Nas Controversy Fizzes Up
The controversy over Nas‘ forthcoming ablum, Nigger, is growing more intense with news that one of its songs subverts the old Dr. Pepper jingle by replacing the word “Pepper” with the N-word:
“I’m a nigger, he’s a nigger,
she’s a nigger, we’re a nigger
Wouldn’t you like to be a nigger too?”
- From Nas’ “Be A Nigger Too” (Listen here)
Before this latest shocker, a lot had been written about who is in support of Nas’ album title (Jay-Z, Common, Alicia Keys, Don Imus) and who isn’t (NAACP, Jesse Jackson, 50 Cent). 50 Cent, among others, say Nas is going for “shock value.” The fact that rappers have embraced the word and rendered it less hurtful and more banal through overuse for at least two decades may lend some credence to his claim. Maybe this is why Nas’ earlier statement seemed kind of weak:
“I wanna make the word easy on muthaf***ers’ ears. You see how white boys ain’t mad at ‘cracker’ ’cause it don’t have the same [sting] as ‘nigger’? I want ‘nigger’ to have less meaning [than] ‘cracker.’”
Nas’ new song could pull more people into his corner. Jay-Z’s earlier remark and Nas’ employment of the word now seem to be on point: “I know he’s very intelligent and there’s a reason behind what he’s doing.” Sure, Nas is “lessening the sting.” But he also seems to be up to something else. Pairing a once-omnipresent commercial song that is childlike in its simplicity with one of the most incendiary words in the English language raises so many questions that it could make heads explode. Could Nas be commenting on how big business packages and sells just about anything to kids — from soft drinks to gangsta rap? Could Nas be attempting to hit back at the very commercialization that has damaged hip-hop as an art form? Could he be doing all of the above and stirring up controversy to sell albums, too? Nas’ intentions may not yet be totally clear, but we’re all waiting to hear more. [Source: MTV News; Image of Nas and Kelis: Getty]
Nas’ track has leaked. Listen after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 50 Cent A Tribe Called Quest Common Jay-Z Nas Alicia Keys Don Imus Hip Hop, Music
- Rumor has it that Marie Osmond faked her famous fainting spell on Dancing With the Stars. Fair enough: if it’s real, it’s not worth doing. That’s what TV taught me! [
Street disciple Nas ignited an 
Lots of controversy still swirling around the title of 
Remember how earlier this week a supposed source at Def Jam 
Hip hop legend Nas
- Christina Aguilera’s nipples look like silver-dollar pancakes through her white dress. She isn’t rubbing her pregnancy in our faces – she’s practically lactating on us. [
After his infamous anti-snitching interview on 60 Minutes, the world knows how ridiculously much loyalty means to Cam’ron. But do his closest friends even have the Dipset head honcho’s back? 
