The “n-word” is back up for debate thanks in part to Suge Knight and Y.G.’s new statements on being called the racial epithet. TMZ was on hand to record Knight saying he’d rather be called a “n—-a” than an African-American (his exact statement was , “We not from Africa, we Black!), and a day later Y.G. weighed in with the same overused excuse as to why being called “n*gga” is a sign of love.
Not sure what kind of “love” this guy is used to but everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
On the flip, Chuck D doesn’t actually want to be called “n*gga,” and thinks rappers who use the word “more than three times” in a song are just being lazy.
Regardless of where you stand, the fact is rappers have no problem defending using “n*gga,” or being called “n*gga” —so long as it’s not by a White person…that is intentionally trying to be racist (there are lots of rules to this n-word situation).
Check out 10 other rappers who have publicly defended the n-word.
Their parents must be so proud.
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Photos: Instagram/Facebook/TheBuzzonHR
Jay Z
Hovito went on the Oprah Winfrey Show in 2009 to explain why the n-word isn’t a big deal. “People give words power,” he said. “For our generation, what we did was take the word and took the power out of that word.”
Makes sense. So does that mean he’d address Blue Ivy as a n*gga? or Nah.
Just a question.
Kreayshawn
She’s not really considered a rapper right? Right. But way back when “Gucci, Gucci” was a thing all eyes were on Kreayshawn and her equally terrible sidekick V-Nasty. The White Girl Mob member said they use the n-word because in the Bay Area (where they’re from) all kinds of people say “n*gga” and it’s not a big deal.
Fat Joe
Joey Crack’s defense of the “n-bomb” was actually done to stand up for V-Nasty’s use of the world. According to Joe, we can’t say “Hip-Hop is for everybody” then exclude certain people from using the very term littering lyrics as we speak.
Tyler the Creator
Tyler the Creator graciously gave White people a pass to use the word earlier this year.“We don’t actually give a f-ck about that sh-t,” he said in a radio interview. “Mothaf–kers who care are the reason racism is still alive if you think about it.”
He continued promoting the word on Arsenio Hall recently saying, “You can take the power out of that word. Anybody can be that [n-word]. I called the white dude in the back an N-word earlier. He got nervous.”
Great.
SchoolBoy Q
ScHoolBoy Q makes White people say the n-word, but ONLY at his shows. Why? Well it’s already in his music anyway, and because “it’s 2013.”
Nas
Nas famously named his album N*gger (before it got changed to Untitled), and last year defended Gwyneth Paltrow for tweeting the song title “N*ggas in Paris” while she was in Paris, watching Jay Z and Kanye perform the track.
Thankfully her Black friends were cool with it. Nas even said he would “slap the sh*t out of somebody” for her.
Now that’s loyalty.
Common
Maya Angelou said she was “disappointed” in Common for using the n-word on his “The Dreamer” track where she is featured reading a poem. Since he’s noted among Hip-Hop’s “conscious rappers” she may have expected more from him.
Common’s response? “She knows I do use the word. She knows that’s part of me.”
Welp.
50 Cent
The difference between “n*gaa” and “n*gger” is all about the heart, according to 50 Cent. Fif. He explained the theory with Oprah last year. “When you’re actually using it with malice in your heart, you can feel the difference,” he told Winfrey. “If it’s being used by someone that you know isn’t using it in a racial term, it doesn’t impact the same .”
DJ Khalid
Khalid, who is of Arabic decent, uses “n*gga” because “he grew up like that.” Two years ago Khaled bin Abdul Khaled (that’s his government name) told DJ Lantern: “It’s actually a positive word, the way I use it.”
