Nas’ shocking call for change

Posted on November 14, 2007
Filed Under Music |

The idea of music as a vessel for change is a concept is nearly as old as the drumbeat, dating back to the prophetic words of Socrates, who said “I care not who writes a nation’s songs if I can write it’s songs.”

Under most circumstances, “revolution” music tends to divide people along very traditional lines. Think about the 14 year old discovering left-wing political activism through the early Rage Against the Machine albums, and his father worries about the lyrics turning his son into a “pinko commie.”

It’s a rare thing for an artist to make such a dramatic statement that everyone cries out in shock. Enter Nas. One of the most influential artists to emerge from the Brooklyn school of hip hop (characterized by hard beats and complex lyrics), Nas has managed to stay in fairly steady rotation on MTV for the past 13 years, selling a respectable amount of albums and staying on top of the hip hop game. But he’s never enjoyed the mainstream media exposure that’s given to label mates Jay-Z and Kanye West. All that changed a few weeks ago, when Nas announced that his forthcoming album, out December 11th, will carry the title N****r.

If the people against this album were written out, the list would quickly grow to Biblical-geneology proportions. Opponents range from Jesse Jackson who says the word is degrading, to white collar conservatives, who cry out against the supposed “double standard” in a culture where Don Imus can be fired for saying something less offensive. The controversy recently went to a whole new level when New York City councilman Hakeem Jefferies threatened to dock the pension fund of Universal Music Group if the company released the album under with it’s current title.

Before you judge Nas as another 50 Cent, eager to use controversy to bolster sales in a genre that’s facing slow numbers, it’s important to understand that the he’s actually trying to use the album to cut the legs out from under racist language.

If you’re not familiar with Nas’ discography, you probably don’t know that he often makes extreme statements to ignite the thoughts of his listeners. His 2006 project was entitled Hip Hop is Dead, and was actually an effort to breath new life into an art form that is in very real danger of turning into an irrelevant marketing tool that’s known for little more than a branding tool for McDonalds. It’s one of the few truly refreshing albums of 2006, with Nas playing the part of street preacher, calling other artists back to a way of life when hip-hop was the language of the people, and away from the cliché’d songs based on dance moves and unreasonable hubris. Whether or not Hip Hop is Dead changed the direction of rap in general is irrelevant. What’s important is that Nas had the courage to create a thought-provoking album in an environment where it takes a MIMS or Souljah Boy styled hook to achieve success.

Nas knows what he’s doing here. And he’s doing the best to explain his extreme move. He tells MTV:

We’re taking power [away] from the word. No disrespect to none of them who were part of the civil-rights movement, but some of my n—as in the streets don’t know who [civil-rights activist] Medgar Evers was. I love Medgar Evers, but some of the n—as in the streets don’t know Medgar Evers, they know who Nas is. And to my older people who don’t now who Nas is and who don’t know what a street disciple is, stay outta this mutha—-in’ conversation. We’ll talk to you when we’re ready. Right now, we’re on a whole new movement. We’re taking power [away] from that word.

In spite of this explanation, civil rights activists everywhere are pointing out that Nas is putting the most offensive racial slur on the English language on a CD, and selling it to kids in the mall. It’s not just any racial slur, but the chosen term of choice for over a hundred years of brutality, terrorism and lynchings.

And Nas isn’t receiving much love back at home for it either. Def Jam label President Jay-Z isn’t stopping N****r from being released, but has gone on record with his opinion that one album can never take degrading language away from bigots.

Through it all, Nas has stayed level headed, almost ignoring the press surrounding his current project, maintaining a quiet confidence rarely seen in a time when labels force the label to speak in sound bites (take it from an “insider;” more is controlled in the board room than you can imagine). It’s easy to compare him to Bob Dylan when he showed up at a folk festival and angered the crowd by plugging in an electric guitar. Fans began to throw debris, and screaming the word “Antichrist” at him. Dylan responded by stepping to the mic and saying just three words: “you are wrong,” and then playing his heart out. What fans originally called “the death of Dylan” was actually the birth of a new period that produced some of his finest albums.

Whether or not the shocking album title will put Nas on top of the charts remains to be seen. But what we do know is that the rapper isn’t all that concerned about it. In fact, he doesn’t expect the project to sell that well. He’s already topped the charts. Now, he explains, he’s building a lecagy.

This N****r album is bigger than an album. This is for my daughter, when she looks back and sees all the chump n—as in the game, she’ll say, ‘My pops was a man.’ When I have more kids, they’ll see, ‘He was a man.’ That will inspire them to be real in their life. Some people say I’m conscious, some say I’m a gangsta rapper — it’s just me doing me. I’m stomping in my own lane. I’m doing what I do.

Regardless of your age, gender of beliefs…it’s hard to ignore that kind of vision.

Comments

6 Responses to “Nas’ shocking call for change”

Seth Hurd on November 15th, 2007 11:53 pm

good stuff…
Vik on November 16th, 2007 12:08 pm

As an avid listener to Christian music, I am familiar with who Nas is, but not his music.

On the topic of his album title, as a woman of color, I am not offended. That may seem contradictory or like a double standard, in light of the Imus situation and others like it, but it is much like the situations we see in families; Just because I can call my sister lazy does not give you the right to do so,those are fighting words! Permission to use various terms amongst ourselves does not exist only in the black community. This particular word is focused upon because of the negative connotation historically associated with it. I too believe that you take power away from others when you use the word in your own community and among your own people exclusively. This may divide some people along the color line because of the uncomfortable subject matter. The privelege to use certain (secret) words or phrases in a specific arena is an old practice not invented by people of color. Specific groups, i.e. fraternities and sororities have words, phrases and colors that can only be spoken or worn by it’s membership. I don’t see this as any different. Just my two…
Dylan Peterson on November 19th, 2007 7:37 am

I am fellow music blogger Dylan,
and i live in bucktown/logan square (off the western blue line).
i don’t know what your email address is. but mine is dylan.peterson@moody.edu
nas is a’ight. i really can’t put him in the same boat as Bob Dylan though. especially in the context of this album. i mean, is nas changing his style? if so, then maybe we can talk Newport Folk Fest Dylan comparisons. but if he’s just riling some people up with a controversial album title, i wouldn’t jump to the Dylan route.
cool dad on November 19th, 2007 2:17 pm

It seems that the power of racial slurs like the N-word come from their ability to hurt and provoke their intended targets.

However, I believe that the targets have a choice in how they respond. An oversimplification, but take a bully in a schoolyard. If the bully calls you a name, you can respond in different ways: cry & run away, get mad & fight, or brush it aside knowing that it’s the bully who has issues. By brushing it aside, you’ve removed all power from what that bully said to you.

It’s a shame that people desire to hurt others. But if the victims can take the high road and not give the bigots the response they so desperately want, that removes all power from the attack. Yes, it’s likely that the bigot will continue unabated in their warped beliefs, but it’s possible that a strong, calm response will plant a seed of reason in them. If anything else, one of their favorite weapons will have been made powerless in that instance.

This is idealistic, but I can dream, right?
Kevin on November 19th, 2007 7:41 pm

I think Nas’ defense of the album title is pretty ignorant, not revolutionary, courageous or visionary. The whole “taking the power away from the word” has been used for years, decades even. I know cause I’m an African-American male who grew up using the term regularly. Blacks have been using the N-work among each other for at least 40 years. Yet once anyone from another race uses it, there is still power behind and will always be power behind it…it will always been racially charged (see Dog the bounty hunter). So using it, naming an album, book or anything by it will not take power away.
That being said, I don’t like the album title, but I’m not up in arms about it. 1) Because of freedom of speech. 2) Really, this term has been saturated hip hop music and culture since it’s inception. I think it’s a hot button issue since Imus, Michael Richards and Dog, but really, it’s nothing new in hip hop. Remember NWA? But I am in favor of dissent. I no longer use the word, hate the word, so am in support of those who keep a voicing the negativity of that term. … And, Nas, it’s not just about civil-rights era people disliking it. I’m 27, the same age as hip hop.
sepia jones on November 21st, 2007 11:35 am

As a twentysomethings African-American young woman, I feel that the n-word will always have a negative connotation. In my opinion, anyone who would think to use the term to sell records or just speak it in general is definitely lacking in sound judgement and simply wants to create buzz. After all, it wasn’t that long ago when Jim Crow laws and segregation were in full effect. During those times, the n-word meant utter disrepect to black folks. I think that as a nation, in order to completely heal we should be willing to let go of language with such bigoted undertones.
Yes, that includes my former beloved hip-hop artists whom these days seem to be so infatuated with money, power, fame, and not to mention….the n-word. I’ve often wondered how such negative hip-hop imagery (or any music that glorifies sin for that matter) fits into one’s quest for spiritual growth. Perhaps the term ‘growth’ would be out of the equation.

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