A guest speaker in one of my classes this week said more white people in America like hip-hop than black people. I was shocked.
As her lecture continued, I thought more about the possibility of the statement's truth.
There is no doubt hip-hop is an African-American culture. There are some white artists, but the difference between black artists and another ethnicity is substantial.
However, no other races are fully involved in the culture for one main reason: the "n" word.
Recently, Yelawolf, a white artist from Gadsden, has voiced his strong belief that white rappers should never use the word because of the history.
Tim Wise, a white anti-activist and writer has also shown disapproval of the word.
"At some point, whether or not black folks should use the word or a derivation of the word ending in 'A'--that's a black conversation, and white folks and anybody who isn't black should stay out of that conversation," Wise said.
These statements don't apply to the hip-hop world, though. The word does not have the same meaning in rap songs that it did during slavery.
Being from Alabama, I've seen my share of racism. It's real and not something that should be taken lightly. However, the controversy over the word is something that has been blown out of proportion.
Since the "n" word is in the hip-hop world, it should not be available for only the black artists. In hip-hop it's just another word bleeped out on the radio.
However, being white, I can't even rap along to my favorite songs without the fear of being called racist.
There is certainly a level of respect behind non-African Americans not using the word. There's also a level of fear, as well.
Some white people are so afraid of the word, they won't even say a socially accepted word like black.
Ultimately, that's the problem the infamous "n" word has created.
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