It seems as though by dropping the e-r from the N-word and turning it into “nigga,” the mainstream media has taken the sound of whips and chains from the meaning of the word. These days I don’t have to look far into a hip-hop song to hear it. Lil’ Wayne says it 26 times in his song “My Nigga.” The use for the word has surely changed, at least in the minds of those who use it liberally today.
The N-word no longer reflects the abuse slaves experienced during the Middle Passage. The N-word, it seems, has been removed from the lips of those who hid behind white robes and has found a home in the vocabulary of the average American. I hear it not only in music, but also among the youth on campus. Some people use it as a substitute for dude, others as a derogatory word meaning idiot or lazy.
As a Mexican, I could never imagine using “wetback” or “spic” as a word that formulates brotherhood. To me, the N-word is an expression that racists have used to oppress the black minority since the slave trade began. It defines hatred and includes vivid pictures of lynched people and families separated as they were sold into slavery. African history is the oldest human history in the world, stemming from before the ancient civilization of Kemet, all the way to President Barack Obama, the first African-American president of the United States.
When did it become OK for people to use such a hate filled word? Did it begin with Curtis Mayfield singing “Pusherman” proclaiming, “I’m your mama, I’m your daddy, I’m that nigga in the alley”? Or was it Richard Pryor’s liberal use of the word in his stand-up comedy. Celebrities have repeatedly exposed the public to a word that once defined racism in America and it has suddenly become a trendy thing to say. New generations of kids who don’t know the meaning of the N-word but are fans of the artists think it’s cool to say it because it sounds like there is no problem with the word.
It is somewhat of a victory to desensitize the meaning of a word that was part of an oppressive era in America. Many argue that only black people can say the word because for them, the meaning has changed. My roommate in Santa Barbara once explained that for black people, it is OK to use it; for them it means friend or brother. However, if he heard a white person saying it he would be angry and confront him. The only thing that has changed here is the color of the skin of the person who is saying it and in what context it is used. No matter whose lips it comes from, it still sounds like slavery to me.
Although Lil’ Wayne and other mainstream rappers aren’t consciously making the N-word become common American lingo, they are allowing it to happen by repeatedly glorifying the word in their songs. Using this word in music promotes ignorance about this beautiful culture. Now, kids are reciting these verses without thinking of the hardships people faced because of that word. When the Blues emerged from black slave communities, music was the medium through which blacks could express their sorrows and build strength. The N-word pollutes the effort that musicians like Robert Johnson put in to overcome the stresses of being born a black man.
The times are changing. Words that were used to instill fear are now used as words of friendship and people who were once oppressed in the U.S. are now in the highest positions of power. Although words and slang can change, the history of the millions of Africans who were victims of racism persists. Beats and bass lines can mask the meaning of the N-word, but the clinking of chains reverberates throughout all eras.
