA. We don’t use the word around white people and we take offense to hearing it pass their lips. Always have and always will.
The really sad part of this discussion is at it’s root it starts with black people arguing over something a white man said.
We would not be discussing the word nigga so much if some white man had not said something disrespectful about one of our women.
other white people called us hypocrites for using the word amongst ourselves but taking offense when it is used against us.
Ingorant assed black folks listen up. If Italians can whip you ass for calling them a wop or other derogatory word it’s ok. Just white folks getting you niggas to turn on one another.
Whether you are an educated nigga or ignorant nigga …to argue with other black people for the use oth the word then you surely are the nigga we all hate ….the overseer!
@ versace
No, you don’t see Spanish people saying “spic” to each other because Spanish people are from Spain and they are white.
Now if you meant “Hispanic” or Latino people, you don’t see them calling each other Spic either because now they too are calling each other “nigga”. Especially Nuyuricans who have been calling themselves nigga for a few years now.
@MSABOGADA
Nobody’s talking about “acting a fool”. We are talking about the word’s “power”.
It’s interesting. You say “THEY WANT TO CALL ME A NIGGA, I SHOWED THEM ABOUT A NIGGA”. So what was it that put that extra puff of steam into your engine so that you “showed them”? I’m not saying you weren’t industrious to begin with, but it seems to me that there was some power in that word to make you even MORE determined. How you channeled it is great but not the point. The power/sting of the word is the issue.
To the people who don’t frquent majority black neighborhoods and were not raised in one you must remember that you are not representative of most of black America.
In other words ..sit your silly assed non pork eating self on down when grown forlks are talking.
No one in LA if one Mexican calls another a Beaner.
Nigga Pleaze!!!! LOL!!
MJB’s #1 Fan
Nas is prolific? Nas needs to sit his stupid ass down and shut the fuck up.
I don’t even like to post words like that, but it is so sad to see so many people sounding like they support this title. I truly hope it is a hoax, but I feel for anyone who thinks that society will ever see the “N” word as something as strength.
People, please wake up. Stop helping to upgrade a word that was used to degrade your ancestors.
To the person who went back with some girlfriends and beat up someone that called you the “N” word …
Have you heard of Jena 6? They beat someone up to. What happened to them. Wake up from your ignorance, little girl.
Ole school, please school the fool.
______________________________________________
You should go back and read the ENTIRE posts before you come on her trying to tell someone else what to to do. What I typed was an example of what I wouldn’t do just b/c someone called me a N-. This is why our people are like this. Read and then comment. PLEASE!
@ AND
You say our ancestors were raped, beaten, and tortured being called that word.
Hell, you don’t have to go back that far. Tell that to that young woman in West Virginia. She was “raped, beaten, & tortured” at the same time being called that word and the just happened last month.
Educated nigga???
I’m an educated Black man. I’ve never been a nigga. I don’t acknowledge anyone that calls me one, Black or White. I admit to having used it on this site for emphasis, but I never use it in public even as a “term of endearment.” Why is it so hard to just stop using it? If black people stopped using it, I would be able to count on one hand how many times I’ve heard a white person say it.
@Just a thought…
I wasn’t the one who posted that although I agree with whoever did and I also co-sign with you.
Ok, the word is not a good one…most of you agree with that. The word is used in many things like music,movies, and books…some of you agree that also needs to change. The word is just that a word and it will in no way determine who I am as a person or degrade me b/c I first know who I am as a person..
Most of you that say it doesn’t bother you if a white person uses the word b/c black calls each other that everyday can stop that right now. Yeah a lot of black people use the wrong but it is not (most of the time) meant in a wrong or degrading manner towards another black. However, if a white person uses the word depending on the situation, they are using it to cause hurt or anger in you. For example if we are in a board room and there are few blacks in the room if a white co-worker uses that word toward you in a hateful manner, you can not tell me that you will not be upset…It’s how the word is used people…
And… wrote:
“If you go back and read my first two posts you will see that I am one of the people on here that agrees the word does and always will have power.”
________________________________________________
Sorry, And… We’re on the same page. That fact got lost in the cacaphony of conversation here. Anyway, on this topic, and whether it is something that ought to be pursued between young and old in our community, Nas seems to be suggesting that this is no room for dialog, because his word in final. To wit:
““I’m a street disciple. I’m talking to the streets. Stay out of our business.”
I hope he was just being rhetorical.
Kdogg
Taking the sting out of it.
1st Black man: “Hey man, why are you, whipping me, spraying me with high pressure water, letting your dogs bite me, discriminating against me, calling me a nigga, calling our women hoes, murdering my brothas…”
2nd Black man: “I’m taking the power from the crackas. I’m making it sting less.”
KKK man #1: “I guess we need to go to the unemployment office. Were out of a job”
KKK man #2: “Or we can pull up a chair and watch these dumb niggas kill each other for us first.”
_____________________________________________________
I’m not sure if you remember this but it was in Tales from the Hood: You remember the last story that was told with Hakim(Lamont Bentely) was in and he was in a cage besides a racist. He asked him what what he in for and he said for murder and the white guy was he black and he said yeah…To sum it up he said that people like hime (racist/KKK) can sit back and smile cause we were killing each other off ourselves…. Today’s society is a prime example of it…
“This is for my daughter, when she looks back and sees all the chump n—as in the game, she’ll say, ‘My pops was a man.’ ”
Hopefully his daughter will speak more intelligently than that.
@RICHIE
IM NOT SAYING THE WORD DOESN’T HAVE POWER…ALL WORDS CAN HAVE POWER, IF YOU GIVE THEM THAT POWER. WORDS IN AND OF THEMSELVES ARE JUST LETTERS PUT TOGETHER, I CAN MAKE UP A WORD AND ITS MEANINGLESS. PEOPLE GIVE WORDS MEANINGS AND POWER. BUT ONLY I CONTROL THE POWER THAT THE WORD HAS OVER ME (NOW SOMEONE ELSE MAY CHOOSE TO GIVE A WORD POWER, BUT ONLY I DECIDE THE SIGNIFICANCE THE WORD WILL HAVE IN MY LIFE)…FEEL ME? I CONTROLLED THE POWER THAT THE WORD HAD OVER ME, AND I DECIDED TO GIVE IT NO POWER… WELL AT LEAST NO NEGATIVE POWER.
@ ole school
It’s cool. Like you said “Black folks have been using the word nigger amongst themselves for generations” so for Nas to say “And to my older people who don’t now who Nas is and who don’t know what a street disciple is, stay outta this mutha—-in’ conversation. We’ll talk to you when we’re ready” is ridiculous. You knew what that word was probably before he was even born (guessing at your age) so he can’t talk like it’s something new. This younger generation needs the wisdom of the older ones. It sometimes just gets hard b/c as people (not just black people) we like to point the finger at everyone except ourselves. Speak your mind.
@RICHIE
I REREAD MY LAST COMMENT TO YOU AND I REALIZED THAT I AM SAYING EXACTLY WHAT NAS IS SAYING…WE CONTROL THE WORD, WORDS SHOULDN’T CONTROL US. IF WE DECIDE WE’RE NOT GOING TO ALLOW A WORD TO HAVE POWER OVER US (NOT FORGETTING THE PAST, OR THE NEGATIVE CONNOTATION PREVIOUSLY ASSOCIATED WITH A WORD) THEN WE ARE CONTROLLING OUR OWN DESTINY AS A PEOPLE.
MSABOGADA
@RICHIE
I REREAD MY LAST COMMENT TO YOU AND I REALIZED THAT I AM SAYING EXACTLY WHAT NAS IS SAYING…WE CONTROL THE WORD, WORDS SHOULDN’T CONTROL US. IF WE DECIDE WE’RE NOT GOING TO ALLOW A WORD TO HAVE POWER OVER US (NOT FORGETTING THE PAST, OR THE NEGATIVE CONNOTATION PREVIOUSLY ASSOCIATED WITH A WORD) THEN WE ARE CONTROLLING OUR OWN DESTINY AS A PEOPLE.
________________________________________________
I co-sign on WE ARE CONTROLLING OUR OWN DESTINY AS A PEOPLE. And would like to add that it’s not only as a peole but it’s individual. Everybody taking care of self is the first step to helping us as a people.
I think that for people who are 35 and older we need to really take care of our health. Because if the youth keep going the way they are going their will be no one to take care of us when we are old.
Rap is not selling anymore because according to most rap artisit black people don’t buy your music. So if black people don’t by your music who do you really think will go into the stores and ask for this album. If this album is anywhere remotely close to being real and I will start a demonstration group so hard that we will demonstrate at the president of the record companies house we will disrupt his life in anyway possible so that this album will never be released.
You are a freaking millionaire. You are not hanging out in the streets. You all need to stop selling this foolishness to the youth. They are buying this crapt and taking it too heart. All of us will have to answer to the maker one day to explain why we allowed this to happen.
Nas is a grown ass man. And as it states in the bible when I became a grown man I put childish things away. At what age do these so called rappers grow up and start thinking and behaving like grown men.
If this is what rap has come to maybe it needs to end.
disciple though? wow. Thats why young kids now days are shallow and ignorant. because of people like him polluting their brains with GABAGE. we have young kids having kids. so ignorance is breeding more ignorance. They dont know about anything other than whats in the music and on the TV. and they are not interested in learning. Not to say that everyone should hold on to the past. But damn, these kids are so un-cultured its embarrassing.
@bea
LOL at “I think that for people who are 35 and older we need to really take care of our health. Because if the youth keep going the way they are going their will be no one to take care of us when we are old.”
And as far as all of these people saying that you control the word why don’t you take a trip to a senior citizens home or just sit down and talk to some older black men and explain to them how you control that word. That word has such a deep ugly history and there is nothing that can be done to ever make it a good word. There are bad words out their and that is one of them.
People are still being locked up unjustly because of the history of that word. And to see all of these young black men throwing that word around it is beyond sad.
What will you all’s legacy be. What will people think if the earth is still around fifty years from now. What will people think when they see the videos and listen to the content. The black race is in a sad, bad, and dangerous place.
@ MS.ABOGADA
THANK YOU MS ABOGADA. GLAD THERE ARE PEOPLE ON HERE WHO SOMEWHAT SEE MY POINT. CONGRATS ON ALL OF YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ON THE MANY MORE I’M SURE YOU HAVE COMING TO YOU.
Nas uses titles like these to sell records period…
nigger… if it was 50 or jigga you fat hoes would have a fit…
Ive traveled all over the world and believe me when i say that black people are more racist than any other race ,i know cuz im from kenya.The word should offend those that have been called and treated like niggas but you have been fortunate to not ever deal with it.Banning the word isnt going to make it lose power but gain more power and sting.I like the way rappers use the word cuz now it has less sting and less power than it ever had.
I agree with MoMo.
I will write def jam a letter and boycott everything associated with the production of his CD.
America will treat us the way our money flows. Let’s invest in something more diverse and progressive.
If you buy his album, you renig(pun intended) your right to address discrimination or prejudice.
Educated nigga???
I’m an educated Black man. I’ve never been a nigga. I don’t acknowledge anyone that calls me one, Black or White. I admit to having used it on this site for emphasis, but I never use it in public even as a “term of endearment.” Why is it so hard to just stop using it? If black people stopped using it, I would be able to count on one hand how many times I’ve heard a white person say it.
^^^^
Ah i respect that…. but im a Nigga not a nigger but a N.I.G.G.A
Never.Ignorant.Getting.Goals.Accomplished.. The word is a term of endearment… like soul food was basically table scraps/parts of the meat whites didnt eat including pork ribs, and left over batter…
We take the hate they gave us… and flip it.
I’ll bet the same people defending the title of this album are the same people, saying: “Bill Cosby’s right!” – ignorant people who don’t know when they’re being insulted. This album title is ridiculous. No, in this instance, this is not an Uncle Tom – rather a misguided young man. Cosby is an outright self-hater.
He is just another stupid jerk who have no respect for his children or his self! I will not be spending my money on his dumb ass!
“WHEN YOU STAND FOR NOTHING, YOU WILL FALL FOR ANYTHING”!
Whatever Brenda,
AKA Lady Of Wisdom AKA Lisa In Jersey AKA Bill O AKA Joe K AKA D.C Todd AKA Samuel, Khari, and Stan.
You were busted yesterday. I knew that you would screw up again.
Brenda
I’ll bet the same people defending the title of this album are the same people, saying: “Bill Cosby’s right!” – ignorant people who don’t know when they’re being insulted. This album title is ridiculous. No, in this instance, this is not an Uncle Tom – rather a misguided young man. Cosby is an outright self-hater.
_________________________________________
Sorry I disagree. I defend Bill’s right to speak his mind just I defend Nas’s right to speak his mind. I just wish they used “different” words to express their minds.
@ bea
You make a valid point. Most rappers say that black ppl don’t buy records so most of us according to him will not be able to hear the msg that he is so called trying to get across to us black ppl. I guess we’ll go on with our no-buying albums selves and not hear his msg.
@Delta Diva
Russel Simmons also said that albums sales on rap are down period. As in other folks ain’t buying it either. We’ll all hear it. If we don’t down load I’m sure the Bossip “writers” will post the lyrics for us to see.
terika
and for those of you not familiar with hip hop especially from down south…a ho is a noun…person place or thing…so is bitch…its called creative creation people…just because someone says bitch or ho does not mean its automatically degrading women…hello?!?!?!? I know people arent really that slow…
^^^You’re right… “slow” is someone who thinks ho and bitch are “creative creation”
@ AND…
I agree Bossip will make sure that we’re informed
This just in….
The hook for the first single in Nas’s Nigger Album.
I’m a Nigga, he’s a Nigga, she’s a Nigga, we’re Niggas…wouldn’t you like to be a Nigga too?
For those under 30, that is a play on the old Dr. Pepper commercials.
“With all the bullsh– that’s going on in the world, racism is at its peak” – NAS
Why do so many people, including NAS, claim that, CURRENTLY, racism is at its peak? That statement is the real bullsh-. Racism has been around,and will be around, forever.
Also, it is a convenient housing for misdirected anger and hopelessness, and is used as a ’scape goat far to often. Who the hell is going to argue racism? It is a powerful card to use for winning arguements, placing anger, and selling albums.
In a ’round about way, NAS is right. I’ve listened to his music, and he is not extremely articulate, nor is he saying things that others haven’t said before. But it is true, WE give words power. WE give the abstractions and definitions of words power. So, let him name his album Nigger.
But in counter arguement; would it hurt anyone if he followed up his ‘Nigger’ album with ‘Jungle Bunny’ or ‘Tar Baby’? Speaking as a polka-dotted purple man, those names would probably even offend me.
@Salty Cracka’
Where did Jungly Bunny come from? I missed that.
He’s not dropping knowlege, he sounds stupid, plain and simple. His rationale is flawed and he is arrogant to think that through his CD, he’s going to be a change agent that will influence the word, it’s meaning, power, etc.
Damn shame… white people love his type. I swear why do they give these rappers a forum? If he was truly like that he would not have to name his album that just to get attention.
What’s a shame is he knows why the hip hop movement was started. He can not say he does not know like he is one of the dumb young rappers. It’s too bad that the dummies with money are the ones who’s voice is heard world wide. We could really make a difference is most of them really tried to use thier brain.
Big ole party and shit while black folks struggling. And then we dumb for buying stupid music that does not talk about a life style the majority of blacks have.
BOYCOTT!!!! STUPIDTY!!!!!!!! Stop buying ignorant rappers albums!!!!!
BOYCOTT!!!! STUPIDTY!!!!!!!! Stop buying ignorant rappers albums!!!!!
BOYCOTT!!!! STUPIDTY!!!!!!!! Stop buying ignorant rappers albums!!!!!
BOYCOTT!!!! STUPIDTY!!!!!!!! Stop buying ignorant rappers albums!!!!!
BOYCOTT!!!! STUPIDTY!!!!!!!! Stop buying ignorant rappers albums!!!!!
BOYCOTT!!!! STUPIDTY!!!!!!!! Stop buying ignorant rappers albums!!!!!
BOYCOTT!!!! STUPIDTY!!!!!!!! Stop buying ignorant rappers albums!!!!!
BOYCOTT!!!! STUPIDTY!!!!!!!! Stop buying ignorant rappers albums!!!!!
BOYCOTT!!!! STUPIDTY!!!!!!!! Stop buying ignorant rappers albums!!!!!
I really don’t like this at all, and how can he compare Former slaves to slave masters, cracker doesn’t bother white people because the name has no lingering past, it just mean plain and stale, Nigger on the other hand has so much history to it, it was a name that discriminated us , slavery, poverty , second class, I am a intellectual brotha myself and I really don’t see his point, I like Nas, I think he is the best lyricist, I just don’t get it.
Just a thought:
If 9 of 10 posters posting are admitting to using the word in question but then follow up by saying, I know that it’s not right, it was just the situation/person that I was dealing with, then what is there to debate about? It’s crazy to fight over something you use everyday, listen to everyday (even if they bleep it out and you don’t say it, but you’re still jamming to it), or hear other people say everyday yet do nothing to correct them. It’s pointless to get mad if a white person says the word when 50% of the time when it’s used black on black, it’s used in malice. Contrary to that, it’s easy to say a word is just a word when it hasn’t been directed towards you. If you look at the African American culture as a body, then you’d see that health comes from within (as it would for your individual body)…that said, I kind of see Nas’ point.
Wow..Some good comments up here today! I just want to add that NO ONE IS EVER GOING TO STOP USING THE N-WORD. Do we actually think, if we stop using it(which I don’t use it, I’m 1st generation american and my parents never used it) then a message would be sent that it’s not OK to use it? IT HAS NEVER BEEN “OK” TO USE THE WORD, AND YET THEY STILL DO IT FOR EFFECT. I guess Nas is going for the “MONIQUE” approach, where as if she call her own self fat, it wont hurt as much when other people do it.
@lacyd
Very good point. That was my initial post to some extent.
@daone
I see what you mean with the whole Monique thing and yet for her it works. If someone asked me to describe her, her size/weight would not be on the list. I have had some of my white friends say the same thing about me. One of my guy friends, who is white, said he forgets that I’m black. That was the best compliment I ever got. I don’t want the first description of me to be “oh you, know the black girl.”
Much respect what dude sayin but bottom line you still using it to hustle your albulm
NAS is a BAFFOON. I am so dissapointed that a person with so much influence in our community would resort to such ignorant statement. It does not matter who says it. The N word is hateful, deameaning and has links to our dreadful past as slaves. It’s also illogical for him to link the word cracker to the N-word. Were whites enslaved? No! That statment carries no merit in my book. It just proves that Bill Cosby who may be fueled by anger in his deliveries, does have a grasp on the state of our community. Let us all wake up! Stop blaming “the man” let us look within our commnunity and band together in order to find a solution.
Word! Now tell them to shut the fuck up!!
@ AND…
You see, I’m kind of torn by your last comment. On the one hand, I see what your saying (in regards to your comment on your white friend telling you that he forgot that you were black). What is his definition of black if he’s suprised that you can get down with him? Then on the other hand, it would be uncomfortable to have a frienship with a white person and they constantly remind you of your race. I have white friends too, and they’ve never said that to me becasue I guess we all look at eachother as people, NO SKIN COLOR BARRIERS. Not to throw a kink in your friendship, it just doesn’t seem much like a compliment.
You know this discussion has really made me re-evaluate some things. I have never bought a rap album, but I have downloaded singles that were not as offensive to me (DMX feat. Aaliyah ‘Back in One Piece’,Bubba Sparks ‘Its Getting Ugly”Ms. New Booty’, Young Joc ‘It’s Going Down’) but I see that change starts with me so I will be deleting all rap music from my ipod and laptop today that has any negative connotation (I buy the edited versions but as lacyd just pointed out I’m still jammin to it). For those who REALLY don’t like the path our music is on then I challenge you to do the same.
@lacyd
I didn’t quite understand your last post to me. Would you elaborate? Just for me I mean that I like it that my color was not a defining characteristic for him. There were other words beside black that he used to describe me. That was powerful to me. I don’t want to be defined by my color.
Is it me or is everyone on this forum uneducated and ignorant. Does people even know the history of the word Nigger? Fact of the matter is, no matter how much this young man try to justify this, he still falls short. Whenever a white person calls a black man a Nigger, lets see if the sting will ever leave that word. My gosh, I can see why whites think we are sub-human as a people, are we this foolish to condone this folly and pathetic excuse to capitalize off a declining record industry. Damn, blacks are in bad shape, and if you people can’t see the decline of the black population, this alone should allow you to see. My gosh, how sad!
@ WAKE UP. YOU need to wake up! Your still living by this first definition of the word Nigger. Did you READ what Nas said for himself??? Plus Nigger isn’t only about enslavement.. nigger was used when Blacks were free also. Nigger doesn’t automatically mean enslaved
@AND…That whole “forgot you were black thing, IS NOT A Compliment! Not necessarily an insult, but it doesn’t show them that black people do have diffences, you’re friend just cant see them in YOU. Think about it….. no really think about it, if being Black is not a major part of what makes you YOU, then you might be more like THEM than you realize. What actually is wrong with being described as Black girl or guy, it is the most obvious if you want to pick someone out. Its the connotation that goes along with being called Black from someone white that makes some people uneasy.
@Buju Driva
In response to:
That whole “forgot you were black thing, IS NOT A Compliment! Not necessarily an insult, but it doesn’t show them that black people do have diffences, you’re friend just cant see them in YOU. Think about it….. no really think about it, if being Black is not a major part of what makes you YOU, then you might be more like THEM than you realize. What actually is wrong with being described as Black girl or guy, it is the most obvious if you want to pick someone out. Its the connotation that goes along with being called Black from someone white that makes some people uneasy.
_____________________________________
I was waiting on that ‘you must act white’ argument. I grew up the projects and for those that were posting on the Bill Cosby-Uncle Tom topic I said it there too. I never said there was anything wrong with being described as black. In fact some saying that fine black women over there puts a smile on my face.
What I said was that I like that my color is not the first description people give when they think of me. I do find it as a compliment as I previously said and no one has to agree since it was said to me. Being Black is a major part of who I am just not a defining point. Think about it.
*so many typos*
I meant to say
“I grew up in the projects…
“In fact someone saying that fine black woman over there…
@ AND…
To be honest, I don’t understand my last post either. I was torn. When I initially read what you previously posted, I was thinking to myself that it was rather unusual that you would take a white person telling you that they forgot that you were black as a compliment. It was unusual to me because of the acceptance factor (you know, if you were white, he wouldn’t have said, I forget that you’re white sometimes). But at the same time, I feel what you’re saying. You don’t want to be labeled as “my black friend”, you just want to be labeled as “my friend”. Truth is, skin color is something that we can never escape from (unless we take Michael Jackson’s route). The problem is what you expect from the culture at hand. Do you expect blacks to be ghetto and ignorant if your white? Do you expect whites to be founding members of the KKK if your black? I’m living off of Dr. Kings dream, accept me for who I am, define me by me, not by the color of my skin.
Anywho, justifiably confused, you should be…because I’m torn.
lacyd
@ AND…
To be honest, I don’t understand my last post either. I was torn. When I initially read what you previously posted, I was thinking to myself that it was rather unusual that you would take a white person telling you that they forgot that you were black as a compliment. It was unusual to me because of the acceptance factor (you know, if you were white, he wouldn’t have said, I forget that you’re white sometimes). But at the same time, I feel what you’re saying. You don’t want to be labeled as “my black friend”, you just want to be labeled as “my friend”. Truth is, skin color is something that we can never escape from (unless we take Michael Jackson’s route). The problem is what you expect from the culture at hand. Do you expect blacks to be ghetto and ignorant if your white? Do you expect whites to be founding members of the KKK if your black? I’m living off of Dr. Kings dream, accept me for who I am, define me by me, not by the color of my skin.
________________________________________________
I am loving this post and you said it better than me.
LOL at “Truth is, skin color is something that we can never escape from (unless we take Michael Jackson’s route). ” I completely agree. I see what you mean it is all about what you expect. I had a conversation with that friend who told me he didn’t have his first black classmate until he was in the 7th grade. He is a year and a half younger than me and grew up in a middle class part of Georgia. His family is not rich by any means but not poor either. He told me that in this conversation and that played apart of why I was complimented. I guess to say that he was not used to being around blacks he could have just as easy said “I don’t want to have anything to do with them” but he not only did the opposite he doesn’t even see it as a factor.
I pose this question to the forum: IF WE STOP LISTENING TO HIP-HOP MUSIC, STOP READING LITERATURE THAT CONTAINS THE N-WORD, ETC. AND WHITE PEOPLE STILL CALL US N-GGERS THEN WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSE TO DO?
It seems pretty ignorant to think that someone like IMUS(a racist)is never going to use the word again because we boycotted our own people behind it.
Lets evaluate the Noose symbol, we don’t hang each other or rap about nooses. But it was still used to intimidate the Jena 6 boys. Just like the Nazi symbol, still used to intimidate Jews…. well if Jews start throwing up the Nazi symbol maybe, just maybe, they will stop… I’m not sure, but it has not been tried and as a scientist I will not disprove a theory without evidence.
I think Nas has realized that what J.Jackson and Al Sharpton has marched for all these years have not worked….the other so-called revolutions(after the civil rights movement)have not worked…what will work? What exactly will it take?
@Buju Driva
I consider myself in this order
1. Human
2. man
3. Spiritual being
4. Black
I am not a slave to my color
Whenever I walk into a room filled with Whites I think of myself as a “man” equal to all and in some cases superior to some, if they think differently then that’s their problem.
@daone
What it takes is people like you and me taking a stand against it. As for the noose, Kat Williams wore one to the BET awards. I frankly don’t care is white people us the word. That doesn’t surprise me. What surprises me is when we call each other the N-word b/c we know the pain behind it. It’s just like when I found out that back when slavery was legal some of the Africans were capturing other Africans for the white men in exchange for goods (guns, jewelry, clothing, etc.)That broke my heart. To hear of a white person putting us down ,okay, it’s wrong but I get it. To see a black person tearing another black person down I will never understand.
So hard for us to do anything about other cultures referring to us by these derogatory names when we ourselves still don’t seem to care how this hurts most of our older generation. Have you not seen how our women were called “n**as” and hosed down by racist white ppl? Don’t you even care how you make the older ppl in your fam feel when you constantly throw the N word around? That alone should make you stop. That word has absolutely NOTHING to do with the street or living poor in the ghetto. That is just an excuse. It has everything to do, however, with what went on during slavery. We don’t even have to talk about how other cultures have adopted the word to make them seem “down” or how when it WAS used in the early 1900s (maybe even earlier) it was to degrade our ppl. WTF is wrong with you? Ain’t that enough? If you don’t mind ppl calling you n**as, bitches and hos, let it be done in your own home and leave us to try and uplift and make our ppl proud. I know I would want to beat somebody ass if one of my kids was referred to as a “n**a, especially by someone white. Maybe I’m the only one.
Sometimes just being black can be an uphill battle. Too bad it’s b/c we can’t seem to agree on the most obvious ish. Guess the light skin/dark skin fight is on the back burner now. Damn….just damn. When will we learn to fight for one common cause together?
I’m wondering if some of you even read what he said. It sounds to me like a lot of you are just going off on tangents and trying to sound intellectual.
This is what Hip-Hop is supposed to be. It’s supposed to be bold, unafraid and in your face. Nas has always brought intelligence to his music so i’m not worried about him taking it there on race issues.
What I find ridiculous is the fact that people support coke raps and ass dropping in vids and rappers saying Nigga every 3 seconds in songs, but when someone tries to boldly confront race and encourage a real conversation you have a problem. Why not just build with him and have a real discussion on the issue. I’m loving Nas getting his Dead Prez lol I just wish more rappers actually had something to contribute.
I’m wondering if some of you even read what he said. It sounds to me like a lot of you are just going off on tangents and trying to sound intellectual.
This is what Hip-Hop is supposed to be. It’s supposed to be bold, unafraid and in your face. Nas has always brought intelligence to his music so i’m not worried about him taking it there on race issues.
What I find ridiculous is the fact that people support coke raps and ass dropping in vids and rappers saying Nigga every 3 seconds in songs, but when someone tries to boldly confront race and encourage a real conversation you have a problem. Why not just build with him and have a real discussion on the issue. I’m loving Nas getting his Dead Prez on lol I just wish more rappers actually had something to contribute.
This foolishnes in one sentence: Nas, you are no “disciple” for the streets or otherwise; you are just a n***er who clearly intends to cash in by selling–yourself and black people–out while passing off the garbage that is and has been the content of your lyrics for sometime as street intelligence and street intellectualizing.
You represent and speak only for the ignorant n***ers–no sting intended!–that support your crazy fool’s talk.
In a way, it’s a good thing that you are doing this. This way a lot more black-and brown and yellow and white–people can see the state of what is now understood as black people, black culture, and black consciousness.
I cosign with what richie, tru self, lioness, Avery and others on here have already so eloquently, firmly, respectfully, and humorously said on this blog.
Nas used to fall into a different category, along with Common, who I admire so much as a brother with something real to say, something that makes you think. Nas has lost my respect and nobody better bring another CD of his into my home.
I just want to be in WalMart to hear a white boy say, “Yo, son I just bought that Nigger, you need to get one too” or “How much to buy a couple Niggers?”
Guys like Imus are going to have a field day. Thanks NaS. Illmatic, Stillmatic, Nastodamus the guy makes great albums, but the titles are always corny. lol
@daone
You miss the point. People are reacting the way they are NOT because he used the word. We’ve all heard it and read it so many times. It’s the painful, substanceless, hypocritical, and insulting way he is using it. Nas named his album N***er PRECISELY because of it’s power to hurt and enrage and attract attention–because of it’s power to sting. It seems he wants to rehabilitate the word. “With all the bullsh– that’s going on in the world, racism is at its peak.” is this even a worthy “artistic” effort? He’s profiteering off of the word. He is not even talking to the majority of black people–he’s talking to the n***gers (no sting!) in the “streets”.
jAMES BOND
I really don’t like this at all, and how can he compare Former slaves to slave masters, cracker doesn’t bother white people because the name has no lingering past, it just mean plain and stale, Nigger on the other hand has so much history to it, it was a name that discriminated us , slavery, poverty , second class, I am a intellectual brotha myself and I really don’t see his point, I like Nas, I think he is the best lyricist, I just don’t get it.
^^^^^^^
You dont get he’s trying to create controversy. just like hiphop is dead…
he’s a great rapper but when shit dosent go his
way dude gets bitter… hence the subliminal disses to Jay,50,south….
and the real disses to mobb,nore,dip-set,50,etc…
i stop being a fan after gods son…
If he and others like him really wanted to take power from the word, “nigger”, then why not let it die? Why keep using it and bringing it back up? No matter how somebody uses “nigger” it’s still “nigger”. Instead of running around, talking, “I’m a street disciple”, why not use that fame to influence something positive? Supposedly, people who are “hustlin’” and “doin’ their thang”, do it because they have no education, their environment, fear, survival, and money to get out of their situation. Well, he has money (I guess), access to education, and most likely is not living in that type of environment; so why is he and others like him still spewing the same ol’ crap that keeps a lot of poorer Blacks in mental bondage? We don’t know what type of messages are going to be on the album, so the album itself can’t be judged, yet.
@RumRaisin
Great point….art is supposed to be bold and thought-provoking. That’s why we have separate categories for “artists” and “entertainers”
he’s a fucking douchbag and its a shame because i like him. Cornell west has enoughcommon sense not to name things nigger you dumb fuck. its all about common sense fuck all this fuckin racism is ridiculous get the fuck over your selves i’m native and you dont see any natives going around calling each other redskins and shit if anything its got to stop.
K Dogg,
You have me confused with someone else. My name is Brenda.
@letmetellya
no offense, but you’re obviously not a nas fan. Im a boderline stan and i will admit he’s had his fair share of bullshit but when he’s on…he will take you to that place
1. black girl lost
2. project windows
3. we will survive
4. second childhood
5. i can
6. ghetto prisoners
7. what goes around
8. just a moment
9. these are our heroes
this is just off the top of my head, just google some of these lyrics
There are plenty of words that have changed meaning and value with time. For some of you it might be too soon. Having done a superquick survey (my 2 friends here) the word means very little to them in the UK. It can only hurt you if you hang on to it refusing to let it go. A word is as important as ppl allow it to be. Sure it has history and noone says forget that but frankly half the sub teens today aren’t even aware of that history – for that reason alone, plus rap musics constant usage the word will weaken in value.
http://www.lovelifegodsexmoney.com
@MSABOGADA
“IM NOT SAYING THE WORD DOESN’T HAVE POWER…ALL WORDS CAN HAVE POWER, IF YOU GIVE THEM THAT POWER. WORDS IN AND OF THEMSELVES ARE JUST LETTERS PUT TOGETHER, I CAN MAKE UP A WORD AND ITS MEANINGLESS. PEOPLE GIVE WORDS MEANINGS AND POWER. BUT ONLY I CONTROL THE POWER THAT THE WORD HAS OVER ME (NOW SOMEONE ELSE MAY CHOOSE TO GIVE A WORD POWER, BUT ONLY I DECIDE THE SIGNIFICANCE THE WORD WILL HAVE IN MY LIFE)…FEEL ME? I CONTROLLED THE POWER THAT THE WORD HAD OVER ME, AND I DECIDED TO GIVE IT NO POWER… WELL AT LEAST NO NEGATIVE POWER”.
Yes I am feeling you. Yes it is true that the power of words is equal to the weight we give them. But there is more to it than that. In order to remove the power, you must deal with other factors. To simply say “I will stop giving this word power” is not being realistic because there are different REASONS why each person deems it powerful. Different people have different relationships with this word. And it depends on age, race, religion, political beliefs, education, upbringing, emotional, mental and/or psychological mind state, environment, economics and maybe a few other factors that I’m missing here. “Nigger” is more complex for MOST people than it is for some. And it must be approached that way. Otherwise, it will NEVER go away!
Damn that, that ni#@a done lost his mind
I’M NOT MAD AT THIS ASS FOR TITILEING THE CD…
I use to have major respect for Nas, but sadly that has been dimished. Those he refers to as “Old” not only paved the way for him, me and others, they gave their very lives. For him to dismiss that so easily is disturbing. I can almost see what he’ trying to say, but his dismissive attitude for those who have been abused and even brutalized by the word and those who hve used it, is unacceptable. There are those of us who still consider the word offensive.
I figured Nas wouldn’t just name his album that without making some kind of social commentary, BUT…
Black people will NEVER take power from the word. Never. I don’t care how much we “nigga” each other down. The first time a white person calls Nas or any other “street disciple” a Nigger to his face, they will be hurt, angry and ready to fight. It might be easy for us to call one another that, but we can NEVER change the meaning of that word and that is just a simple fact.
In order to take meaning from the word, we first have to change the power structure of country, where those who currently use the word “nigger” in a disparaging manner no longer have power over us. As long as whites remain in a position of power, the use of the word “nigger” by them will always be something derogatory.
But whatever…black people have to be the first people to EVER say “fuck you” to their elders…to so blatantly spit in the face of the people who have the WISDOM and EXPERIENCE to keep moving forward. Old people are not perfect, but they damn sure know more than we do.
Maybe that’s why we’re so far behind. What we are doing to our elders is like a child saying to the parent, “fuck you,” I’m gone do what I want to do…and that’s exactly what our young people are doing today (literally).
Nas is a great and necessary artist, but he is very naive to think that he and other blacks can change the meaning of a word by simply using it on ourselves over and over and over.
i don’t care what he titles his album-as several comments have mentioned, how is an album titled “nigger” any different from all of the hip hop artists who use the word in their lyrics? regardless, every time a black person uses the “n-word”, they empower a “cracker” to use it.
He is sorry. He thinks he is deep, but he needs to read a few more books.
Nas, Man, YOU WRONG!
You sound intellectual in trying to sell this to us, but you’re so wrong!
When everything is said and done (not just what you’re album will be about) you’re still going to be wrong.
Most rappers ain’t even on the same level as you, but sounds like you’re trying to take up for them.
good for him…good for us.
Let’s hope that his child’s grammar is better than his.
I’m wondering if some of you even read what he said. It sounds to me like a lot of you are just going off on tangents and trying to sound intellectual.
This is what Hip-Hop is supposed to be. It’s supposed to be bold, unafraid and in your face. Nas has always brought intelligence to his music so i’m not worried about him taking it there on race issues.
What I find ridiculous is the fact that people support coke raps and ass dropping in vids and rappers saying Nigga every 3 seconds in songs, but when someone tries to boldly confront race and encourage a real conversation you have a problem. Why not just build with him and have a real discussion on the issue. I’m loving Nas getting his Dead Prez lol I just wish more rappers actually had something to contribute.
—————————–
CO-SIGN 1000%
And most of the posters are NOT Hip-Hop fans… go buy Illmatic IMMEDIATELY….
Nas is a selfish idiot. He’s just trying to create controversy to sell records. Jay Z only signed him to show who was the boss, and he was so broke he went for it. Now I guess his pockets are light once again, so he’s going to sell out his race. People actually think he’s a professor or something, when in reality he’s a junior high dropout. Time to stop using gimmicks and believing you are a genius Nas. If your such a genius quit rapping and become a rocket scientist.
A lot of our people died and suffered behind the word nigger.
i also use that word. i wasnt born in those days so i couldnt possibly understand what racism was to them. none of my friends were never lynched.so they cant possibly understand what that words means to some of us.they will “always”be bias, and i can under stand that.but this is a new generation. some of the most successful and respectful people i know use that word.so instead of worryin about if jewish people dont codone anti semetic words,thats because they are anti semetic words.the word nigga has always been a term of endearmentand i’ve never heard any black man or women use that word out of context. except older black people,
Why are we as a people so in love with this word? It serves no real purpose. Like really, why use it? By not using it, it will force folks to enhance their vocabulary. It’s a curse word. In a polite society you don’t use curse words.
I believe the only way for the word to lose it’s power to hurt, would be for us to be ok with white people (or non-blacks) using it freely. Once that happens, and everyone is using it, in both ways “What up, my n*gga?” or “You fuckin’ dirty n*gger”, then it may lose it’s “sting”. It could have the same power as the word ‘chair’ or ‘bike’. But that day will never come, and I for one will never be comfortable with the use of that ugly word by anyone.
I’ve got faith in Nasir. All I can say is…
This better be the next ILLMATIC.
I don’t like the idea of his CD having that title, and I’m hoping this isn’t a publicity stunt– because Nas is a truly talented man who shouldn’t use gimmicks– but White folks are just going to feel free to use the word more openly now. Most of them won’t be that stupid because I’m sure they’ll realize they’ll get beaten for stepping to someone saying that, but this won’t really be a good look.
I adore Nas and have faith in the man’s intellect and talent, but why is he trying to take this battle and place it on his shoulders? It’s not his job to desensitize society to the “sting” of the word “nigger”. That right there has me puzzled.
Again, I’m gonna wait to hear this thing, but it better be insanely profound.
The intention might be good, but honey, it’s been done and it didn’t work. Just like gay people can’t neutralize “faggot,” we cannot neutralize “nigger.” It was hateful and yet another rap album isn’t going to take that away. Several rappers have done it. It hasn’t worked.
Pure nonsense. Nas is not dropping knowledge, he’s trying to sell an album and make money. If a white mob chased him and beat him up calling him that word, would he still think it’s okay to “take the sting out of it”? You can’t neutralize the word because it has too much hateful history behind it. I really don’t understand why we are trying to make this word okay. Not that long ago, “picnics” consisted of finding some random black man, beating him, lynching him and allowing the family to be apart of it. Real family together time. Pick up the book “Without Sanctuary”, tell people about Medgar Evans, DO NOT title your album with that DISGUSTING word. I used to like Nas, I’m disappointed.
nas has no toehr reason no matter what he says for doing this other than causing controversy.he knew the title of the album would cause a storm and bring attention to his album.thats why he did it and for no reason other than that.he was prolly the one who leaked his album title to fox.its all a publicity stunt and for nas to resort to this is shamefukl.i as a fan would no longer listen to his music or anything he has to say.
How sad. Leave it to “African-Americans” (not other blacks) to continue to demean themselves and let a white man’s word identify them. Truly sad….
whateva, I think this title is demeaning to the african-american race and he needs to seriously reconsider the title. The white man invented that word to disgrace and degrade us. We picked it up in our ignorance and now that we are wise enough to let go; Nas brings it back. Nas is an ignorant nigga!
Nas is doin to much, he needs to calm down always tryin to be so philosophical.
Dick Gregory wrote a book called Nigger in the 60’s and it was well regarded. There have been other books written using the exact same title. Why and how can you critise someone’s work if you have not read/listened to it. Those of you who don’t like the idea of Nas naming his album need to get a grip. The word nigger is used by plenty of black folks. Its a word we shouldn’t place so much weight on it.
Please, if Cornell West came out with a n-word book, i would think JUNK! that man is an idiot!!
well, it seems that Nas made an explnation of why he made that album that name, and i have to give him credit, becase he is a recording artist and Art is all about taking chances and mimicking real life.
however, with the still controversy of the n word and the situations that are affiliated with it, he cannot expect to get disapproving looks.
Nas, I’m trying to remain objective. You penned ‘Poison’, so you must know what you are doing. Subsequently, I will wait until your album drops before decide whether you are justified in using the foulest word in the English language as its title. But I’m struggling with your decision. I don’t understand why, with your talent and God given gift, you are not enlightening your brothers and sisters in the street. If they don’t know who Medgar Evers is, then teach them. You are one of the few people on this earth that can actually reach them. We are about the same age and come from similar backgrounds and when I look at my younger brothers and sisters, I wish I could do what you do, and uplift them. Medgar’s widow just gave an interview on NPR addressing the use of the foulest word ever, http://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=11&agg=0&prgDate=10-18-2007&view=storyview. Could it be that generation preceding us is wiser, maybe we shouldn’t readily dismiss their guidance and advice. Toussaint, Harriet, Marcus, Medgar, Martin, Malcolm, Stokely: these are our warriors and were more gangster than street corner thugs. Yet, their names conjure up nothing amongst the majority of our people. Instead coons running around naming them selves after white owned products and members of the mafia! We are at the eve of a brand new revolution and we are so not ready; in this present state will loose the war. You are our voice. I sit and listen to your music with my son because you are the prototypical intelligent hoodlum. Think this one through before you act.
PS. “the foulest word ever” will always sting, until black people are back on top, and running things. Yes, 500 years ago, Africans had it on smash.
“A mind is a terrible thing to waste…”
This is what happens when you have an illiterate “mogul” trying to hype and justify the sale of his toxic product.
Nas, go somewhere and sit down!
First of all in a sense we should not put nas as some exception from the other rappers totally, cause as a previous writer mentioned Lil wayne and countless other rappers use it
However, it still remains the way in which Nas is using it that word is carrying a totally different context and used for a totally different purpose, which frankly in my opinion is “counter-productive” and “counter-revolutionary”. Nas must understand using that word in such a manner is not taking away from the hurt, anger, pain and even revenge it can engender in an individual.
Steps or actions that would be productive and revolutionary to the black populace would be to empower to think that the colour of your skin does not define who you are and that label which was given to you because of the colour of our skin is insignificant and should in y opinion be removed from the English Language.
I mean come on! Rappers have been using it their songs for years and it still has not managed to be disempowered.
..you know what i’ll wait on a response to this b4 i continue because i have so much to say
Totally agree with you Kiki. Using the N-word as a title is extremely irresponsible and his explanation isnt vital because even if Cornell West came out with a book title Nigger alot of people would be pissed off. Furthermore, he keeps making controversial album titles to gain attention but it doesnt work. NAS YOU CANNOT SELL LIKE 50 OR KANYE unless you sell out! Point blank, mainstream audience cannot feel you like those two because your lyrics are too advance. You’re too talented so dont call this album Nigger just go gain attention. Its stupid
Complete ridiculouness that this is acceptable. There’s nothing about rap nowadays that is really relevant which makes a statement about speaking what’s going on. Kanye, 50, Jay-Z spend more time at high fashion white dominated fashion and award shows than being involved with what they are supposedly enlightening us all on? How many articles have there been here on Bossip about Kanye being metero-sexual?
If Axl Rose, Springsteen or Madonna wanted to name their album “Nigger” we’d be yelling from the highest rafters for their head. Complete double standard and there is absolutely nothing provocative or thought provoking for Nas to use such exploitive techniques to sell his so called “important discussion.” I mean really, his a singing artist. Is this who we look for to enlighten the masses? SMH
…and if NAS wants to call himself Nigger, then he’s the biggest Uncle Tom of them all.
Wow @ some of these comments. Y’all can’t be serious lol All of a sudden ALL of you black people are so offended by “nigga” and now no one ever uses the word. Get out of here with that lol Most rappers perpetuate some of the most ignorant stereotypes of blacks imaginable and offer NOTHING to us as a community. Yet Someone like Nas who has NEVER misrepresented is getting bashed by some of you clowns lol. I guess if he was talking about his rims, homes, cars, guns, coke, where him and Kelis vacation and go shopping you’d be cool.
YOU IGNORANT FOOLS WHO SUPPORT THIS MORON ARE THE PRODUCT OF THIS PATHETIC SOCIETY. HE SHOULD BE CURSED FOR DEMEANING MEDGAR EVERS. ABSOLUTELY DISGRACEFUL.
Nas has officially sold his soul…and some of you spineless “stand for nothing” sheep are actually dumb enough to let me tell you there’s a “science” behind it…when he’s obviously naming his album controversially to get attention…remember, “Hip Hop is Dead” was controversial, and still didn’t sell…now he’s taking it a step further and in essence pushing us MANY steps back with this outrageous ignorance…THERE’S NEVER AN EXCUSE TO USE THAT WORD.
the only reason i think alot of peopl cling on to that word, especially now, is probably because the pressure of being told not to say it. first of all like alot of young black people we didnt learn it from anybody else but ourmothers an fathers, our grandmothers and our grandfathers. you got peopl bein called ignorant and non revolutionary because we are comfortable with usin the word(nigga).we know our history better than you think, an we know there is also a great deal of ignorance in our community, and we also know who the bad seeds in our community are.but we dont do nothin about them.yall act like if we dont use that word, that automatically ignorant black people will vanish like the one that shot and killed my uncle.we are the only race ever that blames everyone else but us.
I’m a white girl and an avid fan of Nas that feels compelled to comment on this issue. Well, let me clarify before people preclude me because I’m white and don’t know what the hell I’m taking about. I also happen to be an Armenian from Russia, where people with Middle Eastern phenotypes (like me) have historically been called “niggers,” “black-asses,” “monkeys,” etc, and, as minorities, face the same socioeconomic hardships blacks encounter in the West. So believe me, I’ve seen and heard it all and know what it feels like.
The situation is especially poignant to me because I’ve been on both sides of the fence. In America, I know a lot of assimilated confused Russian and Armenian kids who use the word “nigga” in casual conversation, presumably for the same reasons as confused black kids do. To me, both the word “nigger” and its derivative “nigga” have always sounded inappropriate no matter who utters them. That is, both evoke an unpleasant visceral reaction. Obviously, black people have every right to re-appropriate the word as a community and determine it’s fate, whether they choose to incorporate it into the vernacular or dispose of it altogether. That said, however, I see Nas’s point; the word, demeaning as it is, only has meaning if people continue to imbue it with symbolism, sort of in the way that money only has value if people can quantify the real goods it will buy them. Unless the word is used in an explicitly derogatory manner that indeed warrants protest, perhaps it should simply be allowed to fall on deaf ears. That way, it will ultimately lose its novelty and its power to wound. While I agree with most things Bill Cosby and the like have to say, I think the raging debate over something that is, cosmically, nothing more than a word, avoids the bigger picture, encourages people wallow in irreversible past and derails them from addressing more important contemporary issues. In the end, the black youth of America have more serious problems than the proliferation of the word in their daily language. By dwelling on an irreconcilable semantic debate, progress becomes stagnant, even regressive!
Also, who cares if guys like Lil’ Wayne and T.I. fire off “nigga” in their songs like machine gun rounds? Sure, they’re being negligent and irresponsible, but do they really have anything intellectually relevant to contribute, anyway? Do people really take them seriously in intelligent debate? I think not. Most rappers are merely entertainers and most entertainers make crappy cultural arbiters (Britney Spears, anyone?). Bill Cosby was right about this, among other things: black (and white!) children in America need proactive, liberating parenting and education. Then, they will be able to weight the pros and cons and make informed decisions (like the one to say or not to say the n-word) on their own. Not to mention, they won’t fall prey to low culture or bogus, sensationalist news.
Nonetheless, I hope Nas does justice to the heavy title of this album because, as much as I love him, the last time I heard something truly intellectual come out of his mouth was in the “Illmatic” and “It Was Written” days. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that he hasn’t let fame get to his head!
Here is an interesting article, http://www.shoutmouth.com/index.php/news/Nas_Album_Title_Not_For_Sure%2C_But_People_Still_Hate_It
that states that Nas may have jumped the gun. There are quotes from 3 different camps: Jesse Jackson, the NAACP and Don Imus. I want you all to read this and SEE exactly who your opinions match with. ESPECIALLY you people who are arguing that we should use it to remove it’s power! Just look at who agrees with you! And THINK!
Lusine – no one asked you, and your reasoning reeks of the self-importance that allowed Nas to attempt to chase his self-made windmills. History has already decided the fate of this word, and no self-absorbed, moderately talented, undereducated rapper will ever change that. There is no way to “do justice to the heavy title” – this circumstance is an outrage.
So when Dick Gregory titled his autobiography NIGGER… Was any of y’all up here complainin’…. I guess not…. since there was NO outcry from the public….. now all of a sudden…. when a rapper… much one wit’ a message wants to name his album the same title…. it’s a problem…. that’s a big motherfuckin’ double standard…. and there have been rap albums and singles wit’ the word in it’s titles…. and yet nobody here got all self righteous…. NOBODY knows what Nas’s intentions are wit’ this album…… so we have to wait and see until the songs come out….. so until then…. everybody bashin’ Nas need to STFU…..
I love how Fox News fabricates their BS & how other media outlets pick it up like it’s the truth. They pulled the same sh#t with the 2000 election when they reported that Dubya won before the votes were all counted. People please stop watching that channel cuz you’re only supporting their crooked agenda.
like i said nas b*tch azz swears he’s Jesus.. he needs to shut dat sh*t up. nas let it go mayne, no one wants to hear your bullsh*t. always preachin’ bout some sh*t when your records be some sh*t. smh.. still can’t believe dis n*gga thinks he’s Jesus.
Kelis brain washed Nas, then Jay-Z f*kced him period! I told him to stay away from that chick ’cause she was bananas and I told him not to sign with J ’cause that was admitting defeat. Look at him now, they both turned him into thier pet monkey. Nas is dead and he was replaced by Bubbles.
Hello..Nigga!..its funny!..ha ha..I remember when i was a young man growing up in Brooklyn just came from Haiti( Caribbean island) the people that stereotype, degrade, and insult me was African-Americans..and they still do now..never heard the word “nigger” until African-American called themselves that in school..its not the word that the problem is the stupidity of the people using it.. …black and whites! Before u teach your kids about the n-word..teach them about class and respect..and nothing can cut cut down!!
P.S…i love Nas ..thats my dude!1
SAY THAT NAS~ I LOVE HIS WAY OF THINKIN HE IS DEFINATELY ONE OF THE GREATS ~ HES A REVOLUTIONARY ASS CAT AND YA’LL WHO DONT AGREE WITH THAT REAL ASS SHIT HES SPITTING ARE SIMPLE ASS BRAIN WASHED FOOLS THAT ARES WILLING TO LET WHITEY CONVINCE YOU THAT EVERY THAAAANG THAT WE THINK OF FOR OURSELVES IS WRONG ~ THINK AGAIN FOLKS ITS TIME TO EXPAND AND CONTINUE OUR {BLACK } MOVEMENT ON A WHOLE NOTHA LEVEL ~ HES REAL ~
Nas is an uneducated Nigger trying to sell albums by stirring up controversy; and if you believe there is a “science” to his reasoning (other than getting paid) you are very gullible.
i just hope he knows what he’s doing,and is able to pull it off, because this has the potential to go sooooo wrong!!
EDUCATE YOURSELVES AND YOUR KIDS!!!!!!!!! That is ultimately what is wrong with our community now- WE DON’T VALUE EDUCATION. We listen to entertainers and their ideals/lifestyles taint what we think and know- WHEN WE SHOULD THINK FOR OURSELVES!!!!!! I could care less what Nas names his album, he is only a rapper- NOT A PROFESSOR LIKE CORNEL WEST!!!!!! I don’t care if he compares himself to a man like Mr. West, people that have read his articles and books know how ludricrous that comparison is. Stop riding Nas’ d**k, and actually enlighten yourself to what real black intellectuals, people who actually know our history from studying it for years and years, have to say. Turn off your MP3’s and CD’s from all these fools that think they have something to say and READ!!!!!!!!!! Don’t let rappers that are making a living off of your $$$$ educate you on anything other than getting your dance and party on! Yeah, they may occasionally have something to say that makes some sense, but most of it is their opinions/commentary based on THEIR life experiences- nothing more, nothing less. School yourself by reading the abundent amount of info out there on the state of our community and the legacy of racism- then try listening to most of this hip hop out here and see if you can take it seriously. And the argument that these “street professors” that are “keepin’ it real” know more than our educated, “sell-out” brothers about how it is “in da hood” is some BS!!!!!! Contrary to popular belief, there are actually black men from impoverished neighborhoods that choose to get an education and pursue knowledge rather than make rap albums. These men, believe it or not, spend countless hours teaching and writing books to help the youth- rather than destroy them by perpetuating ignorant, stereotypical behaviors and mentality. Show me a rapper with a Master’s or PHD, and only then I may actually take what he has to say with more than a grain of salt….
we are at a new low, all he is doing is trying to sell records and create controversy, if he has something to say, he can just state it without being hateful. He is the Nigger is this case.
How would he like it if we called him Nigger Nas.
LOL! oh my God, okay black male rappers are just worthless dumb and showing very ignorance’s would anybody listen to what they have to say? yes a shame hes just trying sell to make some money.its funny how the black men in the rap game selling out for the white man all because what went down with those black girls got called nappy headed ***s and the white men blamed the rappers and the rappers taken it out on black women really see how they put them white chicks in the videos more now give them tans to look black lmao please you ugly chicks could never be black any who loll not all black men but some are just weak minded selling out for the white people point is these rappers are nothing but trash as black people we got to do better and be smart and have real roll models like your mother your father church lets have goals and move up in the world and stop hating one another.
THIS LITTLE NUCCA IS TRIPPING.IF I SEE A C.D. TITLED NIGGER I WOULD’NT BUY IT.
This is almost tragic that an intelligent brother would say something as inane as this. If he were to say he was going to another level to take the meaning out of the word, thus rendering it obsolete, I could get with this. But to take the sting out? Make it easy on the ears?!?! Are you kiddin’ me? That’s like trying to take the stink out of a pile of fresh $h!t.
I have respect for what Nas is TRYING to do, but to me, you cannot turn shit into sugar no matter how hard you try.
And that picture of Cornell was wrong…
Nas is smarter than Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, all those dudes. He knows exactly what hes doing, Nas wouldn’t title his album this way unless he had a plan and I trust his intelligence and strategy. He absolutely right about the Dr. West comment.
Nas is a moron. And when his children grow up, they will not think he is a role model or a man– they will think he is one ignorant ‘nigger’, who sold his people out to make a buck. And they’ll be right. Some of you are shortsighted lemmings. Don’t follow that ‘nigger’ over the cliff. I’m glad the majority of you are smart enough to see through this ‘nigger’s’ bullshit. He’s trying to get paid. Period. Don’t let him.
Lioness is right on target! This is just some promotional BS from an artis that is 9sincerley) one of the greatest of all time (ETHER!?!!), yet hasnt had the selling power in may moons – gotta do what he gotta do (I guess
– but then dont go bucking the establishment for “rapping” our young artists on the come up. Your not being tru to yourself. Its really sad…..
Wow…I am not to sure what to say. I mean I was all for Nas using the term as a title for his up and coming album because I felt that he had a legitimate reason for using it. But after reading his comment I am not so sure anymore. I mean I think I understood what he was trying to say but it really didn’t come across so good as an explaination or make his argument that much stronger. The reason I felt he was using the term was because (sad as it may seem) its a comman word used among 85% of black people and he was going to maybe show/explain why it is so easy for Black people as a whole to use the word.
Whatever the reason is…. and no matter how people feel. This word will always be present.
When Nas said if u call a white person a “cracker” that they won’t care!! I am shocked by that…because a racist comment is just that “racist” If a word is used to hurt, slander or dehumanize a person in anyway…it is racist. I will still cop Nas’s album (On BOOTLEG) and I hope that I understand better the use of the title “nigger”. If not at least his ass won’t get any money or support from me. HOLLA
nas makes no sense. as if an album can erase centuries of oppression behnid the word ‘nigger’.
i don’t listen to garbage music anyway, and i urge his fans to boycott his album. what a screw up son of a bitch.
i used to be a fan of Nas’ but i was a fool. you can’t call yourself a man when the only way you can be a man is step on others and belittle them. what will it take for us to understand that there is nothing positive about that word and there never will be.
Here is a song from the album called “Surviving the Times”: http://morebounce-oz.com/audio/SurvivingTheTimes.mp3
Though it is a good song, I see no connection to the title of the album. And that should solidifies my belief that it is all promotional and nothing else!
Just because someone is a good rapper or has some good tracks, doesn’t mean he ain’t full of shit.
Nas has to stop smoking herb ’cause it has finally taken effect. All I know is in my life, most of the hurt I’ve experienced has come from other Black people. I know some people use that word jokingly but it still stings when someone refers me as a nigga. I’m just being sincere. I’ve seen my people hurt one another, jump one another, saying, “nigga, I’ll kill you. Fuck you nigga.” And I could sense the hatred, which was definitely more than 2 people having a disagreement. That’s probably why our beefs escalate more than any other ethnic group when they beef with each other. And people can mention hispanics all they want, but I rather compare my people to those who are doing it in life. Name calling of any kind, dehumanizes a person and makes it easier to hurt them.
We all know the modern minstrels are hip hop artists. I haven’t bought an album since the late ’90s. I rather download this crap for free. I remember when I used to learn from hip hop as a kid. Back then, rappers were really educated. Now you have idiots, with no kind of formal education rapping about nonsense. Now wonder they only talk about cars, drugs, murder and sex. That’s all they know! Knowledge is food for your soul. Love yourselves. We don’t trust one another. We don’t support one another. This has to stop. Truly! I’m so tired of the way we praise and look up to drug dealers, thugs and ignorant rappers. We’re so concerned with being cool that we don’t have shit! All our women care about now is having big asses. You see adolescent girls walking with their chest and butts sticking out, wearing tight jeans, like that’s all they have to offer. All I can be is an example and let these kids know, life is more fun with discipline. Most importantly these kids have to realize they define themselves, not popular culture. You see how white kids can be surfer dudes, gothic, punks, corporate, whatever! But we put so much unnecessary pressure on ourselves to be hip hoppish. There’s more to black people. You are individuals! I feel like I’m being sensitive when I ask my friends not to call me nigga but sincerely, the word hurts. Too many of us have been killed or injured while that word was being yelled by someone that looks like us. I lost a good friend of mine a couple years back that could have easily moved out the hood when he came up but he wanted to help the community. It wasn’t a white man that killed him, that’s all I’ll say.
I would praise NAS for NOT using the word n***** on his album. Why doesn’t Nas do that? To me that would have more affect that using the word as your album title. I make beats and will never have a lyricist use that word over my beat.
If some white guy called Nas a n*****, I bet he would do something about it.
http://www.myspace.com/mitsurugix
man. the white man was called cracker because he always held a whip when working the plantation, fucking dumb ass. so when you call a white dude a cracker your essentially calling him your master.
EDUCATE YOURSELVES AND YOUR KIDS!!!!!!!!! That is ultimately what is wrong with our community now- WE DON’T VALUE EDUCATION. We listen to entertainers and their ideals/lifestyles taint what we think and know- WHEN WE SHOULD THINK FOR OURSELVES!!!!!! I could care less what Nas names his album, he is only a rapper- NOT A PROFESSOR LIKE CORNEL WEST!!!!!! I don’t care if he compares himself to a man like Mr. West, people that have read his articles and books know how ludricrous that comparison is. Stop riding Nas’ d**k, and actually enlighten yourself to what real black intellectuals, people who actually know our history from studying it for years and years, have to say…
THOSE WORDS ARE VERY TRUE. Its so funny how a lot of you act as if Nas has a Phd or something. He is not in the same category as an intellectual because if he was he could just stop rapping and go be a college professor, or an occupation using his brain. He speaks well and is clever with words, thats it. What occupation would he have if he couldn’t rap. He is showing who he really is by degrading his race to sell records. He can spin it any way he wants to, but in the end its all about stirring up controversy to sell records.
The word is very demeaning and has a negative definition to it no matter who says it Nas, Cornel West, other races, me, you and boo too. We should be SICK of the word and stop using excuses for why we still use it and why this “such word” is still in existence even today!
As a graduate of Howard University a “black college”, I NEVER use the “N” word, however people like Tom Aikins “How can anyone call these people “artists?” They can’t sing, they can’t play a musical instrument and they can’t write music. And if they stopped using the n-word, bitch and ho, they wouldn’t have any lyrics for their songs” and others are prematurely jumping to ignorant conclusions with regards to Mr. Nasir Jones.
Nas is an artist.
His albums are PHENOMENAL… His father Olu Dara is a world renowned jazz musician and Nas’s lyric are haunting and spellbinding in their truth and wisdom. Note his lyrics in “I Can” from the God Son album……
“I know I can
Be what I wanna be
If I work hard at it
You can be anything in the world, in God we trust…..”
and there are many other fabulous songs which people should listen to before rushing to judgment. In fact my 50-something year old father (National Endowment for the Humanities Grant winner and author of Classroom Calypso a book which posits “How can urban students become writers?” and uses their “culture” as fodder) is also a HUGE Nas fan. He credits Nas’s One Mic with inspiring himself and his students to write critically and creatively about social issues.
One Mic, 2004
“All I need is one mic..
that’s all I ever needed in this world
to spread my voice to the whole world”
The “N”-word has found a cache… an in-crowd of discreditors who run towards its finish line. However this anti-“N” word movement though needed, lacks dimension. If there was a litmus test for “N”-word users and “N”-word abusers, Nas should be allowed to USE not abuse the “N”-word, unlike the usual suspects 50 Cent, R. Kelly, Snopp Dogg et. Al.
This anti-“N” word movement does not seem to accommodate its use for satire and social commentary. i.e Chris Rock “Niggas vs. Black People”, Nigger : An Autobiography by Dick Gregory, Nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word by Randall Kennedy and The Last Poets “Niggas is Scared of Revolution”. They are in a knee-jerk reactionary/put out the fire modality which is now coming off as a fad and a bit self-serving. The anti-“N”-word movement is becoming its own industry, which is actually keeping the “N” word alive and dare I say “for profit”.
And furthermore who green-lit the widespread use of the sanitized euphemism “N” word anyway? It sounds very Big Bird/Sesame Street to me, as if my parents are talking, catch me eavesdropping and quickly lubricate their malignancy with “N” word banality because I am not old enough to be apart of the conversation.
I am superimposing, void of naiveté, that Nas’s use of the “N” word will be epic and poetic, searing, a modern “THE SOULS OF BLACK FOLKS” if you will. In this era of Cosby vs. Michael Eric Dyson, and R. Kelly acquittals for molestation only to comeback as the “Pied Piper of R&B”, we need a break from surreality masquerading as mundane and instead of reacting, we should prevent “the dish from running away with the spoon, while the cow jumped over the moon”.
Nas’s Nigger or Nigga would not be blasphemy but a symphony or perhaps cacophony (jarring us to think- an oxymoron for commercial rap) but NOT a lullaby because unfortunately most mass-marketed rap has the “N” word as a through-line, an obligatory insertion on every song on an album with no critical engagement or analysis… as Wendy Williams would say “It is what it is”.
We need artists to be provocative, to question, to excite as well as entertain. Censorship of Nas is condescending and out of context of his artistic capabilities. He is not a coon, buffoon or sell-out. He does not profiteer from the musical depiction of black-on-black crime and he doesn’t have a clothing line selling in Macys with bullet-proof-vest embossed t-shirts. Nas is Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, most times he’s an activist speaking on behalf of political prisoners and the diasporic inhabitants of black Warsaws but occasionally uses “b” and “h”, (“So you ignant niggas hear me” as Lauryn Hill so elegantly rationalized) but so did Isaiah Thomas- he is still the coach of the Knicks and Nas should be able to say what he wants. Freedom of speech for artists not entrepreneurs! Nas’s “N” word will incite an uprising, and it already has with the usual anti-“N” word suspects.
As Nas prophetically stated on God Son, 2004….
All I need is one mic..
WHAT I STAND FOR SPEAKS FOR ITSELF
THEY DON’T UNDERSTAND
Or wanna see me on top, too egotistical
To the dismay of the anti-“N” word “establishment”…..
t.b.c = to be continued……..
Kanene Holder – You’re being selective with your quotes. Nas has been a drug dealer on his album. He’s been mafioso. He’s been as irresponsible using that word as any other rapper. Don’t be an apologist! You’re speaking of the great things your father has done, what if Nas attacked your father as opposed to Cornell West? C,mon man, stop it! We don’t like it when outsiders try to tell us what to do, it’s time we clean up our own mess. Instead of defending Nas, put your energy into opening a business in the black community. We need to focus our energy and mind on progressive matters.
I know as a parent and a grown woman that when someone calls you or your child a nigger you tell them that they are not niggers so try not to let the words bother them. I think that is what Nas is trying to get across, not to forget how painful the word nigger is to us as African Americans but to not act dangerously just by the mere mention of the word. There is no satisfaction from beating someone to a pulp because they called you a nigger. If you do something like that then you look like the bad guy. The word nigger will always and forever hurt us but we shouldn’t let it put us behind bars or sink us to the levels of the truly ignorant people who use these words to hurt us.
First of all, Alice in Wonderland more than 100 years ago debunked this foolish idea of Nas and others that “a word can mean anything I want it to mean.”You can say that, but it ain’t true. Words mean what We collectively determine them to mean, and the word “nigger” absolutely means something demeaning and insulting to many many people. So when you use it, that will be its meaning, no matter how much wishful thinking you bringing to your articulation, no matter what kind of tortured logic you use to try and draw a fine (non-existent) line between “nigger” and “nigga” . . . haven’t you ever heard the white racists in the South using the term “nig-roe” as if that was somehow neutral?
Second, let’s be real. The cultural milieu from which rap emanates, and in which it thrives, is a dysfunctional culture. Not only in the objectification and denigration of women, but also in the crisis of miseducation, the crisis of male incarceration, the crisis of fatherless children, the crisis of underemployment, the crisis if interpersonal violence, the crisis of economic personal finance . . . shall we go on? (Of course, these problems are not confined to poor urban blacks, but the problems in that cultural circle are heightened.)
The only way that the word “nigger” might begin to lose some of its power is when people begin to let go of the myth of racial difference.
Some idiot named Coffee said:
“SAY THAT NAS~ I LOVE HIS WAY OF THINKIN HE IS DEFINATELY ONE OF THE GREATS ~ HES A REVOLUTIONARY ASS CAT AND YA’LL WHO DONT AGREE WITH THAT REAL ASS SHIT HES SPITTING ARE SIMPLE ASS BRAIN WASHED FOOLS THAT ARES WILLING TO LET WHITEY CONVINCE YOU THAT EVERY THAAAANG THAT WE THINK OF FOR OURSELVES IS WRONG ~ THINK AGAIN FOLKS ITS TIME TO EXPAND AND CONTINUE OUR {BLACK } MOVEMENT ON A WHOLE NOTHA LEVEL ~ HES REAL”
Good thinking, Coffee!
NAS is a “revolutionary-ass cat” like Huey Newton, Che Guevara, Malcolm X . . .right.
And of course Coffee is brilliant enought to think that BLACK PEOPLE were the ones to think up calling each other “nigger,” not their masters. “Nigger” has nothing to do with white people, right? Coffee is upset that “whitey” is robbing the Black Man of this fantastically creative word. Coffee is a poster-child for the kind of ignorance that alarms so many of us.
Hard to imagine a more ignorant post than this.
didn’t dick gregory title a book called nigger? and if ppl want to get really deep into the word they should and not shy away from it racist topics are pretty interesting, but can we please talk about fatherless homes and the drug era cause so many parents are on drugs now the crackbabies of the 80’s are using crack now.
TO allthose saying nas is ignorantGetyour head out ya ass and open ya mind,heart,soul,ears just listen.
ay…yall shud calm down a little bit, let me ask you a question…have you guys even heard the album yet? Nas is right in a way, our ANCESTORS have been affected by this word…but let me ask you something if you are a black man walking down the street and a white man calls you a nigger would your ancestors want you to feel the same pain they did for it? I doubt any of ours would… If we want equal rights we have to give the white man the same equality of speech we have. An african american can say about anything they want…but white peoples words are so limited! They cant even call arabs sand niggers because not only will they piss off the blacks…but they piss of the arabs too! If we dont allow the word to be used to our faces then white people are only gonna say it behind our backs and believe it which is worse… Instead of trying to change them why dont we overcome another obstacle and become stronger than before?
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