Was Nas Wrong to Title His Album "Nigger"?

Since Queens-bred rapper Nas announced the title of his forthcoming album, Nigger, the reactions have been pouring in.

The eyebrows of average citizens relatively unfamiliar with hip-hop have been raised. Civil Rights activists including Rev. Al Sharpton and Rev. Jesse Jackson have lambasted Nas for his use of the word. Uninformed reactionaries have done what they do best -- react and totally miss the point -- as on this Fox News parade of foolishness. And Nas' relationship with Walmart is likely all but destroyed.

But was it really wrong for Nas to title his album Nigger?

The answer is no.

Anyone who knows anything about hip-hop knows that Nas is the culture's premier intellectual and poet. All the Fox newscasters did was reveal themselves as biased and unreliable -- not to mention the most unqualified people in the universe to speak on hip-hop and related matters -- by picking the least representative lyrics available in order to paint Nas as a violent, gangster rapper, when that image couldn't be further from the truth.

It is unfortunately true that an alarming number of rappers have been content to play the violent, drug-dealing thug role and further the genocide of their own race in exchange for a paycheck. But Nas is not one of them.

Nas is a gifted rapper with eight albums under his belt, one of which was Illmatic, generally considered among the best albums ever released in rap history. If you doubt his gifts, check his lyrics.

Nas is also one of the few mainstream rappers who has been dedicated to upholding the genre's ideals of innovation and creativity while fighting commercial exploitation for over 10 years. Witness his previous album title, Hip Hop Is Dead, an attempt to resurrect hip-hop by casting a light on its critical condition.

Any lesser rapper attempting to title his album Nigger would be rightfully scolded; it would be an obvious attempt to once again exploit the hip-hop culture and the black community for profit. But at this point in his career, Nas has earned the right to push the envelope, and people -- Civil Rights activists included -- should at least peruse his catalogue and consider his motives before they form judgments about his actions.

As the rapper told MTV news, his decision was not without forethought: He ultimately hopes to rob the word of its power.

"I wanna make the word easy on mutha----as' ears," Nas said. "You see how white boys ain't mad at 'cracker' 'cause it don't have the same [sting] as 'nigger'? I want 'nigger' to have less meaning [than] 'cracker.' With all the bullsh-- that's going on in the world, racism is at its peak. I wanna do the sh-- that's not being done. I wanna be the artist who ain't out. I wanna make the music I wanna hear."

He also expressed disappointment that many assume there is no deeper meaning behind his album title beyond typical rap ignorance.

"If Cornel West was making an album called Nigger, they would know he's got something intellectual to say," Nas said. "To think I'm gonna say something that's not intellectual is calling me a nigger, and to be called a nigger by Jesse Jackson and the NAACP is counterproductive, counter-revolutionary."

Still, Nas does have plenty of people on his side. Artists and industry affiliates including Alicia Keys, L.A. Reid, L.L. Cool J and Def Jam rapper/CEO Jay-Z have all showed support for the rapper.

"I know he is very intelligent and there's a reason behind what he is doing," Jay-Z said. "He's not just doing it for the sake of being provocative. Of course we are going to support his art."

While everyone may not ultimately agree with his choice of album title, everyone should at least take the time to listen to Nas' previous work before they form judgments about his character.

I know all too well that 'nigger' is a painful word with an atrocious history. But Nas knows that, too.

Nigger is going to stimulate a discussion about the significance of the word in our lives. Considering the history the word represents, and the way that history affects our present condition, I think it's a discussion well worth having. Personally, I applaud Nas for being the one to start it from within the hip-hop community. It's a discussion that is long overdue.