Don't Hate On This Brother Just Yet, He Just Might Surprise You
By Jayar Jackson
Hip Hop superstar, and respected lyricist Nas has quite a bit of steam behind the December 11th release of his new album “Nigger.” Fox reported that a source close to Def Jam chairman Antonio “LA” Reid said Nas wouldn’t be releasing an album this year, and it definitely wouldn’t be called “Nigger.”
Contrary to the always honest reporting of Fox News, Reid boldly stated that “We stand firmly behind and beside our artists with pride and with pleasure. Anything Nas wants to do, I completely stand beside him. Nas is prolific, he's prophetic, he's a genius, an amazing artist of respect. So, while I'm not sure exactly all that [the title] entails, I know it's smart, so I stand behind him. That's real.” Support for Nas’ controversial title included fellow well respected artists Common and Method Man.
Now before the detractors’ heads explode, and vow to never buy their another Nas, Def Jam, Common, or Method Man record ever again for the first time, let’s remember who we’re talking about and what he’s saying. Nas is the artist that has always brought some kind of meaning and purpose to most of his lyrics, somehow finding a way to still speak to hardcore hip hop fans that have been hypnotized enough to accept hip hop as a mindless genre, talking about hos, rims, shooting, and money. When many artists speak positive messages, they’re written off as corny, but his single, “I Can” still came across.“I'm a street disciple,” Nas explained. “I'm talking to the streets. Stay out of our business. You ain't got no business worrying about what the word 'nigger' is or acting like you know what my album is about without talking to me.” For all the critics that look to jump to conclusions about how he’s trying to degrade his race and continue to bring the conversation down to calling himself and his brothers niggers, a good place to start is by asking, “What does the album “Nigger” mean?” When respected poets utilize the word to make a point, they are primarily seen as deep and thoughtful. Just because Nas curses and has done collaborations with the likes of Diddy, Ginuwine, and Timbaland, his perceived thoughtfulness that he’s always brought to his albums is quickly forgotten, all over this word.
Are these blind critics assuming that Nas can’t carry a conversation about the words and inspiration that went into this title? Maybe they think he was falling asleep from all the weed those rap guys smoke all the time and when asked what the title should be, he said, “Aw…Nigger.” To be this ignorant is accepting and owning the term that too many hateful people harbor, thinking that this word can get the mildest mannered Black man to snap upon overhearing it. Maybe he’s trying to diffuse the “power” that many racists believe it has over us, which some of us continue to mentally bow down to. Perhaps he’s sick of an entire country afraid of saying, hearing, or writing the word without a couple of asterisks and squiggle lines to censor it. Or what if he just like the way it rolls off of his tongue?What does Nas mean by the title on this new album? Until we stop haphazardly labeling him a nigger by refusing to ask the question, and instead choosing to ignore it until it miraculously disappears, we’ll miss his point and keep ours bottled up as well. Now remind me again, what would that accomplished?