The "N" Word, Slang, and Afros

Whattup ladies. Sorry gentlemen, that's all I really feel like speaking to today...

Syke, lol...

I'm feeling pretty good right now, so I'm gonna take this time to stir up some stank; I have so many ideas while working for 8-9 hours overnight (cuz anybody that REALLY knows me knows I start losing my mind around 2:00am). Lemme hitchall wit one of em...

Let's see... How about... The "N-famous" word! (<------that's my term. mine. all mine I tell u. MINE!) I was just thinking last night while I was working with a homeboy of mine; we should be collaborating on some tracks pretty soon. He's from New York; I'm from Georgia. It reminded me of something years ago when some cats from NY grouped up with some cats from GA. The result: NYGA. (Pronounce the "Y" as a short "i" if you didn't know) So here it is... 2005-2006 and the N-famous word is still being used rampantly and still causing untold headaches and controversy. Where am I on the issue? In my usual spot: not getting bent in the least. Perhaps if you walk with me for just a second, you'll understand why I'm at peace in the midst of the situation...

First of all, I'll tell you my objective view of the "N-famous word". It obviously started as a slurred derivative of the word "negro" meaning black or some other similar word of Latin origin, and possibly is a play on the word "niggard". No biggie there. But then somehow the slurred derivative became a derisive term used for insulting Blacks, especially in the United States (because one should understand that racism is not the same all over the world, nor is the institution of slavery. America is not the whole world; remember that.) Now the word has four uses: 1) it still remains as a derisive term used by anti-black racists; 2) it is used as a colloquial term in popular African-American culture; 3) this isn't widely known, but it is used by some Blacks who look down on "ignorant" Blacks--- they make a distinction between African-Americans and "N"s based on behavior; 4) it is used as a term to identify stupid people of all races.

Now, before I go any further, I need to stop and talk about something that I love and that my English teachers and other "professionals" will probably hate me for. I LOVE SLANG. Slang to me is an intimate variation of any language. Granted, some people speak slang because they never learned proper English; I'm not in favor of that. But there are those who speak it not because they have to or don't know any better, but because they choose to. Why choose slang? Because of the common bond. Think about it like this: when you first get a job somewhere, one of the first things you learn is the "lingo" of that place. The only people who know the lingo are those who work where you work; it becomes a common bond between those people. You might even create pet names for things around you. With slang, you can go from region to region and the slang will change. And the only people who can decipher that slang are the people within the circle; outsiders are left in the dark. Slang is something that's shared between members of similar groups, and even when new slang is created, it doesn't take long for people to figure out the meaning because their hearts are linked by their circumstances; they share the same spheres of life. Is that not, at least to some degree, a beautiful and intimate thing? It reminds me of how no two species of bird has the same song...

But anyway, here's what I'm getting at. The "N-famous" word, I believe, has become a part of African-American colloquial slang. Think about it: the "N-famous" word takes on totally different meanings depending on who says it. Am I saying it's okay to use it? No, that's not what I'm saying. Like I said before, this is my OBJECTIVE view, and this is how I see it without partiality or bias: it is considered both a slur and a gathering place at the same time. But it's nothing more than the person behind it: if it's said in hate from a racist, then it's a derogatory term; if it's said in ignorance by an ignorant person, then it's an stupid word; if it's said with no malice by a friend as a term of comradery, then it's a term of endearment.

But let's get to the good part: Am I for or against the "N-famous" word?(pause...it's so thick you can slice the air, ya know?) Sigh... as much as I like watching ya'll sweat bullets, relax. I'm against the N-word. But it might surprise you why. You remember when we were kids and somebody would get a toy, and then another kid would try to take the toy, and we'd tug-of-war and whine over it? What did older folks do to silence that? The took the friggin toy, that's what! Ladies and gentlemen, the "N-famous" word has become that toy. I'm not against it because of its nature or anything like that; I never lost sleep over a Black person saying "nigga" and I've only met one person of another race brave/foolish enough to say it, and she learned a valuable lesson (non-violent of course). I'm against the "N-famous" word because it's dividing Black people... again. I don't know if it's right or wrong to say it; could care less really. What I do know is plenty of cats get bent out of shape about it. But I refuse to be a part of this meaningless tug-of-war. Think about it: whoever wins, what will it really change? ...Not a thang. I know you're not foolish enough to think that somehow not using one word will raise the consciousness of the whole race... And anybody that knows me knows this: I don't waste energy on meaningless squabs. I'll throw the toy away before I scrap over it.

I might be misinterpreting, but somehow I think this is similar to what God was saying to us in Romans 14: "It is good neither to eat flesh nor to drink wine, nor anytyhing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended or made weak." In other words, the bigger image is not of whether or not using the "N-famous" word is kosher. The question is, is it worth dividing our people to find out? So here it is from me: if it offends somebody around me, then I'm gonna do my best not to use it. By the same token, if a homie comes up and daps me down on some "Whasup my nigga..." expect an "Ain' nuttin, nig. 'Chu been up to..." In the meantime, as I'm talkin 'bout this peace thang, I'm also working on blowing my Afro back out. Hope it doesn't offend any a' ya'll. If so, we'll do the wave then. No skin off my back. Shouts out to Clyde and Joe from the NY. Let's connect the NY to the GA and see who we can offend in this piece, lol...

All LoveB-J