Thoughts?*ADMIN EDIT*
This post has been moved to the top of the blog as a discussion has begun in the comments section that touches on a bigger issue we here at ATCN would love your thoughts on. So as ever, get comfy, scroll down, and leave your thoughts.
Thanks
Admin
105 comments:
Massive!
Fried chicken all day!
quite a rather powerful image
I like interesting album covers and this is definitely one of them
finally some one listens to me
what an album, thought he was going to flop after hip hop is dead and streets disciple but this is the nas we know. potentially classic!
dont know about chris brown featuring on a song though coudlve at least got a d'angelo, dwele or maxwell instead.
breathe stand out song by far
"intense hustle its pain like piched muscle"
I have had this album on promo for a few weeks and I didn't feel it at first... maybe because it was sooo hyped!
but now after a few listens I like it a lot more. Nas is one of my all time favorite artists. People seem to be getting the albums message confused and think he is promoting the word 'nigger'. i feel he just disecting it. It's an interesting subject that is very complex.
Fried chicken is my fave.
@illmaticbbcmodel - have you actually SEEN D'Angelo lately!?!?!? That dude needs Jesus - and then a hot bath and a trip to the gym... lol
To be honest, I don't know if Chris Brown is necessarily the best choice but you can't deny the boy is on top of the game right now and at the end of the day Nas is still gonna want to sell to the maximum demographic... Maxwell and Dwele simply do not have the same worldwide level of visibility or sex appeal.
You may not like it but that's how it is.
Cheers,
Clav.
clav indeed i have seen D' angelo and yes the dude may look like a hobo from brixton but im sure he hasnt lost his voice, thats all that matters. and if he has then my bad. D' Angelo was consistently brilliant all three of his albums, brown sugar, voodoo and live at the jazz cafe eclipse anything chris brown has achieved or will.
Its irrelevant wether Maxwell or Dwele have that same 'worldwide level of visibility or sex appeal' putting chris brown on your comeback album when your Nasir Jones is almost blasphamy the dudes as gimmecky as they come. It contadicts everything Nas stands for. Chris brown should stick to collabs with Juelz Santana or hook something up with Bow Wow..
Maxwell and Dwele may not be "pop stars" but they exude, cultured talent, and class. Regardless, with Nas's pedigree he cudve made this album without any featured artists the same way he did with illmatic and it still couldve been just as good.
But i comprhende what your saying clav your point is valid but I disagree entireley.
peace like a bud
Fried Chicken, Fly Vixen.
Dope Dope album, the concept, lyrics and beats all on point. minus that track with Chris Brown, cool & dre = yuck
My joint is Untitled = lyrics to go
illmatic - I wasn't disagreeing with you to begin with! I'm a fan of Dwele, Maxwell and D'Angelo too (not sure about the Voodoo album tho!) but I'm just merely pointing out the fact that in these times of less record sales (forget the whole Weezy thing, that's just not commonplace anymore), everyone will do whatever it takes to maximise sales - so the relevance is that although you, me or any other Nas fan may cry foul, business will ALWAYS take precedence.
I don't think art for art's sake will ever win out over art to get paid and in my humble opinion Nas, like most others in the game at his level, stands for the dollar more than anything else! The whole publicity furore over the album's title to me says a lot about where his head's at - don't get me wrong, I'm not saying he's ALL about money but come on - he KNEW naming the album "N****r" would get a whole lot of free press=record buzz/sales! If he'd really wanted to 'keep it real' he could've just called the album "Untitled" - right?
And as far as Chris Brown's achievements go - well, l suppose it depends on one's point of view, he's a young guy who has the chance to mature...
Cheers,
Clav.
Yup yup, the whole album has grown on me, since hearing the leaks and not being THAT impressed.
Fried Chicken, Hero and Fly Vixen. DOPE!
Cheers,
Ginger Kid
i like hero too
cheers
Biz
and I am all or Fried Chicken.
cheers
yeahisaidit
LOL
Cheers,
Ginger Kid
all the best.
cheers,
yeahisaidit
HaHaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love it!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Clav signature/signout = blog classic.
you lot are late, i already analysed the auto-sig in an earlier thread.
well said dels
cheers
Biz
:pedant mode on: @ yeahisaidit - you are all OR Fried Chicken? Or you are all FOR Fried Chicken?:pedant mode off:
True dat Josephine, true dat! But you'll not see it from me again...
It's never gonna get old.
Cheers,
Ginger Kid
@pedant (swoon) I saw that straight after i posted it.
It was an error. I'm sorry, i missed my 'f'.
I was wrong. I hold my hands up. Please dont hold it against me.
cheers,
yeahisaidit
:pedant mode on:@yeahisaidit - If I said you had a nice body would you hold it against me?!?! ;-p :pedant mode off:
pedant mode and yeahisaidit?
F***K Should I buy a Hat!!!?
Ill do the vows
cheers
biz
Steady... lol
oh to be mrs pedant mode...
@ yeahisaidit - have you seen pedant mode's post in the Sway thread about your requirements? He/she truly is very pedantic!
A disrespeck.
@clav
I fear I may never quite live up to pedant's very high standards. But I rather relish the feeling inadequate and substandard, whenever possible.
maybe I should make my own list of requirements....
Well, in any case I'll have my suit on standby just in case - you never know, it could be a wedding first on ATCN...
Taking it a bit serious for a minute, I have a question that id like answering tribers. (maybe you could do a new post as im genuinely interested as to what others think) But is it racist to hate your own race?
wow thats some extremely deep
shizer pop lock and drop it, too answer your question it could be percieved as racisim, but to me id consider it purely blissful ignorance. But dont kill me for saying that it also depends on the reason for such hatred and wether or not theres valid reason...
You need to elaborate , do you hate your own race... what race would that be? etc
I know, bit too deep for quarter to eleven on a saturday morning, but no of course I dont hate my own race! Just looking at the image on the cover of Nas' new joint made me start to think. Obviously he doesn't hate his own race, hes trying to teach them but I was wondering whether others could be as small minded.
I never did understand racism though and how someone could differentiate between a group of millions and millions of people. Regardless of the colour of your skin or your beliefs, some are going to be cunts and some are going to be the nicest people you could ever hope to meet! Hope that made sense, Im still a little hazey from last night lol
I get you, i get you but sincerly I dont believe Nas even dislikes his race, I think Nas loves his race very much hence forth why he is always so passionately trying to address certain issues within the black community (and also the world in general). I acknowledge at times he comes across chronicly hypocritical i.e. having such feel good songs like 'I Can' and then coming so harcore and gully with songs like 'Got yourself a gun' and 'ether' and his constant see-sawing between islam and christianity but this dude has his heart in the right place. This image was meerly to capture his target audiences attention and spark abit more controversy in a similar fashion to what he intended on origiannly naming the album.
And racisim in general wether it being against your own race or a differing one is just simpily small minded ignorance.
pedantic dude kill me i have number of spelling mistakes, im guilty as frigging charged im sorry i havnt yet come to terms accepting grammar is the meaning of life, please forgive me.
peace like a buddhist.
@pop lock and drop - You're right, tis a deep question you ask!
This answer can run and run but what I will say is this: humans (and most other creatures) by their very nature need to differentiate - if not by race, then by height/weight/strength/speed etc. It's why the sports we play are competitive and why we have things such as royal families etc. I suppose one could say it gives people the ability to define their importance in social hierarchy - don't get me wrong though, I'm not saying I agree with that per se!
I think the racist thing specifically regarding the black/white stand-off is obviously a legacy of slavery and that black on black racism (believe me it exists!) is a by-product of that legacy; if a race can be made to feel worthless then it's easy to introduce the idea that fairer skinned blacks are 'prettier' than darker skinned ones for example. This type of mental trickery was used to great effect with the British Colonial system in India too when they took the traditional "caste" system that had worked for hundreds of years previously and distorted it (way back in the 19th century).
So in closing, I believe that it IS possible to be racist towards your own race but I think you'd really have to hate yourself passionately to reach the point where you couldn't stand people who were the same race as you...
preach clav preach
im astonished were having such a deep debate so early in the morning.
defo some food for thought.
especially for that bout of keyboard gangsters weve had at atcn the past few weeks.
may be an overused cliche but knowledge is power.
peace like a buddhist
Sorry illmatic, I dont think I made myself clear, but I wasnt insinuating that Nas hates his own race, just that people who see the cover, whether they be muslim, jewish etc, would think that he is glorifying the negative connotations that surround that word.
I mean, comedians and rappers use derogatory terms but I dont think its ever out of malice, just...I dont actually know what? Machoism? lol
I think it could also stem from having low self esteem towards your own race and having negative experiences with them.
With me being a female, I sometimes do feel wary around my own race such as at night or if im in an elevator with someone, but I think that could just be my mind playing on the stereotypes, as anyone from any race, creed or background could be a horrible person, but when its shoved down your throat with the media etc you cant help but think.
But thanks for the answers guys. I was just genuinely interested on what others thought!
Peace
Nah, Nas isn't glorifying the word at all. I think the album cover is a stark, striking, thought-provoking reminder of what he would have been 150-200 years ago, albeit with some artistic license!
Comedians use of the term "N****r"- hmm... well, I think comedy essentially is about being super-honest with ourselves, taking the best in us, the worst in us (and all that's in between) and making see that in fact, we're not all that different at all. I think the humour comes the realisation and the open admittance of the revelation to an extent. I don't think (in most cases anyway) these observations are coming from a place of low self esteem particularly though! The rapper thing, well, that's a whole different conversation again... lol
As for the stereo-type thing when being a female alone in a particular situation one could say that has more to do with men in general than a particular race of men, no? But I see your point, however I would also add that stereotypes are born out of reality it's just that once the media begins to generalise then it's very hard to shake off the image...
What do you think?
I hold nothing against comedians using the word at all, it was just a sweeping generalisation ! Comedy to me, is simply a humorous observation, that many people identify with. A lot of the humour I write on my blog is deemed by some to be offensive,and that's just something I have to live with, but at the end of the day its written without malice.
Yeah, I know what your saying clav. Its probably just been injected into my psyche at a young age to never trust a shifty looking black man down a dark alley ! It doesnt make me racist, as I dont hold it against THE WHOLE race, its just that particularly person regardless of the colour of their skin, and I think with that Ive just answered my own question. lol
I honestly am loving this blog though ! Nowhere else (that ive found) on the internet would you be able to have an intellectual conversation at lunchtime about something such as race without being verbally attacked!
Peace
Is this going to get heated? lol
what with the cheers lol.. u weirdo's
....anyway the album's good ..i'll analyse it further
peace
Ditto
ATCN rocks
Pop Drop and Lock just out of curiosity what is your ethnic background?
peace
Example number 1 ^^^^^^^
sincerest apologies my bad i got your name name wrong
*Pop, Lock and Drop
and i swear im not attackinf you lol just intrigued so tim chill out brother.
peace
@tim nice but dim - can't we all just get along? This thread is starting to get real interesting, no-one's trying to get aggressive - hopefully it'll stay that way...
Oh, and @ anon - the cheers thing was started by me! lol
Hey everyone im new to this blog,
but really interesting posts..
im so excited
nas is awesome
i saw him at that
infamous gig at brixton,
even with the shooting was still an amazing night!
Im actually a big melting pot of different ethnicities but my father is from Ghana and my mum has corsican, cuba and puerto rican in her.
So i'd be an extremely miserable person if I hated my own race as that wipes out half of the world. lol
@ pop lock and drop- the thing with people getting offended at humour is always fascinating to me, especially when it comes to racial humour - I don't think that just because some-one of one race makes a joke about another race that it should automatically be seen as offensive but given these "politically correct" times we live in one has to tread very carefully through that minefield...
Is there not a universal theme that we all relate to? Regardless of our racial/social/economic backgrounds we're all the same when it comes to experiencing the "human condition", otherwise known as life!
So maybe there's an another reason why Nas' album cover has relevance to everyone - even if none of us today actually know what it was like hundreds of years ago to be enslaved it doesn't mean that we can't all be affected by the image. Maybe THAT was the point of him calling the album N****r originally - and hell, if this thread is a result of that possible mentality then I say it's a good look!! As illmatic pointed out, knowledge is indeed power, particularly when trying to understand our fellow man.
After all, isn't racism born out of not understanding some-one who's culture is different to what we know and are familiar with already?
Oi you SHATAAAPP
All jokes aside...
I dont think nas is being racist in any way i personally feel that he is trying to highlight certain situations by his use of the 'n' word!!!
I never said he was being racist and that he hates his own race ! The question wasnt aimed at Nas himself, just the image of the cover sparked that question in my mind ! He obviously cares deeply about his own roots and the background with which he came from otherwise he wouldnt have put that image onto a front cover, especially in todays "politically correct" times. It was a brave move, and one that makes me admire him ten times more, but I should know by now that he always does and always will push boundaries and cause controversy, whether that be musically or with the statements he makes. Do you honestly think other modern rappers would put a picture of that magnitude on the cover? I can just see fiddy with a whip now.
@pop lock and drop - a direct question for you - in your experience have you found that people try and classify you as "black", "mixed", or "other"? I'm just curious!
@ pop, lock and drop it
thanks for that was just wandering..
yeah if hated your race wudnt hitler have been an apt alias..
very interesting though but weve hardly discussed the content of the album and the way in which he uses the n word.
now that its finally here what are peoples thoughts on the manner in which he has used it on songs like 'N.I.G.G.E.R (Slave & The Master)' louis farrakahn, y'all my niggas and be a nigger too!
and do you guys think this is classic nas at his flawless best or another hip hop is dead/streets disciple?
:pedant mode on: @illmaticbbcmodel - you're excused due to the fact you recognised you made spelling errors. This one time. :pedant mode off:
illmatic..
intelect and high cheekbones.
your beautiful.
xx
Clav, I (including other people) see myself as mixed, but with all aspects of my life, I dont like to pigeon hole, whether that be with genres of music, or the colour of someones skin. Like you said regardless of your racial/social and economic backgrounds we are all humans. It should be the inner shell that makes the person, not the outer.
Godamn, this is getting deep ! Hopefully like you said, it doesnt take a turn for the worse.
bonjour pedant....
still no mention of nas as a musican....
and appreciate it pedant means alot lol
and emma your not too bad yourself
Bloody hell, with all the thread romancing going on we'll need a dating section on this site next - Admin!!!
I can see it now - "ATCN Dating - a place for like minded people..." lol
I think obviously the album is slickly produced, and throwing popular artists into the mix, such as Chris brown is a good move to sell more albums, but in my opinion this is his most socially and politically driven album to date. With mainstream hip hop going more downhill by the second, I think the music industry needs a key figure like Nas to keep the true definition of hip hop and black culture alive. The underground scene is bursting at the seam with talent though, I just honestly dont understand why artists such as soulja boy (i know its cliche but ...seriously) and 50 cent get all the paper, whereas true talent that is so lyrically on point its sickening, gets overlooked? Is it just the world we live in these days or what?
:pedant mode on: (adopting David Niven tone) Well hello there, yeahisaidit... Waiting for me to put another appearance in? Glad to see your grammar is on point! :pedant mode off:
p.s Speaking of lyrically on point: http://www.myspace.com/shomario
"Im underground like that root, but grew independent from the branch producing the same fruits" Wow
Bit different from 50 cent hollering about his G's over a musical murdering of audio two-top billin'
@ all a y'all
GET A ROOM!
Now back to the debate...
@pop lock and drop - I think you'll find that record sales=lowest common denominator - sadly, it seems many people don't want to think, they just want to be entertained! This to me explains why reality TV is so popular because to me it's 1) cheap to make and 2) it's mindless.
Nas is unfortunately one of a dying breed - the era of hip-hop where Tribe/Public Enemy and even NWA to an extent ruled the airwaves because of their (often scathing) expose on life/politics/race will never return... Political correctness and simple greed have put paid to that.
And I was only curious about the way people tried to see you, not how you class yourself! :-D
@pop lock and drop - thing is, 50 is only a product of his environment and as much as we Euro people may find him distasteful what he has achieved in such a relatively short space of time is nothing short of absolutely amazing... Bear in mind that what he's done could NEVER have happened 20 years ago by a black man!
50 is a very clever guy - he sells an image and really gives people out there what they want (a stereotype!), but I think it's fair to say he wouldn't be where he is today were it not for some VERY intelligent moves on his part.
This goes back to our previous discussion about social standing - the US in general bases their 'order' on how much coin one has meaning that the underground will remain just that - underground. But it's a true dichotomy - as an artist how does one balance making money with 'keeping it real' in a society that ranks you on the size of your bank account?
That's why I can't be mad at the likes of 50 and Soulja Boy, as much I may not like their music I have to acknowledge their artistic rights as much as Nas and Shomario(?)!!!
Dear god clav, you are one intellectually stimulating young man. lol (I say young...how old?)
I have no hatred towards those sort of "gangsta" rappers but I just dont like the injustice in the music industry for almost praising people like him. But he's young, rich and done it in a way that I might not necessarily agree or condone with, but like ive said before one mans shit is another mans gold.
When was the turning point that people decided that they dont want to listen to the truth, they want to hear idealistic situations being portrayed by big headed...well idiots instead?
Im 19 years old myself but id much rather throw on a little beaver, hieroglyphics or smif n wessun joint than hear about something that I dont associate with in the slightest?
lol I COULD tell you my age - but then I'd have to kill you (Don't be fooled by my youthful good looks though, I'm older than you'd think)!
You hit the nail on the head though, it's about relating - (and I'm assuming you're from Europe somewhere!) I can see why you'd like Nas and all the other artists you named over a 50 or a Soulja Boy but please understand (and although I'm from London I'm starting to, having lived in LA for the past 4 years) that there are people for who love 50 precisely because the relate to where he's from (and that's all they know) making him a hero to so many.
Who are we therefore to say he or anyone else is an idiot? Life is what it is and there are FAR worse injustices out there than what happens in the music industry - bottom line is, the industry only give people what they want, period. I don't know when the shift happened but I DO know that greed is the driving force behind it - and that is the main reason HipHop is where it is today.
Your sentiment is noble though, I'll give you that! I'm thankful you don't live in ignorance...
LOL CLAV ATCN DATING??!!
Bro thats rich coming from you!
you and pop lock and drop seem to have some intense chemistry im guessings its the "youthful good looks"
lol i seriously love this place
"Intense chemistry" HAA. Love it.
We should have some ATCN double dates.
Get into some deep intellectual shit over the dinner table. lol
screw dinner illmatic,
lets get straight to desert
pop, lock and drop it we could go out for a banterful drink though...
Well notwithstanding the mutual (intellectual) admiration going on, at the very least the next ATCN party will be definitely one worth attending... If only to see if we indeed all can get along!
I think it's been a very informative and entertaining day on this thread people, kudos to you all!
illmatic, I believe the above comment directed at you = no further questions, the defense rests... lol
Straight to desert (she said)??? Oooh! I'll get my suit ready...
Is it wrong that I still dont know what kudos means?
It certainly made a nice change to chat to people with mental capabilities higher than that of the normal Lewisham inhabitant. Defo found my new favourite blog on t'internet.
p.s Illmatic I dont know if you've noticed but I think emma likes you lol
emma im flattered,
yeah your pretty fly
but one of the Tribe admin ladies are flyer.
*cough cough pheobe cough*
emma how about we just go out for a 'banterful drink?'
and clav i agree, as long as no anon gangbangers come and shoot up the party that is lol
peace like a buddhist
Man kept it real still...
So... Are we all gonna meet up at the next shindig??
Oh and kudos=respect!
lol you guys stop stirring
shish kebab!!
yeah im defo up for that party just depends on time and location, might be out the country 'trying to get that oprah'
hey you cant knock a girl for trying,
well banterful drink it is then illmatic.
back to Mr Jones though
anyone know wether the chris brown ploy was a succsess/sounds cans/records sold?
xxxx
I hear ya dude, I hear ya.
are we really meeting up at the next do-dah? shall we make like freemasons and have some sort of signal?
i've got. Let's body-pop, so we'll know who's who.
Off to work on my caterpillar, right now.
cheers,
yeahisaidit
What is going on?
I'm off blog for a while and now a little community has formed?
What happened to Nas??
LOL
MEET SINGLES IN YOUR CITY AT ATRIBECALLEDNEXT.COM ...
What have u created Biz...?
Cheers,
G.K
a monster
Haha. Very true.
But can I go back to what Clav said earlier, about how we don't have people in hip-hop like Public Enemy and a tribe called quest, that are selling.
Totally agree, well you can't disagree it's there for everyone to see. But Hip-Hop in the in the mid-80s wasn't very politically driven, I'm talking when RUN DMC where dominating, then people wanted a change and Public Enemy emerged and took alot of RUN DMC's thunder, and RUN DMC never reached the hights again once Public Enemy where around mainly because people wanted pollitically driven hip-hop.
What I am trying to say is people's taste's change through time and maybe positive, more politically driven hip-hop will sell once again.
(obviously there ahve been exceptions where more politically driven hip-hop has sold, ie. Kanye West's College Dropout, although this didnt sell in the numbers of his latter releases)
Cheers,
G.K
but hip hop wasn't a commercial enterprise (albeit a relatively lucrative one on it's own merit) back then. yes, we have some thought-provoking talented lyriists out there. But we also have Soulja Boy (*reaches for inhaler*).
I blame the kids playing music out of their tinny phones at the back of bendy buses. (wait, i am going somewhere with this) it's their crappy music tastes that are saturating the market with shoddy pseudo hip-hop, like a weed that doesn't allow the real deal to come through.
i might have got this all wrong, but dammit, that's how i feel.
cheers,
yeahisaidit
Don't underestimate the kids, they might wake up tommorow and start downloading KRS-1 onto there phones and playing it loudly on the bus.
How good would that be?
Sidenote: I was listeneing to 80's LL Cool J on my iPod today. WOW. Please don't ever forget how good he was in the 80's and early 90's.
if only.
i distinctly remember people coming in to warn us all about teenage pregnancies and the danger of sniffing copydex, when i was at school.
I think the same shome shove-it-down-your-throat-via-a-flipchart mentality should be enforced with classic hip hop. ' Yes, Takwanesha-Laverne-Biggin-Hill, Akon does have his merits, in a roundabout way, but will you please give Bigger & Deffer a chance?'
hopes for the new album people?
:pedant mode on: @yeahisaidit - you've got what? oh, you've got 'it'. You're just making grammatical errors deliberately now aren't you!? :pedant mode off:
please nobody
pay any attention to that un called for previous post, they arnt worth our time.
peace
I'm with you on that bro!
FANBLOODYTASTIC!!!
This is a great post...
Start off by saying... I havent heard the album yet... but i havent heard a bad response yet... So thats a good thing...
The actual reason why Nas wanted to call the album Nigger is because he wanted to dilute the word so it wouldnt have so much impact on society... Its such a taboo word to use.... but we have all said it before... Some with vile intent... some for jokes.... "thats my niggaaaa right there" and so on... But imagine if that word had no strength anymore... its like a white person being called a cracker or a redneck... Thats just as racist, but the word has no strength anymore... its never bleeped out in songs, in movies, radio or anywhere else... its the fact that Nigger is beeped out on everything that makes it so wrong... He just wants to eliminate the word from being powerful...
and as far as being racist to your own race... im arab... i dont like arabs.... i have said this many times before.... I dont like ANYONE!!! lol and you think i might be joking but im actually not...
if you are in my circle and we are cool... you are all grey to me... (as in you have no colour).. i love you as 1 and it dont matter what colour you are... you are cool...
Look at everything we see today...
People percept arabs as being terrorists and all being rich from Oil, black people as being drug dealers, Asian people for owning corner shops, white people as just being rich and having more opportunities than anyone else (Thats racist for even thinking that!!!)... there is more but you get the picture...
now each to their own... but the stereotype of all these races have made all of us racist in some way...
if you saw a group of 25 black guys walking down the street towards you... would you shit your self??? how about if it was the same 25 people but they were oriental? i bet you would think straight away they were tourists and you have nothing to worry about... does that make me racist for judging a group of 25 people just because of the colour of their skin???
:pedant mode on: I think 'perceive' was the word you were looking for as opposed to 'percept' my good man... :pedant mode off:
Pedant....your a menace! LOL
Mag- Good to see you get passionate (NOW POST MORE YOU ASSHOLE!) i digress,
Funny and interesting things being said here...
keep em coming,
Damn I'm Loving you guys and im a little scared we are turning into Montell Williams but you know what...
Its dope none the less!
BIG UP ALL YOU TRIBERS
BIZ
@ magdi - in answer to to your question - as a black man myself I wouldn't shit myself if I saw 25 black guys walking down the street towards me and as Biz and I once discussed, one of the few good things about being seen as a 'scary black man' in the UK is that generally you get left alone...
On a slightly different note I'd have to disagree with your sentiments regarding seeing people as 'grey' - at the end of the day we ARE different both culturally AND physically; for example the reason there are always appeals for blood donation for black (and asian) people is because each race can only accept a blood type from their respective races (and black people have a particularly superstitious outlook when it comes to blood donation!). However, just because one acknowledges racial differences does NOT make one racist, it's the discrimination of race that defines that term, in my mind at least.
Also, the actual word "nigger" can NEVER be weakened in a lot of black peoples minds, you have to remember that to African-Americans especially, it is STILL part of an everyday struggle living in the shadow of slavery. Don't forget too that there are millions of black people still alive today who lived through the whole segregation era who literally fought for their civil rights - try convincing them that Nas' intentions should be supported!
In short, there are cool people of all races and there are people of all races who are not cool, I just choose to acknowledge their differences, that's all.
:pedant mode on: Unfortunately, my dear fellow, I have to get you too - "Your a menace"? No. "You're a menace". Indeed I am! :pedant mode off:
Sorry, I have to correct myself - I meant to say bone marrow as opposed to blood donation in my previous post, although I think the same thing applies to blood donation too.
Pedant mode please don't kill me!
I might be a little late on this one, but I must admit that I was not 100% comfortable with the 'N-word'. Mainly because I'm a South African and for a long time Black people were called Kaffirs (it hurt even to type the word). Our democracy is still fairly new and the wounds are a little too fresh for us to be walking around saying 'hola my Kaffir!'.
So I guess in my mind nigger was like kaffir. I have since discovered that it is not what you are called, but what you answer to that matters. Easier said than done because I can bet you know that if someone called me a kaffir I would need 20 of my girls to restrain me and pull the sharp object from my hands... I jest... Well, just a little!
I think what Nas is doing is brave and it is much needed. The message wouldn't be as 'potent' if he didn't resort to this gimmick-i-ness. Apparently that is what people respond to these days :)
And as far as Souljah Boy and 50 go. It would be wrong for me to dislike them because they serve a purpose too. Thanks to 50 and Souljah Boy, I know what I DONT like and I can just skip their 'art' and move on to stuff that I DO enjoy.
This comment was not meant to be this long. So I'll stop now.
Cheers,
Ms P
My nightmares have come in the form of Pedant Mode. I am the Queen of bad grammar. (slightly proud might I add)
Porcelain, great feedback. I'm with you on all of the above. I for one am not with the N word. Although many rappers have spoken about the difference in ER and GA. To me no difference. It still makes me shudder. Luckily there are people in the US trying to shut it down
I hear Nas and I'm happy he has shed light on this weather good or bad. The album cover itself will def go down as monumental.
The art work is incredible..
I 'was' the one hundreth commenter
Yeah. It's exciting
clav... pleeeeeeease... lol your telling me if you saw 25 black guys walking towards you... something in your mind wouldnt be thinking... "oh shit... its on!"? you must have balls of steel then... looool
also i think you may have misunderstood me on the whole "grey" part...
I totally agree with a lot of the things you have said... but i feel personally that anyone close to me are not considered a colour to me...
help me out here... i have let so many friends in to my house over the years.... 7 of them stole from me... OUT OF MY OWN HOME!!! they were all black...
i have been in ladbroke grove minding my own business and 3 times i have been robbed... every time they were Moroccans....
TRUE STORY...
does that make me racist that i dont like arabs because i have been robbed 3 times over 4 months by the same race? or that i cant trust black people in my house???
dont get me wrong... my BEST FRIEND is black, and he knows exactly what im saying... and soooo many of you guys know me and know how much love i have for my peoples... but how can you trust a race when there has been proven facts MORE than once, twice, 3 times and more...?
if being cautious and not letting black people in my house, or seeing Moroccans and walking across the road is racist... then i guess im racist...
Please dont forget...Im from Egypt...which is in AFRICA.... i live hip hop... im a muslim... my girl is arab and my best friend is black... im a confused fellow! LOL but when your family your not a colour or race any more... your just FAMILY!!!! ya heard???
With all due respect Magdi I stand by my original statement, and it depends on the type of people we're talking about here. I'm not saying I have balls of steel at all but let's put it in perspective - 25 white drunken Northern football supporters would have me more anxious than 25 black dudes ever could. In my entire life I have NEVER been in a situation with blacks where I felt "oh shit, it's on" even when things got decidedly... prickly, to put it mildly. With white people though, I definitely have felt the fear and that's some real talk.
And while I totally understand your extremely noble sentiment regarding viewing friends as family, I still don't agree with you on that point either, I feel it necessary to treat everyone I regard as close to me with equal respect but I still take into account their individual cultural differences when dealing with them.
Ultimately if you feel you can't trust black people in your home or Moroccans make you want to cross the street then that's fair enough, your views are entirely a result of what you've experienced and I could never hate on you for that.
Damn everyone on here has contributed to the best thread on here so far IMO!!! Big props!!!!
Normally on blogs you get a lot of trash talking without anyone really getting their point across, but on here we have intelligent stimulating debate, with mutual respect for differing perspectives. This really bodes well for the future as I was worried that society was getting more ignorant and concerned solely with superficial pursuits. With the measured thinking displayed tomorrow looks a lot brighter!!!
Anyways back to Nas...for me the best rapper alive!!!
Album of the year for me and possibly the most thought provoking, intelligent, debate stimulating Hip Hop album in years!!!
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