Nas’ N-Word Title May Cost Universal $84M”

Written by Rizoh. Posted in Chin Check

• http://bgdboom.blogspot.com/ Enigmatik

  um…i’m thinkin’ Nasir may have to fall back from this one.

• http://bgdboom.blogspot.com/ Enigmatik

  um…i’m thinkin’ Nasir may have to fall back from this one.

• http://differentkitchen.blogspot.com/ ian

  > Let’s see which way UMG will lean: business or freedom of speech.

  Rizoh, RU f-ckin serious?? C’mon, do you even have to ask??!!

  BTW though, this line: “It is time for Nas and other hip-hop artists to clean up their act and stop flooding the airwaves with the N-word…” is BS ‘cos if he knew what he was talking about, he would know that the N-word is always edited out for radio.

• http://differentkitchen.blogspot.com/ ian

  > Let’s see which way UMG will lean: business or freedom of speech.

  Rizoh, RU f-ckin serious?? C’mon, do you even have to ask??!!

  BTW though, this line: “It is time for Nas and other hip-hop artists to clean up their act and stop flooding the airwaves with the N-word…” is BS ‘cos if he knew what he was talking about, he would know that the N-word is always edited out for radio.

• http://hiphopisread.blogspot.com/ Ivan

  they’ll prolly just change it to ‘N’ or ‘The N’, like the last one was supposed to be……although it’d be kinda cool if they named it “Never Ignorant Getting Goals Accomplished”

• http://hiphopisread.blogspot.com/ Ivan

  they’ll prolly just change it to ‘N’ or ‘The N’, like the last one was supposed to be……although it’d be kinda cool if they named it “Never Ignorant Getting Goals Accomplished”

• T2

  I hope he doesn’t change it I beleive he had a balance message in the context of the album title and it is just people that don’t know nothing about the culture or the music.

  I don’t think it was for publicity or album promotion I think it was at a time when hip hop is getting critics and it was basically Nas responding.

• T2

  I hope he doesn’t change it I beleive he had a balance message in the context of the album title and it is just people that don’t know nothing about the culture or the music.

  I don’t think it was for publicity or album promotion I think it was at a time when hip hop is getting critics and it was basically Nas responding.

• Donny F

  And the generation gap widens even more…….

  I bet you none of the people shooting the title down has even reached out to him to find out what the album contains. When this really hits the evening news hard it’s gonna take on a life of it’s own.

• Donny F

  And the generation gap widens even more…….

  I bet you none of the people shooting the title down has even reached out to him to find out what the album contains. When this really hits the evening news hard it’s gonna take on a life of it’s own.

• New York assemblyman Hakeem Je

  Everyone complains that hip-hop is not political enough. How political can it be when MCs are being muzzled by self righteous politicians?

  Jeffries may support some great ideas (universal healthcare, anti-displacement), but this is bullshit.

  Besides, isn’t this intimidation and coercion?

• New York assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries is a fascist

  Everyone complains that hip-hop is not political enough. How political can it be when MCs are being muzzled by self righteous politicians?

  Jeffries may support some great ideas (universal healthcare, anti-displacement), but this is bullshit.

  Besides, isn’t this intimidation and coercion?

• Nils

  I hope they keep the title

• Nils

  I hope they keep the title

• http://myspacecj75 cjtruth

  He apparently Is making a point with the title. people dont be afraid of what he is about to bust out with , just pay very close attention to what he is saying . OK !!!!!

• http://uhwhat upper-lower case j

  (I’m a white man dedicated to a long-term endorsement and advocacy of modern black culture and its community.) My thought is this: If we could go back two months before this issue arose, and if I was known as “Upper-Lower Case J”,- the successful country-rock star, and gave my new album the title “Honky” or “Cracker” or “Whitey”- would the same man have interrupted with the same opinion and have the same course of action ‘requesting’ (rather ‘wrongfully influencing’) the same amount of money to change hands… I mean “funding to get pulled”? Would anyone have done that? Would anyone have raised any opposition whatsoever? I don’t think so. It’s …physically… possible that I’m wrong. Tune me in everybody (those who already know what I’m going to say, please stand) … real people will hear this: It’s not the title of an album that matters here. It’s not the word that matters. It’s the act itself. It’s the significance of the act; the importance of the act; it’s the delicate timing of the act- that matters most here. And it’s this exact word; as its correct spelling that matters here. I believe there is an important reason NAS wants the title. I support both the event and NAS for his courage- and NAS is not even an artist I normally listen to. This is political and civil. Someone out there just wants all of us to instead focus only on the word- its obvious and ‘dangerous’ potential for public controversy, its history and its offensiveness – instead of the only legitimate question of weather or not this artist should be allowed to choose this title or not. Since I can’t think of anybody who is qualified to make that decision and who also is in a position to implement an interception, then I believe there isn’t any question. No question at all- weather he should be able to name his album whatever he wants to or not (excluding the FCC’s ‘dirty seven’ words, of course). I resent Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries’ suggested correction and I question his motives. I think its terrible to do this to any artist -or any person- and i feel passionately supportive of the event and of any artist willing to be the front man. NAS was likely very proud and excited about the timing he has chosen- on behalf of his people maybe as well. It smells to me like someone dangled enough cash in front of this Assemblyman to get him to sell. What a damn shame. I just hope it was more than half of the $84 million… but I doubt it.

• http://www.criminalslang.com Data

  Universal and Nas need to see this through, otherwise he needs to retire and NEVER record his thoughts again (Kelis should take over voicemail duties etc).

  The world’s largest record distributor and Nas have an unprecedented opportunity to tackle the race issue head on and really start to chip away at the power of the word that if I spell out in its entirety, someone’s going to get at me with some mean words -which is exactly the point of doing the record in the first place.

  Quite honestly, I don’t think the cessation of that word in speech has made much difference in changing xenophobic belief systems, it has merely shunned vocalizing it to the periphery. Same racists, new outfits.

• http://www.criminalslang.com Data

  Universal and Nas need to see this through, otherwise he needs to retire and NEVER record his thoughts again (Kelis should take over voicemail duties etc).

  The world’s largest record distributor and Nas have an unprecedented opportunity to tackle the race issue head on and really start to chip away at the power of the word that if I spell out in its entirety, someone’s going to get at me with some mean words -which is exactly the point of doing the record in the first place.

  Quite honestly, I don’t think the cessation of that word in speech has made much difference in changing xenophobic belief systems, it has merely shunned vocalizing it to the periphery. Same racists, new outfits.

• Keith Alexander

  All this fuss over an alleged CD title..lol. Why hasn’t any asked NAS about it. I seem to have heard comments from everyone EXCEPT him.

  Concerning comment #2 from above: I have heard the n-word on the radio many times. As recently as August, a white mix-jock [ DJ Omega ] on a black station not only played the word several times, but called his black boss [ Colby Colb Tyner ] a “nigg*r” on the air twice! Either blacks are numb to the term, or he didn’t realize it happened, as Omega was still on the air the following week. I have since stopped listening to that station. [ 100.3 The Beat/WPHI Philadlephia ].
  When black men in power positions allow white underlings get away with that, using “N*gger” as a CD title seems trivial.

• Keith Alexander

  All this fuss over an alleged CD title..lol. Why hasn’t any asked NAS about it. I seem to have heard comments from everyone EXCEPT him.

  Concerning comment #2 from above: I have heard the n-word on the radio many times. As recently as August, a white mix-jock [ DJ Omega ] on a black station not only played the word several times, but called his black boss [ Colby Colb Tyner ] a “nigg*r” on the air twice! Either blacks are numb to the term, or he didn’t realize it happened, as Omega was still on the air the following week. I have since stopped listening to that station. [ 100.3 The Beat/WPHI Philadlephia ].
  When black men in power positions allow white underlings get away with that, using “N*gger” as a CD title seems trivial.

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