If the word "n*****" is offensive, why is it used in rap songs?

Question

Today, Emily a contestant on the British series of Big Brother was evicted for using the term "n******" which was deemed a racist term. However, in a report on the eviction, the presenter on BBC News noted that the word appears in rap songs as a term of empowerment. What is the term in that case? Offensive to members of the black community, or a term of empowerment?

Answer 1

it's b/c people don't know the power of the word.
yes i will admit i've used the word before but i would dare use the word now b/c i now know the power of the word and i know that it can have effects on people.
that word in lamons terms means lazy, ignorant, and good for nothing.
i so totally hate that word.
i don't care if your black, white hispanic what ever race creed or color you are you should never in your life use that word.
it's offencive when blacks use the word.
that word was used by slave owners to bring down the black slaves and let them know that they are only good for doing slave work.
I SO TOTALLY HATE THAT WORD WITH THE BIGGEST PASSION EVER!
and even when i use to use that horrible word it was wrong and it's wrong when every one else uses the word.
that word has too much negative power so don't use it.
be positive.

Answer 2

Emily knew the rules before she went in so if you cant follow them...pay the price. I know some feel that reclaiming the word will make it less hurtful for black people but personally I think the idea of it as a term of empowerment is ridiculous. Gay people sometimes call themselves queer for the same reason, which i always thought of as a derogatory term. Maybe it works for some. I think it is used in rap because those that use the word like to offend and degrade, whether its their own people or women when they go on about bitches and ho's. A lot of rap music is offensive as is rock and heavy metal where the N word is also used. So in short...offensive to the black community and hopefully to every community.

Answer 3

Sharpton and Jackson both have condemned the use of the "N" word and other degrading and misogynistic lyrics used by rappers. Bill Cosby has been condemning it for a long time. Now that there is some outrage over Imus, more mainstream media people are jumping on the bandwagon to bring attention to this degrading filth. The target audience for rap music is young white males. It justifies their own racism when they hear young black "artists" use these derogatory lyrics. More young white males buy rap music than black men and women (of all age groups) combined. Just because rappers do it, doesn't justify Imus. His firing was not a result of censorship, it was a result of sponsors and the network not wanting to be associated with him.

Answer 4

First things first not all members of the black community think that using that word empowers them, it is a very controversial area, particularly in Britain! Alot of black people still get very offended by the word (and rightly so) as it originates from slavery. Some of the younger black generation use the word in rap songs, it is done to turn the negative word around and use it for something positive, however rappers who aren't black categorically do not use that word as then it is deemed offensive. Also not all black people like hip hop, so of course it is offensive when an upper class white person calls someone who is black a n*****. Its quite similar to lesbians who get called names and they use the names to empower themselves but if a straight person said it, it would still be deemed as offensive!

Answer 5

Apparently there is a difference between 'n*gga' and 'n*gger'.

One is a term of abuse and one is a term used by certain members of the Black community to each other in a more matey way. The first is also used by Blacks occasionally to refer to a bad example of a Black man. The rap group "Arrested Development" had a line about the Black guy who ends up beating up another Black guy for being disrespectful to his girlfriend, "a ****** getting stomped on by an African"

Quentin Tarantino pointed this out when Spike Lee was stirring up trouble about the text of 'Jackie Brown'.

Answer 6

rap is generally offensive music anyway, especially the type that uses the n word.
i find the double standard that allows black people to use that word against another black person, but white people cannot use it, very offensive. it is not a term of empowerment. girls call eachother b**** and sl*t, and it is ok, but if a guy calls them that, it is offensive. this double standard exists as a way for them to "celebrate" their freedoms. many blacks come from slave backgrounds, and now they lord it over white people by using expressions that are unnacceptable for us to use. similarily, formerly "repressed" women celebrate their liberation through the women's right movement the same way. there is no equality. this is now a society of reverse-racism and reverse-sexism.

Answer 7

well it depends how u look at it... me personally, i think it shouldn't be used it IS offensive to some people and others do think of it as a term of empowerment...particularly rappers. it is racist if u are using it in the wrong way which most rappers do so it is basically offensive in the way they use it too, they claim it is used as a term of empowerment but its not they use it that way because one person out there started using it so they all started too and also u don't normally hear them refering to themselves as the N word only others....

Answer 8

I understand people's answers, but how can a word be offensive when used by one race but not by another???

Calling an Asian person for example as an "Oriental" would also be racist, but you don't hear Asians using the term. What makes this word ok to use if your black but not if your white??? Why should it be used at all by any race???

What if it is used by a white person in exactly the same context as a black person would use it and not as a putdown or insult, is it still racist???

Answer 9

Because African American's seem to believe that if we continuously use the word then we're making it our own and changing the meaning of the word....but that's not the case. The more WE use it the more outsiders think it's alright when it's really not......it's just become second nature to SO many black people it's really sad and that this point I don't think we'll ever really stop using it. As for Rap Music....They do what they do to make money

Answer 10

Truth be told, black people wanted to take the word from the racists so it could lose its hurt power! I agree with that concept myself but I myself do not like the word one bit. It is offensive to me. They feel its okay to call each other this but no one else is allowed to. Whatever.