I’m not one to get on the high horse about the use of the N-word. I respect anyone feeling they have a right to say it if they’re generally not meaning offense by it. I also respect anyone who’s offended having a right to beat the sh*t out of said person using the N-word. I just think that as a human being I don’t want to go around offending people unnecessarily by dropping historically offensive words. That goes for homophobic and racial slurs. But, y’know, that’s just me.
As for DJ Khaled? He’s an idiot and his defense of his use of the N-word is nonsensical. Let’s visit his logic:
1. Khaled says it just like his friends say it. Positively. Who are his friends? Ace Hood. Rick Ross. Birdman. Yes, they’re all Black. But I’m sure that’s a coincidence.
2. According to Khaled, backlash from the N-word comes from haters on the Internet. I honestly had no clue that the Internet has been around since the 1600s. Go figure.
3. Sand N*gger is different than N*gga. See, sand n*gger is wildly offensive. Not quite sure what the difference is, though.
There, did that clear it up for you? I’m not going to go with the easy “it’s our word! He can’t use it!” But I will say that his dismissal of people that have a right to be offended by his use of the word is quite ignorant. But what else should I expect from Khaled?
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No, I’m not offended by the n-word.
But I refuse to get “N-word lessons” from DJ Khaled. He can go EABOD.
Nigga.
the real reason “what up my sand nigga” offends him or is “just dumb” is because it’s a derogatory term towards his race…the reason “what up my nigga” DOESN’T offend him is because it is a derogatory term towards another race…it’s simple really lol
Khaleed sounds as dumb as White people trying to distinguish between “Nigger” and “Nigga”
ay yo Type what my sand nigga how you been?
@Type Way too logical for the blogs man. (it’s a complement)
DJ Khaled is not white though. The reality is when white people say it it’s offensive because in this country we were enslaved by the white people not the Arabs. So when V-Nasty is popping off it’s a whole nother issue.
And from what I understand he was coming up with Fat Joe and Big Pun and all those others in some run down hood in america and they were saying it too and nobody cares or cared.
The real question is why is this even a topic??? Khaled been saying nigga on records for like 10 years now probably longer….nobody cared. Honestly this is the first time I’ve heard someone having a problem with it. The guy was talking about comments sections saying that shit….never personally seen it.
Anyway, if you’re offended then be offended. We living in the Oprahfied era anyway.
Worried about some bullshit when GA (land of KKK and confederate flags) just cooked a nigga who’s case clearly had REASONABLE DOUBT and clearly had witnesses giving false testimony. We should be offended by that shit not this shit.
If Hip hop were a neighborhood, I’d move out just to stay away from Khaled, V-Nasty and everybody who doesn’t at least understand why this word was a problem and still is for many of us.
Khaled might as well be saying “screw you, screw your culture, screw your history, screw your feelings, I’ll take what I want from this and screw the rest.”
Respect @realnigga. There is way too much shit going on in this world right now to care about what words people choose to use.
realnigga
First off Arabs were a big part of the transatlantic slave trade. That’s a pretty common historical fact, infact.
Secondly, the reason it’s news is because (1) believe it or not, not everyone listens to DJ Khaled enough to know that he says this or has been saying this for years. While I’m familiar with him this is the first time I’ve heard him say anything like this and I’ve known about dude for a good 7-8 years now.
(3) you wanna call yourself nigga, that’s your business. I don’t call other black folk that word cuz i know what it means to be called it by people who mean the word as it was intended.
(4) This Khaled asshat is not only saying that the word is ok, but that anyone offended doesn’t have the right or intelligence to be offended. I’m a grown man. I know what offends me, what doesn’t and why. And that some curb-level herb of cultural interloping loudmouth wants to try to lecture my on part of my heritage and communities struggle?!
Khaled needs to go learn how to cut and scratch properly in between reading a couple books.
Maybe you can go join Khaled for some remedial training as well.
There is a huge inconsistency with who gets to say that word. I never understood why nobody gets mad when fat joe says it.
It doesn’t really bother me. Actually I think for the most part its all the old heads that it offends. I hear white people say it and I laugh.
Fuck khaled.
Because when I want intelligent opinion on controversial topics, I go to DJ Khaled. I think the Boondocks did the best job describing what nigger means nowadays
Because when I want intelligent opinion on controversial topics, I go to DJ Khaled. I also thought the Boondocks did a pretty good job describing how nigger is used nowadays
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thtsQb89Iu4&feature=related#t=040s
I respect anyone feeling they have a right to say it if they’re generally not meaning offense by it. I also respect anyone who’s offended having a right to beat the sh*t out of said person using the N-word.
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Well said, Good Sir.
Whoops, I gotta start proofreading this shit
Pretty sure Khaled didn’t grow up in the Bronx w/ Joe. so that statement is wrong.
as for comparisons b/w this and the Troy Davis, apples & oranges…but still fruit.
Chris – old head or not, there’s a history behind the word that should offend. even if it doesn’t bug you, it would have hurt your grandparents.
I never understood why nobody gets mad when fat joe says it.
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I think he gets a pass because he looks like he’s capable of tearing you limb from limb without feeling any sense of wrongdoing. It’s the same reason why no one questions Mike Tyson’s mental health to his face.
Why is there even a discussion about what DJ Khaled thinks about delicate social issues? He’s a cretin.
Fat Joe doesn’t get a pass. He has been called on the carpet for it in the pass, so has J- Lo. Khaled hung himself with his own words with that sand nigga comment, so no need to break that down.
I do think that certain Latin groups (Dominican & Puerto Rican) get off the hook more than others due to the fact of 1. their mixed heritage 2. their having to go through the struggle with blacks in large metropolitan areas. At the end of the day the origins of the word are negative, no argument there, so if someone wants to take offense there is not much you can logically say. Even with the attempt by us to “take the word back”it is still a deep wound that is far from healed. With racism still alive and well, the wound may never heal. Peace.
Past*
Didn’t Khaled grow up in New Orleans? Or at least that’s where he was before moving to Miami.
Not that makes a bit of difference on anything lol.
Folk got mad when Fat Joe and Pun said it. We got mad when Em said it. The difference is, for the most part Black folk weren’t part of Fat Joe/Pun and Em’s early audiences so when people started with the “i ain’t listening to Em anymore or Joe” it was like “fine–their ‘real fans’ will hold them down.”
I remember when Benzino said he had tapes of Em saying it. When tose songs came out i knew thousands of black hiphop heads that were like “eff that racist whiteboy.”
And you know what?
RollingStone, MTV and every major mainstream outlet defended Em. All his mainstream fans held him down till the dust settled. So all the black folk that got mad simply got ignored.
Similar to the thousands of women that got mad at Nelly for the TipDrill video–those women just got ignored.
My guess is there won’t be any real discussion on the n-word anymore because more and mroe people probably feel like Khaled:
“You don’t have a right to be offended and I’m offended that you’re offended so eff you, too.”
Chris Cool “Actually I think for the most part its all the old heads that it offends.”
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That’s prolly a big point thinking about it. This shift is another reminder thant run of the mill non-famous oldheads don’t count in hiphop anymore. We can be offended or want the culture to be different, but we just don’t matter anymore.
Not enough to be considered by Khaled or anyone like that.
@realnigga Throughout history, Arabs have enslaved blacks just as much as Europeans have. Islamic states used an absolutely frightening amount of chattel slaves to make their infrastructure run properly. European visitors to North Africa and Arabia during the early and late middle were ages were shocked at the sheer number of slaves, and how poorly they were treated by their Muslim rulers.
Most European and Arabic peoples considered each other very similar genetically and culturally, and the Negro was always placed at the very bottom of the ladder of races.
You are correct that in the United States, white people were the slaveholders, but consider that America is not the only relevant nation in history, and that there were no Arabic or Latino slaves the United States. To say that it’s somehow “More okay” for an Arab to say the word is pretty ridiculous. Slurs hurt not just the race you’re referring to when you use it, but everyone around you, and you especially.
Khaled is just ignorant, uncreative and embarrassing to listen to. Just because some white people hate Arabs as well as blacks doesn’t give him carte blanche to use racial epithets whenever he feels like it. The reality is, it’s a racist word, Arabs can be just as racist as whites can be, and he’s a moron who clearly has never read a book in his life.
Chris – old head or not, there’s a history behind the word that should offend. even if it doesn’t bug you, it would have hurt your grandparents.
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yeah i know back when they were my age that word was highly offensive. im saying in the current generation it just doesn’t mean much anymore. i log on to facebook i see white people calling each other nigga, they mean no harm by it. i hear them call each other nigga at parties and i laugh because it’s so corny. as long as nobody is calling me that word in a derogatory way (which has never happened) then it’s not a problem to me. i was never a slave. i have always had equal rights.
I really think that at this point it is more of a class issue than a race issue; its about where and how you grew up, rather than your ethnicity.
That said I can still understand why folks would and will be offended and in their presence I respectfully hold my tongue.
I will say I don’t get mad because in my eyes its a nonsense word made up by ignorant backassward folk who didn’t really do it to offend us. They whipped us, raped us and chained us because they didn’t care about us at all. So why would they care if our feelings were hurt?
This guy is contradicting himself. The question being, is he too ignorant to realize it?
The one thing that I have never understood (since I was around 9-10, so I suppose that makes me able to comprehend things better than Khaled) is why people so often speak on how another person should feel about something that does not pertain to them [i.e. If you are gay and I am not, should I have the right to tell you not to be offended by the other f-word (or how dumb you are if you indeed are offended)]? Why do others feel they have the right to tell a particular race, those of a certain sexual orientation, etc., how to feel, if they do not fall into that particular category themselves (this includes gays telling straights how they should feel about homosexual issues as well)?
I do not use the word. If you are Black and wish to use it, I would rather you not, but I feel it is your right (for lack of a better word or description) more than any other race to do so. When I hear other races/ethnicities use it, I simply do not understand why they feel the need. If it is because you grew up around Blacks from a young age (very young age) and have used it, then I can understand your side a little bit more. But, even then, I believe there is a level of maturity reached where you understand (or should understand at least) the other side – the history and negativity associated with the word, and make the choice not to use it on your own.
To me it is like calling a woman a name that is disrespectful (no need to give examples, we all know what those words are). I have never done it. The reason being I have too much reverence for the women in my family to ever do so. It does not matter if they are not in my presence. It does not matter if I am angry. I have never done it. Some may not see that as a valid reason – they do not have to. If I deem it as a negative against women, I do not use it. Period.
But the absolute worst to me is hearing what Chris Cool touched upon… and pre-teens and teens that are non-Blacks from the suburbs… kicking the word around more than they would a soccer ball (which is very prevalent presently). I guess they think it makes them cool or something? I have no idea. I mean, when every other word that comes out of your mouth is “ni**a” you probably need to pick up a dictionary and expand your vocabulary.
everybody wanna be a nigga but dont nobody wanna be a nigga – paul moonie
im a latin cat and it is a part of my vocab and im trying hard to erace it, but that shit is like trying to stop smoking squares…once im playing ball and chillin with my ppl that word gets tossed around like luggage.
as a young kid i never would have started using that word but my friends were predominantly black growing up in the projects and they always called ME nigga. ive never been stepped to about it and have never used it in a disrespectful context but i recognize as i get older the senstivity to it.
i support black owned businesses and live in black neighborhoods my kids are mixed, ive spent time hustling and breaking bread with these same cats that treat you like brothers and refer to you as “my nigga” and were all eating out the same pot so to speak..you become numb to it after awhile until articles like this come across and you start to see it from a different angle.
not saying i deserve a pass but i believe there are exceptions to this rule when dealing with latin cats.
wassup my g, wassup my dude, wassup my nikka. = right.
fuck you nikka. monkey nigg*. dirty negr* = wrong.
point blank period. friendly or racistly.
two ways of thinking.
that’s it.
Interesting discussion. Khaled comes off so damn ignorant that his opinion is almost reprehensible. For him to be offended by a derivation of a term he says without thinking is ridiculous.
The most interesting part of this discussion is the split between the young and old. For the young the word is so entrenched in the current vernacular that it is acceptable.
For the older heads, who have probably (read: definitely) been mocked and abused with the term, use of it is unacceptable. As it should be.
The truth is no-one is really wrong. Connotations change over time as meaning is re-distributed. While those old enough to remember original meanings do not appreciate it, it is human nature. Our strongest skill as a species is the ability to adapt.
My personal stance is different. I’ve never been an African-American, and I don’t know what it’s like to live that struggle, but I can tell you living the better part of 32 years as a jewish male, I’ve heard more than a couple of names and a few distasteful jokes. Its my opinion that such hateful words breed animosity and disparity. Use of them further entrenches stereotypes and lowers culture.
I would never refer to my brother as a kike, how anyone else could is beyond me.
The question being, is he too ignorant to realize it?
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i think that much is obvious..lol…
i’d never seen an interview with this guy before, but he can barely put sentences together. i’d actually feel bad taking the n-word away from him, because it seems to be one of approximately two-dozen words he’s capable of using.
i used to wonder how this guy got famous. now i’m just kinda wondering how he hasn’t accidentally walked into traffic or an open sewer or something.
Fuck Khaled. I heard him use the N word in a few of his songs and I deleted his shit from my playlist a while back. Not that he or anyone else cares, but he’s not black and I can’t cosign or support his music if he chooses to use the word. Again, Fuck Khaled.
I have black friends but that doesn’t make me feel like I should/need to/have the right to use the n word.
I tend to stay out of things like this. The best way to go is to just leave racial slurs alone.
L.Dot Luthor
No, I’m not offended by the n-word.
But I refuse to get “N-word lessons” from DJ Khaled. He can go EABOD.
Nigga.
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My favorite comment of the day lmmfao
I think [Fat Joe] gets a pass because he looks like he’s capable of tearing you limb from limb without feeling any sense of wrongdoing.
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The only thing he’s tearin limb to limb is a baked chicken.
FYI Fat JOe isn’t that big in real life and is far from scary.
I’ve always had a problem w/ Khaled using the word & it’s one of the reasons I’ve tried to ignore him for the most part. Which is hard considerng he keeps having these big ass records. Up until he addressed it, it was pointless to bring it up because the masses seemed to not have a problem with it. But since he addressed it, that shows that word has gotten back to him in some way, shape or form.
Let the word go….new term of endearment my ass.
Richard Pryor made a career off it and stopped using it!
A good percentage of an entire generation needs to get over the whole notion that its cool and we flipped it…that’s bullshit and the core of the issue.
Those avid users of the term combined with the power and influence of Hip Hop and mass media provided the synergy needed to birth and thus essentially co-sign the Kreayshawn’s and Khaled’s of the industry/world…now some of those same users are even mad at these artist, REALLY!!
I don’t care for Brothers/Sisters using the term either and frankly find it even more ignorant and embarrassing hearing/seeing how easily young’uns and in particular those that aren’t even Black (sorry but ‘African American’ ain’t broad enough)throw around the word. Hearing non-Blacks use the ‘WE’ flipped it excuse is really embarrassing, STOP!
Flipped my ass yeah…flipped to the point many apparently forgot its origins and about its power and its pain.
Bottom line: It still offends to me and I’ll still punch somebody in the face.
Khaled is Talentless Fuckin Idiot ass Sand Nigger
Real Men and Women Do Not Say Nigga: On Step Towards Mental Liberation http://t.co/UKWoSElc
Word to David D. for such a well written & concise article on what appears to be an increasingly complex social issue as worldwide cultures continue to grow and intermingle. Will definitely be linking to this one.
Troy Davis aint been dead for 5 days..and yall already back to worrying about the n-word and who uses it…..Niggas smh
Meaning isn’t fixed, and words acquire additional meanings over time as society adapts. Thug, for instance, is a mistranslation of sthaga, which actually referred to a cult of Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists in India who murdered foreigners and sacrificed them to Kali. In America, it has an entirely different meaning now.
Palestinians are an ethnically mixed people who also have Sub-saharan african genes, just fyi. Khaled was also born in Louisiana, so I think he has an idea of the stigma that word carries.
Of course that doesn’t validate him being ignorant as shyt, but it does call into question the real reason regarding why people are so offended by his use of it. They sure as hell could care less it seems, about those of our community who abuse it.
This shyt is funny to me. Khaled is just another idiot who don’t know shyt about public speaking. He needs to stick to scratching plastic and get someone to write for him.
On the other hand, can folk stop bringing up Fat Joe and Big Pun? Both of them share black ancestry through their heritage. In Puerto Rico we call it the three razas – Taino, Spanish/Italian, and African.