The Great Debate: Who Can Say The N-Word?
by MichelleHuxtable
Wale, a rapper from DC who was recently named one of Hip-Hop’s Freshmen by XXL, has a song called “The Kramer” from his Mixtape About Nothing. It’s a great song to analyze because in one song it features a lot of the different views that people have on the n-word. It has hypocrisy. Wale says usage of the word is bad but then uses it more than 30 times in this song alone. He talks about the idea of Black people taking the word and making it ours, taking the power from it. He talks about why is it okay for Black people to use the word but not White people. In the end I think Wale condones using the n-word and he is on the side that we have taken the word and made it into something positive. While I don’t agree with everything Wale says, it’s still an interesting listen.
Warning. There are explicit lyrics. This is a fan-made video the song by Wale. There is no official video right now.
Wale – The Kramer (Unofficial Fan Video) from McFaddenisDead on Vimeo.
“Nigga ain’t bad, see, niggas just had/ A clever idea to take something they said/ Into something we have/ Something we flipped into something with swag/… A nigga write nigga in a lyric/ Expect the white boy to omit it/ The white boy spit it like he spit it/ Recite it to his friends who, by the way ain’t niggas/ And say, ‘Nigga, nigga, nigga, my favorite rapper did it’/ … Until a black friend kinda hear it just a tidbit/ He thinks, “Aw forget it./ It’s so insignificant and little.”/ The white boy sees this as a clearance/ Now it’s “Nigga, nigga, nigga” every single day/ And that little nigga nigga thinks it’s okay/ And he’s the only nigga in his particular grade/ And it begins to phase him more each day/ The things they say went a little too far/ He couldn’t tell the difference between an a or e-r/ So they keep going saying nigga in his face/ There’s nothing he can do, he let it get away”
Like I broke down the Jay-Z “Lost+” song, I’m going to do the same here. I’ll go line by line with the lyrics and talk about the argument of using the n-word.
“Nigga ain’t bad, see, niggas just had/ A clever idea to take something they said/ Into something we have/ Something we flipped into something with swag.”
This is the main argument you have probably heard when hearing someone explain why they use the n-word. “We took it and made it ours.” Jay-Z recently argued this point when he appeared on Oprah. Wale reiterates that point here. Black people tried to take a horrible word and flip it into something positive – a term of endearment. I think this argument is slightly hypocritical because to use this argument you’re acknowledging that there is a history behind the word and there is a deep-seated hatred. Yet once you ask them about the history, they say oh it’s just the past and it doesn’t mean anything today. This tells me that they must not truly know the past because we are still living in the effects of slavery, and that time period today.
” A nigga write nigga in a lyric/ Expect the white boy to omit it/ The white boy spit it like he spit it/ Recite it to his friends who, by the way ain’t niggas/ And say, ‘Nigga, nigga, nigga, my favorite rapper did it’.”
Here’s where the problem lies. Whatever your stance on the n-word, if you think black people should say it or not, here is usually where most people agree – non-blacks should not use the word. So if Sean says the n-word all the time around his white friends. Are we supposed to believe that his white friends aren’t going to pick up on the word and use it? Some might say that common sense should tell them not to use it. But humans like trial and error. So a white person will try it once and as soon as you ignore it that one time, they will take it as approval; as if you condoned their usage of the word.
“Until a black friend kinda hear it just a tidbit/ He thinks, “Aw forget it./ It’s so insignificant and little.”/ The white boy sees this as a clearance/ Now it’s “Nigga, nigga, nigga” every single day/ And that little nigga nigga thinks it’s okay/ And he’s the only nigga in his particular grade/ And it begins to phase him more each day/ The things they say went a little too far/ He couldn’t tell the difference between an a or e-r/ So they keep going saying nigga in his face/ There’s nothing he can do, he let it get away”
This is my favorite part of the song. Like I said earlier a black person will hear someone say it and not like it but won’t blow up and make a big deal out of it for whatever reason. Maybe they think it’s okay for them to say it or maybe they just think it was a slip and they won’t say it again. But then the white (or any non-black) person sees that as “a clearance” or an okay to use the word. Then they start using it all the time and that passes it on to their non-black friends and now everyone is using it. The issue comes in when Wale says, “The things they say went a little too far/ He couldn’t tell the difference between an a or -er.” Those who think it’s okay for a white person to say nigga instead of nigger have a problem with this. Personally I’m not okay with a white person using any form of the word so I don’t have to deal with this. However, I have seen this happen. One day they don’t like the tone a non-black person used the n-word in. They couldn’t tell the difference between if they said nigga or nigger and it offends them. This discrepancy in their ideology and their emotions confuses them and “there’s nothing he can do, he let it get away”.
This post wasn’t to convert anybody. If you use the n-word, you use it. If you don’t, you don’t. I have an opinion on whether or not I think the n-word should be used but this wasn’t the venue to express that. I just liked Wale’s song and thought it was an interesting angle to look at the debate over the n-word.
Who can use the n-word? What’s your stance on this subject?
-Michelle Huxtable
Comments
I spit the word out like it’s air, but I have to admit I feel some type of way when I hear a white person say it. In terms of people picking up on it, I’ve been asked by my white friends if they could say it around me. It’s always an awkward conversation, because I don’t want to alienate my white friend (who loves hip-hop just as much as I), but at the same time there needs to be a standard upheld as to what use of the word is socially acceptable. To some extent, the racial use should be contextual, but after we (as black people) look over some use of the n-word, who’s to say that slip won’t segue into the whole world talking like a bunch of niggas? I suppose each person has to delineate their comfortable boundaries when it comes to the word…
What was your response to the white person who asked if it’s okay to use it? I still haven’t mastered an appropriate answer to people who ask me this. I agree with your comment about each person having their own boundaries. However, I think this is what confuses non-blacks who want to use the word. “Michael says it’s okay for me to use it, but Sean hates when I say the n-word around him.” That kind of situation arises.
I told him no at first haha. But after thinking about it, I told him if he was singing and it slipped I wouldn’t hold it against him. It’s contextual for me at this point though. If I know you and know you’re not some dumb white person saying it for a kick, I suppose it’s cool during songs. Otherwise, you will get the ‘Angry Black Man’ action figure with his ‘Nigga Moment Grip’…
haha I dig. I wish I had that attitude because if a white person even lets it slip I’m done. Like it can ruin my day. I probably shouldn’t let it get to me like that but I just feel like in 2009 people should know better.
I’ve had intesne debates about this topic several times over…always interesting to hear peoples thoughts on it.
For me, I see a difference between nigger and nigga. So a lot of times ppl disagree with the idea that they are two different words. So using nigga isn’t bad to me in that respect. But as I get older, I find myself trying to use brother or bruh more than nigga, because its more universal. I don’t like calling ppl I don’t know very well, a nigga.
In terms of non-blacks using it, my view is a little different. I sorta feel like, if the person grew up around all black ppl his/her whole life, lived in a culture where it was being used constantly (as a term of endearment), why is he/she not allowed to use the word. Iono…I just feel like I can hear the difference between someone who is supposed to use it and someone who is not.
Ahh yes, the “great debate.” I’ve grown weary of discussion on this issue. While many black scholars may say this conversation is one that NEEDS to be had, others may say it’s discussed TOO much. I’m inclined to fall into the latter category; I mean there was a faux “funeral” to bury the word for crying out loud. The problem with all the hullabaloo (isn’t that a fantastic word?) is that the N-word is so embedded in our culture that it’s not going away. It’s in every rap song, every black movie, every black television show and can we really expect white consumers to turn a deaf ear to it? of course not.
So, I’m white. I feel like, in the context of this post, it’s important to point that out. And my personal opinion on the word? NO ONE should use it, period. In fact, when I hear anyone say it, it makes me cringe. Although I do listen to music that uses the word, and normally in that context it doesn’t necessarily make me cringe… sometimes I wish the artist would have come up with a different word to use. I understand that some people view the N-word as a term of endearment, but for me, it’s such a hateful word and it’s wrong to use it, even now when Jay-Z, Wale, and every other rapper says it like it’s no big deal. I guess, for me at least, calling a black person the N-word is comparable to calling a woman the C-word…which is absolutely unacceptable. You can bet I’d lay ANYONE’S ass out who called me the C-word. It’s so incredibly derogatory, and I don’t understand the point of using that word…its true use is in hurting the person you call the C-word. Same with the N-word. In fact, using the N-word reminds me of a time in this country where racism and persecution were not only widely accepted, but in many cases, the “right” thing for a white person to feel. And I, as a white person, am embarrassed and ashamed that such a time existed. So, in conclusion, no one should use the word, whether they’re white, black, young, old, Northern, Southern, whatever.
A lot of people say that the words meaning has been changed and empowered and that could be true but at the same time black people use it negatively too. My friends and I always joke, “I love black men, but I hate niggas” meaning that “niggas” are ignorant or anything else negative. Even though I sometimes use the word, I can admit that if I’m in a setting of black and white people and there are black people using the word excessively it makes me uncomfortable. I guess in that type of setting it kind of has a “dont act out in front of company type feel”.
Its under constant discussion but I honestly dont think its going anywhere soon..
@Jess Controversially, I’m with Jess on this one. I would really prefer it if nobody used the word. Black people get real defensive when I say that though so I hardly ever comment when a black person uses it anymore as cowardice as that may be. But I truly have a problem with non-blacks using it.
@Clif Soulo pointed out the white person who basically lived the life of black person situation and I feel you on that. I have a friend who was raised around all black people and aside from his lack of melanin is basically black but I still have an issue with him using the n-word.
@KS Yes the argument has definitely been beat to death. But I still had to write the article. I don’t want to give up on fighting the n-word but you might be right, it’s so embedded in our culture that it may never disappear.
@Jasmina Agreed. Like I said earlier, I don’t like anyone using it either but it’s probably not going anywhere.
Thanks Jess for making that point! I think that everyone should refrain from using the word “nigger,” or any variation of it, because the word itself is historically rooted in racist traditions. Although I completely agree with you, I do not feel a as though you, as a person of non-black heritage, can make that call.
Wale or Day-Day from the block (work with me, here) may use the word far too frequently; but by virtue of their heritage, they have ownership of that term, no matter how derogatory. They may be ignorantly abusing it and disregarding its implications but you personally cannot criticize them. You make a great point BUT you cannot speak in definite terms about a culture to which you do not belong. Though I appreciate your opinion, the resolution of this debate should come from those to whom the word refers.
I find that it makes everything easier if NO one uses the word…because then it makes the situation less confusing for everyone. If a white person over hears the use of the word they may think it is ok just because they hang with a group of people using it. Then there comes a fight over what memebers of the group can say it and who can’t and whether Latinos can say it..its just not worth the fight
I don’t think we can disregard her excellent point just because of her race… especially on a racially-fueled topic. I do feel you on the fact that in a situation where black people are using the n-word, if I were Jess I wouldn’t have the gall to stand up to a group of black people and tell them not to use the word. However she may feel differently. Also, I’m probably biased because since she’s agreeing with me I value her opinion. If a white person were to tell me they can use the word because of x, y, and z I might have more of a problem. But as far as her comment goes I don’t think her race excludes her from the debate.
@ Jess I completely agree. The idea of giving “terms of usage” to a word that was once (and in my opinion, still is) derogatory is ridiculous. If the only white people who should use the word are those who have grown up with black people, then ideally should a black person who has only grown up with white people be able to use it? The idea of permitting a group of people to use a word and criticizing others for doing the same is absurd.
@ Jasmina This is so true. People justify using the word by saying that the meaning has changed, yet the negative connotation is still there. Unfortunately, people have yet to see this, which I why I doubt the word is going anywhere.
@ Annika I somewhat disagree. I think hearing the opinion from a person of non-black heritage is important. You don’t necessarily need to be part of a culture, group, etc. to see where changes desperately need to be made.
This is a big deal, look at all the responses you got. I always wonder why other people want to use the n-word. I honestly think they’re just mad because we say they can’t. That white kid raised by black people happened to me. He said it all natural like-”this nigga went over there and…” I called him out on it and he sighed like damn I always have to explain this. I usually only use it in a mocking way with friends.
At first, I thought to myself “ah here we go again”. But my demeanor changed when I realized that the use of this word will always be in contention. This is easily realized when one sits back and realizes the numerous books and songs dedicated to this word and its etymology: (the book titled “nigger”, Nas’ last album featured a song called “nigger the slave and the master”, and I forget what song it was but Lupe also comes to mind as another artist with a song that addresses this word). I say all that to say that whether you are a scholar or rapper, this issue still carries weight and will continue to do so until we (blacks) reach a consensus.
Point blank: no one should use the word. bitch and biotch are still cuss words. Nigger and nigga are still degrading and both were born out of hatred and agression. White people should never use the word because of the obvious historical irony. Blacks people who use it (especially publicly) need to realize just how stupid they look using a word that was used when our ancestors were enslaved in order to demean them and let them know they were nothing more than property and a color. Subhuman. Hell, it’s just like saying “what up my monkey”. Go ahead. Get mad. If you are then it’s because you use it and see no alternative. But I do have an alternative. Stop using it in public. When you use it in public in front of company (those who are not black) then you give it approval for mass consumption and public use. Hence Wale explaining the white boy who thinks it’s cool. Also, you must consider the snowball effect. When one person, whether black or white or asian or hispanic gets away with saying the word then they consider it the norm. Since it is the norm to them, they are shocked and appalled when someone like myself corrects them and gives them a prompt, and embarrassing, public display of a history lesson. Trust me, I’ve done it. And the dude (hispanic) looked at me like I was crazy. Can ya’ll believe that?? This motherf*cker looked at ME like I was the crazy one for not wanting to have my heritage publicly disrespected! You know why this fool felt comfortable talkin crazy? Because he heard the word from his other black friends and in the music they listen to. Also, he isn’t smart enough to know that you just don’t go out in public and use the word…but again, many people aren’t smart, now are they?
My two cents.
Leaving all oppinions and emotions aside here are the facts:
1. Everyone has a freedom of speech and anyone can use the N word.
2. If you are white and choose to exercise this right be prepared for the consequences that may come from angry black people, or anyonelse who feels obligated to do something.
3. If you are black and choose to exercise this right be prepared for the consequences that may come in the form of getting your offended by white people using the word around you because they see that you are comfortable with it.
I am black by the way and I use the N word particularly because of the influence from the vernacular of the town that I come from. Its a part of my culuture there…. in a sad way I admit but whatever. However, I essentially don’t really use it when I am around white people. Everything works out fine.
Leaving all oppinions and emotions aside here are the facts:
1. Everyone has a freedom of speech and anyone can use the N word.
2. If you are white and choose to exercise this right be prepared for the consequences that may come from angry black people, or anyonelse who feels obligated to do something.
3. If you are black and choose to exercise this right be prepared for the consequences that may come in the form of getting offended by white people using the word around you because they see that you are comfortable with it.
I am black by the way and I use the N word particularly because of the influence from the vernacular of the town that I come from. Its a part of my culuture there…. in a sad way I admit but whatever. However, I essentially don’t really use it when I am around white people. Everything works out fine.
You can’t really leave emotion or opinion aside in a conversation about the n-word. That’s the whole point. It’s fueled by racial tension and a history of hatred. While there is a freedom of speech to say what you want, at some point I think common sense should prevail. Like you said, if you’re white and try to use this word there WILL be repercussions. I’ve already expressed my opinion that I don’t think anyone even black people should use the word. With that said, a black person using the n-word does not give a white person all rights and access to use the word. It’s exclusive. The author of Stuff Black People Hate said it best in my opinion. Say you have a boyfriend/girlfriend. Yes you can kiss him/her. Does that mean everyone else who observes that act can do it as well? No. Exclusivity.
I’m with Lady N on this one. Anyone can say anything at any time but they must be prepared to deal with the consequences.
Some groups of friends call each other bitch, slut, and hoe and they’re all ok with that. But if someone outside that circle of friends calls them either of those names, it’s not ok. Personally, I view those words as insults and I’m not, nor will I ever be ok with them being used as terms of endearment that refer to me. Same thing with nigger or any of it’s derivatives. Some people use it as terms of endearment but don’t ever call me one.
I use those words but when I do, it’s not in a pleasant manner (i.e., bitch/nigga please). I don’t talk like that around my parents, in an essay, or while being interviewed for the local news. Nigga is the equivalent of shit, damn, and fuck to me.
To each his own.
I personally dont like to use the n-word, but trust–it slips out every now and then. I was all for the NAACP’s burial of the word because I dont get the whole “we made it into something positive” steez. The word was birthed under negative connotation. It is not a term of endearment.
I certainly dont think its okay for caucasian people or any non-black person to use the word.(I say non black bcuz i find it common for hispanic people to think its okay to use the word. no) However, the reality is that hip-hop has become a culture and i would say its part of pop culture. The mass population immerses itself in pop culture and at the end of the day will want to say every word that jay-z says in his songs, which will undoubtedly include “nigga.”
but like I said, to each his own.
Post is tough! i dont understand the word. It means ignorant but used positivly… but “Bad” means Good? and “Stupid” means Cool?… so maybe. but i understand the meaning of it among the black culture… and it should be used by the “Black Culture” Only. NO exception, if’s, and’s or buts.
Hey, sorry I’m so late on the topic, but I just started reading your blog and I feel like I might have something to contribute. I am white but I did grow up in an all black neighborhood, so I always heard the word growing up, it was just part of the culture. However, among my friends it was just understood that I didn’t use the word, (I wouldn’t have told them not to use it though, it wasn’t really my business) I just didn’t think about it growing up. We had discussions about it sometimes and they held similar opinions about how they wouldn’t really use it around white people, so they wouldn’t get the wrong idea. Still though, especially coming from the south, there are an overwhelming number of young white people (and older white people who hear it from the kids) who think its OK to use the word. I recently was hanging out with a white girl about 13 who was scrolling through my text messages on my phone when she saw a text from someone with an obviously black name. She then said in just a questioning tone (not hateful mind you) “So he’s a —.” I just cringed and resisted the urge to yell at her (which is what my friends would have done haha). I asked her why she said that and she said, oh its ok cause I said it with an A on the end. I said that it didn’t matter, we still shouldn’t use the word. I think its time that African-Americans in the media begin to limit their use of the word..its a responsibility thing. Or, although it might be difficult because you don’t want to stir up trouble, if a white person says it, just tell them, can you please not say that word. Trust, they will shut up right quick, cause they’ll get scared of what your reaction might be. It’s just like Wale says, once you let it go, that person thinks its alright to use it…and then they’ll get in trouble when they use it around the wrong people (especially in my neighborhood lol). At the same time though, I completely get that its a part of the culture. Do I think the use of the word will diminish? I hope so, but only time will tell.
Anyways, crucial post, great writing. Definitely a fan of the blog, keep it up
Thanks for the comment. I’ve definitely been in similar situations and it’s true. If you speak up that person most likely isn’t going to have the gall to continue using the word… Well… Around you anyway. Me telling someone to stop using the n-word probably will not change their whole mindset and life goals but they won’t be using it around me anymore.