So now that I work somewhere that I actually have to walk longer than 5 minutes I've become reacquainted with my trusty mp3 player. No not my ipod, cuz I've recently become anti-apple (battery-life/song ownership etc.) but the point is with the controversy surrounding Nas (btw I like calling him "Naaaz" like Bill O'Reilly does - LOL) and his upcoming album title and my love of hip hop I recalled how this is not really a new issue. Walking back and forth with hip hop blasting privately in your ears is an inalienable right to people everywhere and the music I listen to has used the word nigger a lot and with a lot of positivity and reflection. Of course I keep going back and forth over this issue but I gotta agree with Nas when he says, "It's like talking to your child about sex. It's hard, but it's important".

People act like this is so appalling and new but in the 60's Dick Gregory called his autobiography Nigger and in 2004 Randall Kennedy wrote "Nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word". I'd like to think that this album title won't make White people feel more entitled to throw the word around than they already do but it deserves discourse just as much now as it did during the Black Power movement as is evident from the recurring noose incidents, the Jena 6, Genarlow Wilson, and countless other examples. It's not a stretch to dub Nas a modern day shit disturber of important issues like Dick Gregory in his heyday...minus the diet shakes unless you include Kelis' ;-)

For your listening pleasure please blast these 5 nigger anthems in your ears and tell me if you wanna live in a world where we can't talk about real shit.

Mos Def: Mr. Nigga



NWA: Niggas 4 Life



Tribe Called Quest: Sucka Niggas



The Coup: I Ain't The Nigga



BDP: House Niggas

BTW listen to the last track and try to envision KRS-One on Celebrity Fit Club. Boourns indeed.Thanks for the heads up to J-did