In the spring of 1994, I picked up a cassette of a promising new rapper. He was being labled as, “The next Rakim”. I was living in College Park, Maryland finishing up my first year in graduate school at the University of Maryland. It was Illmatic by Nas. It received 5 mics from the Source when that magazine was still relavent. Radio was blasting “It Ain’t Hard to Tell”. But my jam was “The World Is Yours”. I was 24 living more than an hour away from home for the first time in the “big city” (technically Washington, DC was 15 miles down the road), but this song made me feel powerful! I felt as there was so much promise for me living in the DC area. And Illmatic was my soundtrack. For the rest of 1994, I wore out that tape. I immediately became a huge fan. I loved his vivid lyricism and what I thought was intelligence. Nas talked about the gritty, harsh, streets of Queensbridge but he never glorified it. Along with Biggie Smalls, and the Wu Tang Clan, Nas brought hip-hop back to the East. I bought Nas next album It Was Written I loved “If I Ruled the World” and “Street Dreams”. However, later albums would not get my attention or my money. Nas became Nas Escobar and fell into that whole pimp thing. I was too through with “Oochie Wally”. I couldn’t believe this was the same dude who everyone was toting as the second coming of Rakim. He’s had sparks since then, “One Mic”, “I Can”, “Ether”, but for me nothing has captured my mind or ears like Illmatic.
Now comes this Nigger mess. This clown had the nerve to show up to the Grammy’s with a shirt on advertising it like its something to be proud of. And he brought a crew of folks (not all black) who were wearing the same shirt. I’m sorry, we have a man who has a real possibility of become the first black president of the united states and you are running around with Nigger on your shirt acting like you are making an important statement???? Nigga please! You are trying to sell records, not make a statement. Now I’m not gonna sit here and act all holier than thou when it comes to that word. I have used when I’m at home and amongst my people. And if a white person asks me if I have a problem with them using it, I’m gonna say hell yeah. I have a double standard when it comes to that word. Black people can use it, white folks can’t. I am too through with Nas. He was barely coherent when he was talking to CNN at the Grammy’s. He could not even justify his reason for naming his album that. I’d respect him more if he’d say, “I’m trying to sell records, its getting people talking and hopefully, I will sell over 500,000 my first week.” That I could respect, I wouldn’t like it, but I could respect it. But here he is on TV sounding like a complete idiot. Randall Kennedy and Dick Gregory have already written books using that title, the late, great Ol’ Dirty Bastard had an album called Nigga Please. You are not saying nothing new Nas, nor are you adding to the dissussion about the use of the word. And to quote Chris Rock “I love black people, but I hate Niggas”. And Nas, guess which one you are.
http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/x4c7hw
by Bounce2dis
