The N Word: A rapper's perspective

Since the N-word is is widely and freely used among the hiphop community, I will let a rapper speak on it. Here we will see DC rapper Wale break it down in his song "The Kramer" from The Mixtape About Nothing.



"The color of my skin, content of my character,
Dream of a King's been a nightmare for anyone white with a badge,
or anyone slightly affected by the tide to this race that I'm running in,
Pardon me, y'all, the racists I run against,
The race war, when its us against all of them,
They subconsciously low talk us,
And probably all think as Kramer did still but won't talk it,
And first off, I ain't trying to be conscious,
Speaking heart with a conscience, talking to you,
This dark content for those of dark complexion,
Who's x-ed off, Rip, who gon' listen to us?
Who gon' speak for us? Who gon' plead for us?
Who gon' be the Head N.I.C. for us?
Who gon' defend us from crooked police on us?

(Chorus)
I'm just an insecure N.I.---...Please listen to me X3,
N.I.-- er...Please listen to me, who gon' listen to me?X2
N.I--. er...Listen to me, who gon' listen to me?X2
N.I.-- er...Who gon' listen to me, X2 N.I.-

Hey,And P say that I should stop saying "n---",
But if I did, what would be the difference?
I'd still be a n---, he'd still be a n--- in his feelings,
I'd still be a n--- with no deal tryna get one,
There'd still be n--- out killing,
And still be white people still out to get us,
And still be n--- saying whites tryna get us,
And still be lazy and paranoid n---,
I'm paramount, n---, I am, and you can't be mad,
Cuz I choose the word "n---", lemme air it out, n---,"
N---" ain't bad, see,
n--- just had a clever idea to take something they said,into something we have,
something we flipped,into something with swag,
n---, don't be mad,B--- ain't s---, but women ain't b---,
See, women are the queens, and b--- just b---,
And b---- say "b---" like "b---" is not offensive,
When n--- say "b---", all of a sudden, they offended,
And n--- say "n---" to a n---,
A n--- write "n---" 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 n---,And say "n---, n---, n---, my favorite rapper did it,"
And non-n--- friends got it with him,
Incorporate this lyric to their everyday living,
Until a black friend kinda hear it, just a tidbit,
He thinks "Aw, forget it, its so insignificant and little,
"The white boy sees this as a clearance, now its"N---, n---, n---",
every single day,And that little n--- n---, thinks its okay,
And he's the only n--- in this 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 "er",
So they just keep going, saying "n---" in his face,There's nothing he can do,
he let it get away,It came to the point he couldn't look 'em in the face,
The mirror made him hurl, his reflection disgraceful,
Yeah, and make sure everything you say,Can't be held against you in any kind of way,
And any connotation is viewed many ways,Cuz under every n---, there's a little bit of Kramer,Self-hatred...I hate you...and myself...N---s..."

Methinks some people are trying to have it both ways...i.e black people can use it casually but for white people its bad. Wale seems to be forwarding that position though he did finish it with an interesting closing line. Was he endorsing or rejecting the word? to be continued.