Video Posts, Nigger

A musical journey of Nigger

Nigger is word that is surrounded in controversy, and rightfully so. As a black person, I must say that I really don't take offense to it, depending on the context. I am a firm believer that words change meaning. And I think it is so powerful that the black community took a word that was used to demean, and shifted the meaning into something positive. A word that was once used to mean ignorant darkie, is now a friendly interjection in black conversation. I don't even know if a lot of black people realize that the meaning shift is powerful, but it is and worthy of noting. A similar word meaning shift happened with the word gay.

The prominent use of the word means that it can be used by a variety of races in cultures. Black people can't hold exclusive ownership of a word and use it often, then get offended when another race of person says it. I don't get my panties in a bunch if I hear a white person say to another person 'I'm hungry..niiggaaaa', because obviously they were using the word nigger in different context than 'ignorant black person'. Update : I read an interesting statement by Cornell West, which I loved. West stated that the rhythm and flow in conversation is very important. When used in a sentence, nigga is important to retaining a certain rhythm. If using another word to replace nigga, such as homie or dog, the lyrical nature of the sentence is lost and the flow is broken. I am aware that people do still use the word in it's original meaning, with the intent to offend and demean, and that's something that really isn't okay.

The following music videos all contain the word nigger, but used in various ways. They show the importance of listening to all words, not only nigger, in their context to reveal a meaning beyond the surface meaning. Most notably is Patti Smith's Rock and Roll Nigger, which says that Jesus Christ was a rock n roll nigger. She wasn't saying that Jesus was an ignorant black man, but rather a wonderful outcast that did some great stuff.

Ice T and Jane's Addiction "Don't call me Whitey, Nigger"



John Lennon's Woman is the Nigger of the World


Patti Smith's "Rock and Roll Nigger"


NWA- Always into Something


NAS - Be a Nigga Too