Is the "N" word a hate-filled epithet or evidence of cultural strength?G-Unit's 40 Glocc believes the latter and he lays it out for Russell Simmons, Oprah and everyone else coming down hard on hip-hop in the wake of the Don Imus scandal on this track, "Niggaz4Life."
"We took the word 'nigga' and made it meant for everybody if you ask me," he says in the intro. "So in my eyes, we took a negative and made it equal."
He seems to come down especially hard on Simmons: "Take a look at the same niggas siting on millions/ Made a killing of of this here business/ You the same m***********s why they call us niggas."
Might not be the most eloquent statements ever, but it's a pleasant surprise to hear someone from G-Unit involve himself in this dialogue. We certainly believe that hip-hop has been unfairly singled out in this mess -- it sure is easier to tell people not to say certain words in songs than to actually address the root issues, isn't it? -- but we're not so sure that it's such a black and white issue that the "N" word is either evil or fantastic. Listen to the full track below.
40 Glocc: "Niggaz4Life"
