Complex Shun
I'm half black half white, a huge hip hop fan and feel the word has no real use I'm in agreement that it can only serve to divide the races. The "empowerment" of the word doesn't apply it's usage is unecessary in hip hop AND life, if it's being used by black people as a word of unification then why not use the term brother ? Some people need to realise that it is not a reference to our people it's a reference to our colour and we are more than that.

Matt
With regard to the "n word", I'd rather not use it, but I feel that one should be free to call oneself whatever one chooses. For example, I might call myself "White Trash", but I don't always think non-whites should use the term because it can have racist connotations.

Ben, Manchester
I think that the 'n' word is ok used between two black people... if you listen to some of Jay-Z's songs he uses the term non-racially therefore its ok. around where i live a lot of people use this term, i personally dont take it seriously. (my dad is half afro-american) so really i should take offence but sometimes people use it as a joke. it should not be used as a "joke" and as Paul says: "Like the n word, "Paddy" when used by the English against the Irish has connotations of centuries of brutal repression" i agree it "paddy" and the 'N' word should only be used between the appropriate people.

Harlem World 147
I would look at it like this: unless the other person is Black, I refuse to accept being referred to as a 'nigga', whether they're White, Jewish, Italian, Oriental, or even Hispanic, and whether the suffix is an 'er' or an 'a'. Bottom line, the way it's said is all-out offensive and downright disrespectful.

natalie
am mixed race n i live ina white village n all i hear is that word thrown to ma family by white youths its a harsh word no race shud use it, but white youths are wanting 2 b black n acting black so they use that word i think its stupid to be honest

Veronica
I think that it isn't ust a word and it can't just be used by anybody no matter where it originated from. Spanish or not (my father's hispanic & mom's black) it's still a word that has been used to degrade us and a word that has been used to odwn us. Not to be in any offense with anyone but I think if you're gonna use the damn word at least be part of the race. After all how would you look at me if I casually went and called you a slur of YOUR race, even if it was to be "cool" with you?

..
u must be kiddin to seriously tell me that a white man cannot use the n-word and a black man can. go ahead, u bringin urself down

Aaliyah, London
I think that using the 'N' word is completely un-acceptable among the black community and people really need to education themselves as they are disrespecting firstly themselves, their ancestors and the millions of black people that died because of that racist name! I have no respect for any so-called artist that chose to use that degrading word and promote it around the world this is one of the reasons why no-one takes the people seriously! Anyone, either black or white who calls another person that has a real problem and needs to understand that it VERY OFFENSIVE!

Beatz
One good point I have heard people make in this debate previously is that the word has a history, and has a significant link ith slavery - where people of african descent were considered inhuman. Using the word while you're smiling does not change what the word means on the whole, and it can not be made good by "reclaiming" it. Profanity is profanity. If people swear alot (say use the F word), does that then make the word good to use and acceptable? I dont think so..... saying that its out of date to be offended by the word is just an indication that people don't understand it. I can see how people can see their own viewpoint / experience of the word as the only one, but once you agree that the word is meant to degrade an entire race of people - then it is simply responsible to put the word in its place ..... HISTORY!

Doggie!
I really think using the ' N ' word should STOP! because its a reminder of a past we would want to erase from our memory. I wouldn't use it and wouldn't tolerate it being used on me......however i guess the Hip Hop culture is making an effort to make negative into positive.

Nanie
The word should not be used regardless of race or language the word originated from. It is derogitory and it is hurtful. The younger generation doesnt know the hurtful memories that this word is intertwined with. The hip hop generation embraced the word "NIGGA" and it got out of control. NOTE: NO RACE OR NATIONALITY SHOULD USE THE WORD. Period!!!

Iyona harp
Black people have there rigths to get mad by a white uses the word nigga in any way because you know they look back in the pass how they use the word nigga was in a disrespectful way and then they turn around and use it to see how you react to it and if they see you get fired up of course they are gonna use it to make you mad so they are gonna use the word even more because they see what happen when they use it so thats why the word nigga should not be used at all this is my documentary.

Juan G
I use The N word Nigga Not Negro I am a Mexican from Chicago i grew up around black people I use the word and to me it means friend or like when some females call each other bitch OR hoe its the same! White people for the most part R racist and hidden Racist some wear white sheets others R scared and hate on the low so no whites dont use it I m not black but we mexicans both came from the same struggle. Im out dis mutha fuka R.I.P to my nigga Pac and viva Mexico !

Kevin
I think 2pac summed it all up the best when said Niggers = the guyz you used to hear about who we're hanging from trees with ropes around their necks and Niggaz = the guyz you hear about that hang out in all the clubs with gold ropes aorund their necks. Nuff Said!

Chris
Yes, I do use the word I use it very frequently but only when I greet in people I know the way we say it now it is not use in a negative manner but it can be I don't really think its cool for white people to use the word cause what if you have a incident where a white person gets mad and he uses the word at a black person we all know the outcome of that story but I was just stating my opinion.

glen
im half black half irish and using the word is still offensive in my back ground

Lil Caramel
i'm a jew living in england but im of hispanic decent. therefore am i allowed to say the word 'nigga'? my black friends do not care if i say 'yo wassup nigga'to them as they kon that i do not mean this in a racist way but saying it to greet my fellow people. both of us have been persecuted by the white man and if you think that jews are 'white' ask a member of the kkk and see what they say. 6 million of my people were murdered for no reason. for instance, i would get offended if a white person said spick, yid or kike in fornt of me as they are the ones who have used these words to put my people down. if i do use the word 'nigga' then a whole bunch of white people get annoyed at me. i do not see how this word would any them?if fat joe and big pun are allowed to say 'nigga' then why shouldn't i be able to?

Sarah
I'm English and I don't say the 'n' word. I think that people need see that this word is to do with racism, and that no matter how it is said it holds deep roots from bad times and memories. I have never say that word and i never will.

Renkers
In the UK a black spar addressed me as his 'nigga', and I clouted him with a belt buckle, nearly broke his jaw. The Racial Discrimination Act 1976 will assist one's stretch from murder to manslaughter under provocation, because 'nigga', however it is spelt is racist, and it is potent enough to enrage and foster the empathy of a mixed jury, no matter what. OJ Simpson got off because the police were being found racist and frequently using that term. So, anybody deluded enough to believe it is alright to use is WRONG!! The non-black record company bosses want to use the ignorant nursery rhymers to instigate black-on-black hate amongst our uneducated.

Hulk
I’m from Washington DC, I myself use the word nigga when speaking to friends. It’s a casual term for me. I have no problem saying it to my dawgs. However, I will not use the word at my office job. It’s not a term to be applied in that environment, where it’s out of place and unbusinesslike. At times, it’s a term of camaraderie, if spoken by two black friends.

One o my boys from back in the day who was Latino used the term often. It was OK, cause over here we are all considered minorities as such we are "brothers". Therefore when fat joe or pun uses it, it’s alright with me cause they understand. But if a white dude uses that language, it totally disrespects you. As the words from a white person seeks to belittle a black person and literally means a slave. Furthermore, it seeks to affirm that the black person is a minority as a black man, I will not stand for that period.

Paul
I think the n word can be used by black people in a humourous way but not in the agressive way its used by the yanks - talking about "killing niggaz" sounds too much like the Klan talking for my liking. I'm half Irish half black, born in Liverpool. I note that Irish people here call each other "Paddy" sometimes but take offence if an English person uses the word.

Like the n word, "Paddy" when used by the English against the Irish has connotations of centuries of brutal repression, colonialism and the "scientific" racism of the 19th century which said that Irish and black people were sub-human savages and inferior in every way from the Anglo-Saxon.

ayesha
using words such as 'nigga' and 'paki' amongst fellow 'niggas' and 'pakis', i think is perfectly acceptable; we need some sort of identity to associate ourselves with, there aint no hope of fightin the stereotypes placed on coloured people by society, n i reckon its a shame that instead of tryin to fight it we've just accepted these labels.

Jade Lee
I don’t see a problem in a rapper saying "nigga". To be honest I’m a big hip hop fan so it's not unusual for that word to occur in songs, maybe they say it to nullify the word. What I don’t respect is for black people to call each other niggas but if a white person says it they don’t like it. The simple suggestion is "even if your black don’t use it"! It shouldn’t be one rule for one and another rule for someone else.

El Negro
It has a different meaning for the urban youth to the older generations because the youths dont know or understand the roots of it. It's all about the context it is used in, even if a white person says it, people need to understand this.

Iain
If anything separates and divides people because of the colour of their skin then it has to be bad. Black, white, we should all be treated equally. Use of the N word hinders that goal. It's divisive and confusing.... and it really annoys me that I can't sing along to Kanye West out loud because I'm white!

Mae$tro
I think the N word has far too much power behind it for it to be used as casual as people do today. However from a rapper's point of view, the controversial use will still sell records as much as does the use of any foul language. The way in which rappers use it nowadays, it doesn't seem offensive and seems to mock the way in which white oppressors used it as such a degrading word which seems a good thing. As a mixed race boy of 16 I usually rise above being called the N word but still find it offensive to see it being used by white people to blacks on TV etc.

The use of the N word on a track isn't acceptable but neither is the F word which is used as regularly. Black rappers have no reason to complain at being called a nigger after referencing themselves to one so freely in their songs.

fd- cleveland, ohio
Good good good documentary. I find it odd that people who have overcome so much in this country (US) can still be stopped in their tracks by a simple word. I don't use the word but i have friends (white & black) who do. i know when it's being used as a term of endearment, i know when it's not. it makes me sick when i hear black people say that we somehow have the power when we use that word. i disagree. i believe that we're showing just how powerful white people are. Everything that our masters used to do to us...we now do to ourselves...THAT"S POWER!

140 years after being freed and look at what we eat, how we murder each other, how we treat each other, how we don't trust each other, how we feel about having light skin. That all stems from slavery. Whites don't have to do it to us anymore... we do it to ourselves. As long as we continue to dwell on petty issues such as words, we'll never put our energy into the major issues like jobs, fair housing, fair loans, and fair schooling. still...very good documentary. it still amazes me how interesting us black americans (and our cultrue) are to the rest of the world.

carline birmingham
Nigga is a word used in a respected way between niggas!! if we don't mind who's to change it!! besides the fact i have chinese + indian blood in me so am i not a nigga even tho my parents originate from jamaica+ africa

sp00ky, Luton
Very interesting documentary, definately a tough one! As hiphop is a form of music that does contest the norm and is a way of defiance I guess its fitting that the N word should be used in that ironic way. I know it was explained to me as a difference in spelling (ie, -er or -a at the end). But although its great in a way that its meaning has been remade by the peoples in once repressed, you have to ask yourself what the real point of it is. Its becoming just habitual. I dont think it will ever be used in the UK on the same scale, we dont have the same black/white binary in our racial history. I think the power that urban music has in giving voice to people could be spent much more wisely.

Rudeboy
I think that rap artists should think 'bout what they're saying. Cause in slavery we were called that in a way to make us feel like nothing, and that we were useless. And now all these rappers are talking like it's a good thing. It ain't going to stop me listening to the music but I think the rappers should understand what the N word is before they say it

Roberto, Nottingham
I think you can see the N Word as turning what the white oppressors said to black slaves into a positive thing, as a word that binds together people. (note: you cant class all white people together like some of you do). But with a word with such a harsh past, should we promote it? I think not.

fiya
I think it's quite amazing how the black man can take such a degrading word, that was used to instil shame and fear in us, and turn it into a word of affection and respect torward one another. Also, I think it is hilarious that the children of those people that called us the word out of hate, now call each other niggas to try and be cool. I think that is something worth contemplating.

Jaki "Stuka"Huqa
It was a brilliant documentry 2 watch. cant wait to see more similar documentries.

jasmina
wicked documentary - looked at all the angles of the debate. it's a sticky one!

T.Suggs
N.i.g.g.a: never ignorant getting goals accomplished soon.

Dready G, Middlesex
The word 'Nigga' doesn't bother me when it said to me by a racist or a fellow black person, life is too short to worry about tings like that. Anyway the word nigga is part of the US Urban scene as much as the word Blad and dread - part of the UKG, sublow/grimey/UK black lingo u get me! I knw 1 ting if u don't know de lingo of the brethren, dey don't want to know you.

Brittany
I'm a black american female who grew up in Mississippi. I've heard that word yelled at me from passing cars and kids at school. I think it's sad that here we are in the 21st century and we still feel the need to use racial slurs whether in offense or in jest. I hate that word, and I don't care if the person is black or white... in my opinion a word like that CANNOT be positive no matter who's saying it.

Giulio
Interesting documentary. I think the word shouldn't really be used cos it is way too negative. I'm english, italian and love hip hop and respect the culture... so i could never use it.

faisfx, brum
'Nigga' is a racist term as is 'Paki'. Some Hip Hop has diffused racism by disregarding 'the history of struggle and civil rights'. In Britain racist murders still take place, and they are still happening. I don't see how these terms help? 'Negro' (spanish) - Black Object 2050 - Almost everyone will be brown/coloured. Check Rass Kass - 'Nature of the Threat' Peace.

Faisal
If blacks get offended when a white person calls them "nigga", then blacks shouldn't even use that word among themselves. End of Story!

CHRIS
It’s like Kanye West said - even if u drive a benz u still a nigga. No matter how well u do in life, what u achieve or become u will always be seen as a nigga. I’ve no problem with the word being used amongst blacks because it reminds us that we are still seen as substandard human beings with substandard human rights. Caucasians can very rarely admit to the subconscious superiority complex that they often have. To think that my last name is not even my own disgusts me.

Until society is taught to allow character to be of more importance than skin, we should continue to call ourselves niggas. It reminds us that the battle for respect amongst all other skin colours is far from won. Haille Selassie said something I will always agree with. A man’s colour should be of no more significance than the colour of his eyes. It’s because many Caucasians still see blacks as niggas that black men are intensely followed around in shops or are the last person to be sat next to on packed bus. What to do? Can we help it if we age and wrinkle slowest? It would be nice if the world stopped hating on us for being so dam sexy and pretty.

Monopoly
The word comes from the word "nigros" which is from latinos/spanish vocabulary so it's understandable if rappers like Big Pun and Fat Joe (who are spanish) use it because it's a part of their background. Take Note ONICESA.

Dale Stockford
Yo whas up. I think using that word is the best anything. It's basically just laughing at it. Yeah I'm a nigga and proud of it. Look at me. You can't bring me down.

Mr-E
I have another question...I'm mixed raced, so how would white people react if they saw me wearing a t-shirt that said 'white trash' on it?

Onicesa
I'm half Chilean and was raised as a Chilean which makes me Latino but I could easily be pure English from my looks. Would I be "allowed" to use it cos I see Latino rappers who have used it such as Big Pun, Fat Joe, basically the whole Terror Squad and no-one is gunning them for using it? It's not like I want to use it but I just find it interesting that no-one has addressed that fact before.

And to Daniel, a word only has power if you let it have power. I lived for two and a half years in West Sussex in a big village where there weren't any foreigners. For that time I had to take so much grief, I was spit at, I was beat up by so-called friends and I was called all kinds of names. And you're complaining bout one word that is centuries old and has no real application any more except the one you LET it have. It's all down to you at the end of the day unless it's physical abuse I don't care...

j
it was an excellent documentary. i live in NY and hear de word too much. i did not know deh ent use it such in de UK. it still de same word. de youth so ignorant included dem rappers, they falling backwards using de word. deh doh read, education is key. but what ya goh do, everybody cyaan be de same. de wise haffi teach de ignorant, but nobody ent perfect. listen to chuck d in comparison to jay z. the struggle goes on.

Wes
Here in America, that word is far too loaded to be used by white Americans. Whites gave it the negative connotation that it holds, so when a white person uses the word, immediately (and no matter how innocently) the word is instantly understood to be a reversion back to the slave days. It implies racism regardless of intent. However, if a black person uses the word to speak casually with a friend, it isn't laced with centuries of repression. If anything, the casual usage among african-americans is alomost a small victory against that repression--No mere word can hold anyone down any longer.

Ed
It comes from the Latin word Nigros, meaning black. The Aussies say Paki as a non-offensive term. After all, it's just a word.

Daniel, Birmingham
Are you black? We use it as a means of taking its power away, used as a general expession, sometimes for love, but if used by a different race, i see it as racist.

Onicesa
The only place where everyone makes an issue about race is England. Now look, originally the N word was used 4 black people but times have changed. Where I come from it is used 4 any person that is treated differently than a native. I don't personally use it but give me only one good reason why shouldn't cos I have had black people say to me I'm their N.... I could be offended by that but I don't care what you call me as long as I know you respect me.

Onicesa
I'm half english half chilean but grew up in germany. In germany all foreigners hang around together and respect eachother equally and that's why one can use words that would be insulting to someone in the UK provided you know them a bit. The N word is used frequently in germany by foreigners with all races nobody really minds and if they do mind that is respected. I personally think it's stupid that a white or an asian person shouldn't be allowed to use it only cos they're not black.