Word To The Hyphen In My Name!

Word To The Hyphen In My Name!

A L L A T E E F makes a world a difference without the hyphen, but one place where it doesn't, is if you're saying "The N-Word". Contract, abbreviate, make it PC all you want, it means the same thing. So don't play with it, it devalues the historical content and empowers its currents usage by doing that, because now a pass is given to use it on the news and other media outlets.

In 1964, Dick Gregory released his autobiography "Nigger" and it went on to be a best seller, selling over 7 million copies worldwide. Fast forward to 2008 and Nas is naming his new CD "Nigger" and Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, & The NAACP are crying foul! Funny to me how in the heart of the Civil Rights Movement, when the word was synonomous with Black, Negro and Colored, the book was released, accepted and widely read. Yet, here we are after so much "progression" and everyone wants to change or censor Nas' new album.

We know how the word is used around the community and a whole bunch of shorties throw the word in their rhyme, but we're not about to have the "er" vs "a" argument. There's a double standard when it comes to the usage. 35 years ago when it came out of Richard Pryor's mouth every other word, where was Jesse? That nigga was sitting front row at a Richard Pryor concert! When Al Sharpton's wearing that nigga perm talking about someone saying nigga and throwing up the Roc at the 40-40 Club, isn't that a nigga moment? White people still can't say it, we own the patent. "Er" or "a", don' try it! Fat Joe and other Hispanics love to use it to, because they seem to identify with the experience when its conveient, but J-Lo couldn't use it?

There's no handbook or guidelines on who can or can't say it, when is not the right time to say it or what age should you start ot stop saying it. Banning the word or hoping that it will dissipate is out of the question and as long as their are poor people out there, who feel a "nigga" existence, there will be niggas and people will say nigga. Not to mention as long as white people think they run everything, there will be niggers!

There was an episode of The Boondocks this season that deals with a teacher calling Riley a nigga, it was taken directly from this case, check it out...