Nigga
Nigga (/ˈnɪɡə/) is a colloquial and vulgar term used in African-American Vernacular English that began as a dialect form of the word nigger, an ethnic slur against black people. As a result of reappropriation, today the word is used mostly by African-Americans in a largely non-pejorative sense as a slang term referring to another black person or to themselves, often in a neutral or friendly way.[1][2] The word is commonly associated with hip hop music and culture.
In dialects of English (including standard British English) that have non-rhotic speech, nigger and nigga are usually[a] pronounced the same.
Usage
The use of nigger non-
I noticed that among this class of colored men the word "nigger" was freely used in about the same sense as the word "fellow," and sometimes as a term of almost endearment; but I soon learned that its use was positively and absolutely prohibited to white men.
There is conflicting popular opinion on whether there is any meaningful difference between nigga and nigger as a spoken term.
Most
In practice, its use and meaning are heavily dependent on context, with non-offensive examples ranging from a greeting,
Cultural influence
The phrase nigga, please, used in the 1970s by comics such as Paul Mooney as "a funny punctuation in jokes about Blacks",[15] is now heard routinely in comedy routines by African-Americans. The growing use of the term is often attributed to its ubiquity in modern American hip hop music.[16][17]
One of the earliest uses of the term in a popular song was in the lyrics of the 1983 song "New York New York" by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, although it had featured in some very early hip hop recordings such as "Scoopy Rap" and "Family Rap", both from 1979. Ol' Dirty Bastard uses the term 76 times in his Nigga Please album (not including repetitions in choruses).[17]
Comedian
In 2001, a public disagreement between Conrad Tillard (activist and minister then, Conrad Muhammad) and Russell Simmons (Def Jam co-founder) erupted about the portrayal in media of hip hop culture, especially that of rap music. Tillard argued that the use of bitch and nigga by rappers is "degrad[ing] the African-American community" through its "bombardment of ... negative images". He directly accused Simmons of "condoning violence by refusing to condemn the frequent use of [these words] in rap lyrics" in the lead up to both parties organizing gatherings to discuss hip hop culture.[20][21] Rapper KRS-One publicly supported Tillard, but stated that "if an artist feels he has to use the 'n' or 'b' words, that's a poetic debate. What we're saying is you cannot package the word muthaf---er to our children."[censoring quoted][22] Tillard's own Campaign for Dignity Meeting in April was boycotted by Simmons, who also encouraged others to not attend,[20][22] while Simmons organized the Hip Hop Summit in June, which Tillard attended.[23] The disagreement has been referred to as a "feud",[20][21] and the two were successfully encouraged by Louis Farrakhan (head of the Nation of Islam) at Simmons' summit to bury the hatchet and show public unity.[23][24]
The song "R & B" from Devin the Dude's second solo album Just Tryin' ta Live (2002) features a comedic conversation between Devin and "a redneck" (voiced by Devin) exploring a cultural divide and how it might be overcome by the liberal application of "reefer and beer". The song culminates with Devin frustrated by the redneck failing to correctly pronounce nigga.[25][26][27]
In the 2004
Some television shows[]
Use in trademarks or brand names
Until a 2017 ruling by the
In 1995, two men from
See also
- Reappropriation – Valuing a formerly pejorative term in esteem
Notes
References
- ^ "Definition of NIGGA". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ "nigga". Dictionary.com. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ Johnson, James Weldon (1912). The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man. pp. 88–89.
- ^ a b c Allen-Taylor, J. Douglas (9–15 April 1998). "New Word Order". Metro Silicon Valley. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
- ^ Alonso, Alex (30 May 2003). "Won't You Please Be My Nigga: Double Standards with a Taboo Word". Streetgangs Magazine. Archived from the original on 4 January 2013. Retrieved 9 December 2006.
- ^ Smith, H. Lewis (25 January 2007). "Why the N-word Is Not Just Another Word". The Black Commentator. No. 214. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
- ^ Middleton, Phil; Pilgrim, David (2001). "Nigger (the word), a brief history". African American Registry. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
- ^ a b Wiggins, Keya (March 2012). "African Americans' perceptions of the "N-Word" in the context of Racial Identity attitudes". Journal of Pan African Studies. 5 (1).
- ^ Aldridge, Kevin (5 August 2001). "Slurs often adopted by those they insult". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Archived from the original on 11 January 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2006.
- ^ a b Aldridge, Kevin; Thompson, Richelle; Winston, Earnest (5 August 2001). "The evolving N-word". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Archived from the original on 10 January 2013. Retrieved 4 June 2006.
- ^ Parks, Gregory (2008). "Nigger: A Critical Race Realist Analysis of the N- Word within Hate Crimes Law". Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology. 98 (4): 1310.
- ISBN 0-375-42172-6.
- ^ Cooke, Jeremy (1 March 2007). "Racial slur banned in New York". BBC News. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
- ^ Pierre, Kendra (1 May 2006). "'Nigger,' 'Nigga' or Neither?". Meridia. Lehman College. Archived from the original on 9 March 2009.
- ^ Fears, Darryl (27 November 2006). "Jesse Jackson, Paul Mooney Call for End of N-Word". BET. Archived from the original on 30 March 2007. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
Mooney's use of the word in the 1970s made it a funny punctuation in jokes about Blacks, as in "Nigga please!" Soon, movie producers were using the word to make on-screen dialogue more graphic and street-wise...
- ^ a b Fears, Darryl (15 March 2006). "Patent offense: Wayans's hip-hop line". The Washington Post. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
- ^ CondéNet Inc. Archivedfrom the original on 12 February 2007. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
- ^ Shakur, Tupac (27 October 1995). "2Pac interview with Tabitha Soren" (Interview). Interviewed by Tabitha Soren. MTV – via 2PacAveli.de.
- ^ Hunter, Desiree (24 February 2007). "Racial slur takes center stage at Stillman". The Tuscaloosa News. Tuscaloosa, AL. Archived from the original on 9 February 2016. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
Rapper Tupac Shakur was credited with legitimizing the term "nigga" when he came out with the song 'N.I.G.G.A.', which he said stood for 'Never Ignorant Getting Goals Accomplished'.
- ^ a b c Noel, Peter (24 April 2001). "Hip Hop War". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on 16 September 2018. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
- ^ a b Feuer, Alan (16 June 2003). "Keeping the Faith, Differently; A Harlem Firebrand Quietly Returns to Christianity". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 27 May 2015. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
- ^ Viacom International. Archivedfrom the original on 9 December 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
- ^ a b MrDaveyD (6 November 2013). "Hip Hop History: Remembering the Historic 2001 Hip Hop Summit & Farrakhan's Incredible Speech". Hip Hop and Politics. Archived from the original on 7 November 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
- ^ Ernie Paniccioli (2001). "Ernie Paniccioli archive, #8079. Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections: Conrad Muhammad, Russell Simmons". Cornell University Library. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
- ^ Juon, Steve (1 October 2002). "Devin the Dude: Just Tryin' ta Live". Rap Reviews. Archived from the original on 1 December 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
- ^ Rabin, Nathan (11 October 2002). "Devin The Dude: Just Tryin' Ta Live". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on 6 January 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
- ^ Mills, Brad. "Devin the Dude: Just Tryin' ta Live". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 3 December 2012. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
- ^ Patrizio, Andy (3 September 2004). "The Ladykillers: The Coen Brothers Try A Live Action Cartoon". IGN. Archived from the original on 7 January 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
- ^ Bell, Josh (25 March 2004). "Southern Discomfort: Coen Brothers' Latest Is an Eccentric Misstep". Las Vegas Weekly. Archived from the original on 7 January 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
- ^ McCarthy, Todd (18 March 2004). "The Ladykillers". Variety. Archived from the original on 11 August 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
- ^ Persall, Steve (25 March 2004). "Ladykillers Has its Charms". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on 7 January 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
- Pop Matters. Archivedfrom the original on 14 June 2018. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
- .
- ISBN 9780253211057.
- ISBN 978-0814335765.
- ISBN 9780415951678.
- ^ Mullin, Joe (19 June 2017). "Supreme Court rules: Offensive trademarks must be allowed". Ars Technica. Condé Nast. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
- ^ 15 U.S.C. § 1052.
- ^ Anten, Todd (1 March 2006). "Self-Disparaging Trademarks and Social Change: Factoring the Reappropriation of Slurs into Section 2(A) of the Lanham Act" (PDF). Columbia Law Review. 106: 338. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 July 2011.