by Ed Barkum

Created on: June 15, 2008

No word in the annals of human-speak is more insulting, more degrading, more derogatory, more hateful, or disturbing, than the so called "N" word. What makes this so true is the historical significance of this word. For African Americans, the word "nigger" immediately brings to mind the struggles, hostilities, hatred, torture, and violence suffered by our ancestors, at the hands of their white oppressors during the dark days of slavery and beyond. Since the early 1800s, whites all over the world, have used this demeaning slur to differentiate blacks from themselves, and as a means of confirming their spurious racial superiority.

The word's inscrutable origin have some historians believing it to be a derivative of the Latin word "niger", while others argue that it comes from the Spanish word "Negro", meaning black. America's use of the word is more likely to have come from the Spanish version, as many southern whites tend to say "nigra", instead of "Negro". Obviously "nigra" is phonetically closer to "nigger" than it is to the more legally acceptable term. The word "nigger" was used by whites in the early 1800s as a method of indicating their loathing for the Negro, and even today its ugly connotation is still alive and well in the American culture.

Yet despite this horrific and shameful history, far too many of my young African American brothers and sisters of the Hip hop generation, who appear to be oblivious to our past, have glorified this taunting and abusive racial epithet in rap lyrics and in their every day conversations. When questioned or criticized, they attempt to excuse this distasteful behavior by explaining that they don't actually use the term "nigger". Instead they say "nigga" or "niggah", or "nigguh".

Huh? Say what? Where's the difference?

Another frequently used and equally poor defense offered by hip hopers is their claim that when used by blacks in reference to other blacks, the "N" word somehow takes on the magical quality of endearment. African American's frequent use of this word in situations involving blacks only is not at all uncommon. And admittedly there are many times when the term is used to show affection or endearment. But at the end of the day, this is still a malicious and repugnant word and more often than not, when used by blacks in reference to other blacks, the "N" word represents a negative, demeaning connotation with absolutely no endearment intended at all. This is especially true when used in rap music.

Whites never use

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