Queens Bridge rapper Nas, working on his 9th solo project titled, "Nigger", has caused a national whirlwind of controversy intentional or not. The rappers last album, "Hip Hop is Dead", met the same fate where it caused southern based artist to take offense to the title and conception that what they were doing was not hip hop. This go around, Nas' album title gets support from Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, LL Cool J, and Reverend Run
Nas plans to put out the first single from his controversially
titled album "Nigger", next week. The
title alone has garnered condemnation from civil-rights activists, some
even going so far as to say that they will organize boycotts of the
entire Universal Music Group if subsidiary company Island/ Def Jam goes
ahead and releases the LP.
Antonio
"L.A." Reid ,Island Def Jam Music Group Chairman, spoke to MTV News a couple of weeks ago, " and said that he and his company stand fully by Nas
and his album.
Jay-Z, Def Jam's president and CEO, recently expressed
the same sentiment of support, although he didn't necessarily seem to
fully agree with Nas' reasoning.
"I know he's very intelligent and there a reason behind what he's
doing," Jay told MTV News. "He's not just doing it for the sake of
being provocative. Of course we're going to support his art. ... I hope
[the concept] is coming from a great place. I believe it's coming from
a great place. I just think [the controversy is] misguided. People give
strength to words, power to words. If your remove '******,' then you
have 'jiggaboo' and 'porch monkey,' the words will keep continuing. How
many words you gonna take out? People give the words power. I think we
need to direct that [energy] towards the community.
"The first thing you do when you sit with a psychiatrist is they go
back to your childhood. It all stems from there. So all these things
that's happening in these neighborhood, the worst schools,
drug-infested areas ... of course people are going to be hostile. So if
you fix that, you fix self-esteem, you fix hope. ... Then they'll be
another thing. But you can't remove a word and think all the problems
don't exist. Like I said, it's misguided."
Artist such as Common, Akon, Method Man and others have expressed
their support for Nas, but Queens native and rival 50 Cent stated, "Nas is going for shock value", with the controversial album name.
Def Jam label mate L.L. Cool J, seemed to not have a problem with the title.
"It don't matter to me," he said. "Why not? It's great marketing.
People are talking about it like they are talking about Hip Hop Is
Dead. He's obviously going to have reason behind it. I don't think it's
ignorant, because he's a real intelligent guy.
When asked to consider that Nas has said he's trying to take power away
from the word, LL said, "He wants to make the anti-snakebite venom,"
and laughed. "He's giving [people] a vaccination, he wants to
desensitize them. Why not? Do your thing. I'm waiting to hear the
record. Nas is a grown man, he makes his own decision. It's an
interesting title. I don't think the N-word is going anywhere. It's
just a cultural thing. Does it offend me? It's according to who says
it. Other than that, it's not going anywhere. What's the big deal?"
"I guess he wants to address that word," Reverend Run surmised, "I'm sure it'll get a lot of attention, and I appreciate it."
Run's older brother Russell Simmons' eyes lit up when asked about his take on the album name. He said he liked it: "Good title!"
"I think Nas is a very innovative artist," Alicia Keys said. "He's
incredible, he's not a fool. If he has something shocking to say, it's
because he wants you to pay attention to it."
The Rev. Al Sharpton, who has condemned Nas for titling his new album
the way he did, released a joint statement with Abraham H. Foxman,
national director and chairman of the Anti-Defamation League, relating
to the Chapman incident.
"The recent epidemic of nooses and swastikas appearing in various
places in our communities are acts of hate, and are intended to
intimidate and instill fear," the statement said. "Such acts are
despicable, and we call upon all people of good will — of all races,
religions and ethnicities — to stand up and say such acts will not be
tolerated."
Sharpton also wrote a letter to Chapman saying they should meet and
that he should march with Sharpton during his "Washington DC March on
Hate Crimes" rally on November 16.
Nas', "Nigger" is due December 11.
COMMENTS
1st to slap ya moms booty if u reply to my comment! lol
I DARE U! lol
Naw 4 real...is this gonna happen??
I thought Universal was gonna multi million dollar price tag them for that release...i hope he does do it!
ITS A REASON FOR NAS! SOMEBODY NEED THAT FORCE TO HAVE THERE OWN CREATIVE SPEAKING!!!!
Scoop^^^ I bet if wayne decided to do what nas is doing you would support the hell out of it, so where do you get off saying the last album HHID and this one are marketing stunts? You not thinkin on nas's level b.
Scoop What Are U Talkin About If Anything He Would Be Afraid His Sells Would Drop. Not That Many White People Wanna Show Up To Purchase An Album Called "Nigger" Think About It
Illseed — about 11 hours ago
Scoop^^^ I bet if wayne decided to do what nas is doing you would support the hell out of it, so where do you get off saying the last album HHID and this one are marketing stunts? You not thinkin on nas's level b.
^^^cosign lmfao yea that bitch would support that shit lol
what happened to freedom of speech? he can name his album whatever he wants...he's not gonna just name it that without there being a message behind it. i could see where people agree and i can see where people disagree with the him using this as the title but me i'm for it...do what you do nas i'm excited to hear the new shit...just like i said on the other article (and obviouls LL agrees) nas isn't ignorant he knows exactly what he's doin he's very smart...
like jay said nas is jus trynna get rid of the power behind the word...i think its a brilliant idea...but i dont think its gonna work
i agree and scoop you should reconcider tour thoughts on nas album title. nas is very smart and has had life experience which would mean he will have a reason behind a contravesal title like niger. i know its not just for marketing purposes. he is trying to take the effect the nigger has and throw it out and say you know what that doesnt hurt me i am more tan that and if you think calling me a nigger is putting me down in any way than wouldnt YOU be the nigger? i mean doesnt nigger actually mean ignorant?
Wasn't Vivendi gonna withdraw 84 Million dollars from Def Jam/Universals funds if he kept this title?
not if it makes money. lol
www.myspace.com/eptheguapgetter
Call it what ever you want Nas, I just hope the album is good.
cant wait for the album
But yeah he can name it what he wants the Bill of rights says so lol.... oh well
no one wanted to hear hip-hop is dead? publicity stunt? yeah aight... everyone was anxious for HHID, it was a classic album.. Re-listen to it.. and if you still don't think so, then head to the check out lane.
cosign illseed
Nas got it
son sdfu i bet ur fav rapper is lil wayne a nicca dat cant make his mind up on droppin his album he smoke 2 much cracc
Nas Is Fuckin Better Than 50 At Starting Controversy Before His Album Drops
Smart Move
Unless he follows through with this, I'm going to consider it a lame buzz-generating strategy. =\
Then again, it's not like he wants to back down. People need to lighten up.
FUCK THAT NAS IS A GENIUS AND I'M SUPPORTING THAT MAN! WHO ELSE CAN STIR PEOPLE UP BUT NAS?
www.myspace.com/eptheguapgetter
How im supposed to come close? they got me fighting ghosts.
Hov spit the truth
there is to much power in words these days
It's all misguided
LL said, "I'm waiting to hear the record... It's an interesting title. I don't think the N-word is going anywhere. It's just a cultural thing. Does it offend me? It's according to who says it. Other than that, it's not going anywhere. What's the big deal?"
TOOK THE WORDS RIGHT OUTTA MY MOUTH. I'M DEFINITELY COPPIN' 4.
i hope that he bring that intellectual talk wit this album if he dont, white folks gona go crazy wit this. bill o rilley hola back.
ps. fuck bill ol rilley
Nas is a real nigga so im gonna support the album and get it the first day no matter what the title but u gotta admit he does got the buzz and im co signin wit LL
yup thats the same stand i had when i first heard about the name of the album, that he had sensible reasoning behind it. i've heard many people say he is doing for the sake of marketing, come on people he obviously does not need this kind of publicity to sell/promote his album. am eagerly waiting for the album to drop.
blaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah
am still the same ol reason even though def sound messed up my profile
Heh, I'd take it an extra step and not only release the album as scheduled, but not allow it's release in the state of New York since they have the word ban. It's like a curteosy and a slap in the face at the same time.
The hip hop fans of NY (and there's an insane amount of them) would be in an uproar at the legislature passed by NY and protest. The state's government couldn't do anything but sit on their hands and look stupid because of the amount of dollars the state is missing out on (because Nas/Jay can easily go platinum just within NYC in a day with controversy like this), and it's their own fault for writing legislature that forced them to miss out on a cut of, for example, 10 million dollars (1 mill CDs sold at $9.99+tax), but at the same time have to be appreciative that Nas took their legislature into consideration. Obviously these two things would have to spawn change because no one likes to miss out on money or have a group of actively disgruntled people to deal with.
Hah, that would be great.
definitely a marketing move. but overall i just wanna hear the music.
fif is right??co-signing fif
with all the changes we trying to make in hip hop like hip hop vs america and things why would you even name your album nigger you bringing us right back to ground zero
honestly how are you even gonna market a ablum like that
how is naming an album a certain word, demoralizing US back to ground zero?
I hope you dont plan on going to MTV with that
NAS about to bring another classic Lp Nigger... HE said its going to be his best Lp ever so lets see whats up
cosign, people need to be patient with this, he's comin with illmatic format! the best rapper living and breathing..
I love Nas music,but no way is this acceptable.Jay is right, we give too much power to words, but you can never negate the harshness and hurtfullness of that word.Only thing Nas is doing by naming his album "Nigger" is giving the racists and right-wing extremist more fuel for the fire to the argument of why can't they say racial slurs toward african american and other minorities.I wonder how many of the people on here talking about Nas's freedom of speech will feel the same way about free speech when a caucasian person calls you that same word.How will you feel about freedom of speech when you turn on a primetime televison show and the entire cast is speaking a racist diatribe?How will you feel about freedom of speech when a movie producer decide to cast a caucasian in blackface for a black role instead of an african american?
Think people...
i must agree wit Dre. all this is gonna really do is put black people back on the defensive because lil josh and his hommies are gonna think its cool and now say "WE CAN GET AWAY WITH SAYING IT"
SAY HELLO TO A MILLION MORE JENNA 6'S, and thats jus being real....A.C.R in da buildin
A NAS i hope you know you have to spit the realest shit you ever wrote man. PEople are lisisting and i mean really. Im supporting you and I think it just put somethings to light that people are trying to hide. It a along road ahead.
MAN FUCCCCKKKKK 50 CENT....eat a fucking dick man honestly....how can you not support your local new yorker not to mention hip hop legend in a situation like this....THEN go as far as to say NAS is doing it for shock value, NASSS...gimme a goddamn break you snitchin bitch...go suck off a cop...and make another challenge to kanye...FAGGOT
oh and before you judge nas as much as you are for naming his album that....just wait for the music, nas is a smart dude, there is a reason behind everything he does...as hov said
i mean i support nas fully because lke all others artists said in da article hes obvisiouly a real smart dude so hes guna speak da truth on the album...i feel as though it is a marketing scheme but hey its nas hes not guna lie he speaks da truth so Im guna b waiting patiently to see what hes guna say
i wonder why everybody thinks it is such a big issue.
i mean this word is used by so many rap-artists and in movies and daily streettalk.
racists and right-wing wankers use words like this anyway.
kick dem asses if they use it in puplic.
or kick dem asses anyway.
i just want it to be a dope album
That's society for you. They tell you not to judge a book by its cover, but they judge an album by its title
Nas is a fuckin genius, of course he has a reason for naming the album, he's only the best rapper alive. I support my nigga 100% (besides it's only a word and he wants to give it less power so these crackas can't use it against us).
"I know he's very intelligent and there a reason behind what he's doing," Jay told MTV News. "He's not just doing it for the sake of being provocative. Of course we're going to support his art. ... I hope [the concept] is coming from a great place. I believe it's coming from a great place. I just think [the controversy is] misguided. People give strength to words, power to words. If your remove '******,' then you have 'jiggaboo' and 'porch monkey,' the words will keep continuing. How many words you gonna take out? People give the words power. I think we need to direct that [energy] towards the community.
"The first thing you do when you sit with a psychiatrist is they go back to your childhood. It all stems from there. So all these things that's happening in these neighborhood, the worst schools, drug-infested areas ... of course people are going to be hostile. So if you fix that, you fix self-esteem, you fix hope. ... Then they'll be another thing. But you can't remove a word and think all the problems don't exist. Like I said, it's misguided."
WORD !!! ^^^^
Two words.....DICK GREGORY!!
Has anyone read the book "Nigger"?
Do U Mr. Jones.....fuck these haters man!!
fuck nas to faggot gggggggggggggggg unit
Fuck this nigga spiderak47 and fuck 50 cent with that ignorance,he is nowhere near all this people who is supportin Nas...fuck him again
50 cent and his fans are all ignorance.50 think its always about gettin money in hip hop,Dre and Eminem needs to school his ass about who Nas is maybe his memories are gone since he left queens.
After reading Nas explanation on his upcoming album, and understanding where he is coming from. I dont see why he shouldnt drop it. It's true that minority politicians for years have been used as puppets to keep minorities walking around with a chip on our shoulder when it comes to the word nigger. People need to take it back, to when we played in the sandbox and yelled out "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me". And I can bet the house, that Nas's intention is to enforce that old riddle. Im with you Nas its been a long time coming. Its overdue like a female going on 11 months prego. Drop that shiiit. Fuck that uncivilised 50 cent and any racist or illetrate against this album.
hold on now i wouldnt say 50 fans are ignorant i like 50 well the old 50 "get rich or die tryin" was one of the best albums that year but some ppl do go over the top with their opinions on 50 jus like wayne-iacs go over the top for wayne there're FANS fans are spose to take up for their favorite artist jus like i take up for nas cus he's my favorite i wouldnt call it ignorance id call it....."dick ride overload" lol
man nas the greatest active rapper alive (legends dnt count) an cnt nobody make a good point on how he not,cnt say wayne cus wayne dnt got classic albums he got classic MIXTAPES cnt say lyrics cus really who fukin wit nas on the lyrical tip? i got every last fuckin one of his albums an the only weak one was nastradamus cus he tried 2 go commercial an failed but its still better than a lot of bullshyt out now i can name 1 song thats better than somebody WHOLE album debate if u wnt 2 at yo own risk...
birdman i got ur point but i call 50 cent and his fans ignorance becos they know any single reason behind Nas naming his album NIGGER but they started talkin greasy and sending uncivilised message...I dont blame em,its all lack of education
cosign that birdman....aint nobody fuckin with esco....NaS is untouchable....like Fire.....unfuckable.....like a lesbian...we definitely behind him.streets wise and hood wise
he one of the last of a dying breed man support that man album
IT'S SO FUNNY TO ME HOW EVERYONE IS CRUCIFYING NAS FOR NAMING HIS ALBUM "NIGGER," WHEN MORE THAN HALF OF THE COUNTRY, CHEERED THE SOPRANOS ON EVERY WEEK, WHILE USING THE WORD NIGGER! WE AS PEOPLE ARE SO CONFUSED. WE RUN AROUND HERE SCREAMING DUMB SH*T LIKE, "BALLIN" WHEN THE MAJORITY OF THE COUNTRY IS IN POVERTY. IF YOUR A REAL HIP HOP FAN, PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE RAPPERS WHO REALLY HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY LIKE NAS, JADA KISS, COMMON, ETC. WHO NEVER GET THE RECOGNITION THAT THEY DESERVE AND STOP RUNNING AFTER THESE ONE HIT WONDERS, DAMN!!! DO YOUR THING NAS, YOUR ONLY WHAT YOU ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE!! NIGGER IS JUST A WORD!! IF YOU AINT KNO WHAT HE'S ABOUT DONT SAY SHIT AGAINST HIM.I WILL BE THE FIRST NIGGA TO COP THIS SHIT IN MY PROJECT
couldnt agree wit u more
cosign, there is so much going on in this world today, and the media wants to fuck with nas, that should show everyone how much of an impact his music really has on people... lets take care of some MAJOR issues first, get our troops back home, boot this idiot out of office (2008 Halleluyah!) lets make it easier for people to get a job, etc etc... concentrate on world issues not music industry issues.
They thought ill make another illmatic but its always forward im moving never backwards stupid heres another CLASSIC..."NIGGER" Stylesp Supa Gangsta Extraordinary Gentlemen Dec 4th
They thought ill make another illmatic but its always forward im moving never backwards stupid heres another CLASSIC..."NIGGER" Nas Best Ever To Do it Stylesp Supa Gangsta Extraordinary Gentlemen Dec 4th
Why the fuck is Al sharpton jumpin on everything. All the fuck he care about is publicity. And as far as "NIGGER", its just a word. It all just depends on how you take it wheater you refferin to one of yo boys or you usin it as a racial slur. He's just tryin to lessen the value of the word so maybe it wont be as offensive and people will stop judging black people for still using it. Wheather it works or not im gonna stand behind him.
all i can say is who kares bout the title, theres a reson y he titled his album that...listen to the message!...when the album drops...and i agree wit some kat above lol FREEDOM OF SPEECH...and i honestly think theres more important stuff goin on in the world!...and ppl are worrying bout an ALBUM TITLE! lol..cmon...Nas is the greatest, hes a genius! and wouldnt use that word jus to use it or offend ppl!...so i kant wait to hear the album!, i think its gon be klassic!
cosign to everything.
Yea I could care less what he calls the album lets just hope it is better than Hip Hop is Dead or his career as a rapper may be over
Nas will never be over... scrill get your mind out the gutter fam we talkin about the same dude who dropped Illmatic.
nas career could neva b over everybody thought he was done when jay came at em an look wat happend...ETHER an hot albums back to back to back to back (stillmatic,god's son,streets disciple,and hip hop is dead)
nas is the man, first off. second, in the early and mid 90s there was a album with the word "nigga" in it every 2 weeks. n.w.a.'s niggaz4life, big mello's bone hard zaggin and many others. noone even gave half a fuck then, but now everyones sensitive and shit. even ill bill had a song out called white nigger recently talking about himself. people got all sensitive about that shit too. i hope nas calls his album "fuck all you little bitch asses"
I'm telling y'all, let's just WAIT patiently for the album, and hopefully he'll come HARDER than he did LAST DECEMBER. HHID is a very, very strong album, so if it's better (and all of us are HOPING IT IS) AND he explains himself, which we know he will just like he did with HHID, then everyone except Al "Mr. TV" Sharpton and Jesse "Infidelity" Jackson...
Keep doing ya thing NAS. Best rapper Alive.
nas does his thang and gonna continue to do his thang! deeeeeetroit!!!
man fuck them, they cant stop nas...their doin what nas wants them to do...talk about it until the shit drops so he can sell mad records...and like everybody supporting him said he knows what hes doin its for a reason, hes not just gonna name his album anything, hes gonna come up with a creative title
he can name it watever he wants its his album. but to a certain extent it seems u gotta have controversy to sell an album. not knockin nas hustle if thats how u gotta do it. but its a tru sign that album sales are way down and in the future people wont even care about them.
boring
THIS NIGGER NAS IS CRAZY..IM TALKIN BOUT HIS ALBUM..IVE HEARD IT AND ITS CRAZY
How did u get Nas? and what u need 4 it forreal????