I am a white male, i don’t say the n-word not during a discussion not when i sing “Freestyle” by Lil baby, but i should. The N-word is a complex word that everytime it is sayd brings heaviness and history with it.
Why shouldn’t white people or “not black people” not say the word? Whats the reasoning behind it?
We know, at least in the history I’ve looked at, that the word started off as just a descriptor, “negro,” with no value attached to it. … We know that as early as the 17th century, “negro” evolved to “nigger” as intentionally derogatory, and it has never been able to shed that baggage since then—even when Black people talk about appropriating and reappropriating it. The poison is still there. The word is inextricably linked with violence and brutality on Black psyches and derogatory aspersions cast on Black bodies. No degree of appropriating can rid it of that bloodsoaked history.
I don’t say the word around my black nor my white friends because me personally i don’t feel comfortable saying it, when i sing i don’t say it as respect towards my black friends but the more i think about it the more i realize, i have all the right to say it when singing.
The word today has of course a different meaning, it has been reappropiated by black people and it means being part of a group, being part of a community and part of a family. It has the intrinsic meaning of a feeling of belonging to something and thats why the word has so much potential and drive, because everybody wants to feel part of something.
The word now has been commercialized. Its now used to sell, as rappers all over the world put the song in their lyrics and make money off of it. Its not “wrong” , its part of the Game we are all, as a society, playing.
In this time and age, everyone and everything is a product. Movies, TV shows, Songs are not always just an artistic outlet, but are, most of the times, products made to be consumed, made to be sold.
After this long prolog, the point is: if everything is a product why shouldn’t i be able to consume the product that its being offered to me in its entirety? If you write the N-word in your lyrics, you “Artist” are selling me the expierence of saying that word, you are selling me your past experiences, you are selling me a small window on your life.
Putting your life under media attention is always risky and you should be able to comprehend that good and bad is going to come with it. We all know about the good part: Fame, Success, Money… , the bad part at least specifically in this context is emptying the word of his meaning just to be able to sell it, and taking the risk that people that are listening to the song might and will, say the word to enjoy the product in its entirety.
Selling a product and selling the same product censored, its like selling two different products