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Rapper Ja Rule Says It’s Time To “Abolish The N-Word”

By Michael Bamidele

29 July 2020   |   6:45 pm

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There is hardly any mainstream rap song, especially by a Black rapper that doesn't include the term "N**ga" but American rapper Ja Rule has called for the abolishment of the infamous N-word. Recently, Ja Rule shared a clip from an episode of Drink Champs in which hosts rapper N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN was joined by…

Ja Rule | Image: OnMilwaukee

There is hardly any mainstream rap song, especially by a Black rapper that doesn’t include the term “N**ga” but American rapper Ja Rule has called for the abolishment of the infamous N-word.

Recently, Ja Rule shared a clip from an episode of Drink Champs in which hosts rapper N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN was joined by rapper Wacka Flocka Flame. On the show, N.O.R.E and Waka said that the N-word needs to be cut from everyone’s vocabulary.

“I think we should stop saying ‘n**ga’, I think the word ‘n**ga’ should be stopped in our whole vocabulary,” N.O.R.E said in the clip.

Ja Rule agrees with both rappers.

“I agree my brothers!!! Abolish the N-Word,” the 44-year-old rapper said on his Instagram page.

“As black men we shouldn’t want to refer to each other as a word that was meant to demean and oppress our ppl…”

The word “n**ger” is an ethnic slur typically directed at black people, especially African Americans. The word originated in the 18th century as an adaptation of the Spanish negro, a descendant of the Latin adjective niger, which means black. It was used derogatorily, particularly in the United States, its usage by anyone other than a black person had become unambiguously pejorative, a racist insult.

The usage of the N-word, in all its variations, has often been a subject of debate. Its variant, “n*gga” is heavily used by Black rappers and widely accepted in the rap/hip-hop community. When used by African American, it is considered a term of solidarity or affection, depending on the context.

However, it is still considered offensive when a non-African-American uses it for an African-American.

Kendrick Lamar on stage at the Hangout Festival | Image: The Blast

In 2018, Kendrick Lamar stopped a white fan from saying the N-word which could be heard repeatedly in his song, “M.A.A.D City”. Kendrick was performing the song at Hangout Festival in Alabama when he invited the fan, a white woman, on stage to perform the song. However, the rapper halted the music after the fan rapped the racial slur three times.

Following the moment, Lamar cut the woman off and permitted her to perform the song again, telling her: “You got to bleep one single word though.”

Later, in a profile interview with Vanity Fair, Kendrick Lamar explained his reason for criticizing the fan: “Let me put it to you in its simplest form,” he said.

“I’ve been on this earth for 30 years, and there’s been so many things a Caucasian person said I couldn’t do. Get good credit. Buy a house in an urban city. So many things – ’you can’t do that’ – whether it’s from afar or close up. So if I say this is my word… please let me have that word.”