Nas and the Nigger Experience

In a time when a lot of rap has been reduced to money throwing, teeny bop dances,p-popping, and d-boy recitals, Nas stirs the tiresome hip-hop pot by dedicating an entire album to the most controversial epithet in the English language. On the recently released eight minute video “Be a Nigga Too,” Nas attempts to show wide spread discrimination by giving every ethnic group the bitter privilege of being “niggas.” The video and song is reminiscent of the montage in Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing where different racial groups stare into the camera and hurl insults at each other. It’s a very artsy video, but you will not see the uncut version on MTV or BET. Nas goes opposite of the safe route to challenge himself and the racial climate in America.