Introduction
The history of music, more specifically music made by African-Americans, has always been riddled with one word that is undeniably controversial – the “n word”. Historically, one question always emerges; why can some say it and others can’t? This question becomes a question of racial language and context, especially in music. A vast majority of non-black people have historically felt allowed to say the word, as long as it is contained within a song, because context matters. Many African-Americans assert that it is not appropriate for other races to use the word, especially white people, due to its historical use by them. In a 2015 study done in the United States by the Pew Research Center, thirty percent of non-white individuals polled said that the government should be able to prevent people from saying statements or words that are offensive to minority groups. Seventy-two percent of white or non-Hispanic individuals in the study polled that people should be able to say these things publicly (pewresearch.org). The word began as a slur used by slave owners, and although it has transformed and functioned differently in recent years, it still bears the weight it had 200 years ago. Even today, the question posed has changed very little. We, as a society, seem unable to decide who can say it and who can’t. The word is fraught, and the debate is perpetual. Conversation on social sites following events that concern the use of the n word by non-black races reveals questions about agency, context, and public versus private use of this word. In this article, I assert that white fans use their parasocial relationship to Kendrick Lamar’s blackness to claim rhetorical agency in using racialized language.
The event that sparked the conversation analyzed in this article occurred at a Kendrick Lamar performance at a music festival in Gulf Shores, Alabama in May of 2018. This show occurred at a large venue; nearly 40,000 people attended the three-day event (hangoutmusicfest.com). During his performance at this festival, Lamar invited a fan onstage to perform one of his most popular songs, “M.A.A.D. City” with him. As she was doing so, she said “nigga” multiple times, which is repeated throughout the lyrics of the song (cbsnews.com). In a short video of the incident filmed by a fan, Lamar is then shown signaling for the music to stop (highsnobiety.com). The girl onstage, only identified as “Delaney”, asks Kendrick “What, am I not cool enough for you?” a few times, to which he replies, “You gotta bleep one single word”. The entire audience can be heard in a video taken by a fan, vocalizing their discontent (Twitter).
The video continues, showing “Delaney” apologizing to Kendrick, and presumably the audience, and claiming she didn’t even realize she had said the word. The exchange between the artist and the young girl does not seem hostile, as Delaney continues to apologize for her mistake. Lamar then asks the crowd, “Should she stay up here y’all?”, and although the audience response is varied, general discontent is evident (cnn.com). Delaney pleads with Lamar and the crowd to stay onstage, and is heard in the video saying “I’ll try my hardest, I’m used to singing it like you wrote it”. A few more words are exchanged between her and Lamar, and he allows her to stay onstage as the track restarts. Unfortunately, she loses her place in the song and raps a few words in the wrong order, resulting in even more groans from the crowd. The remainder of the incident is described as Lamar “taking mercy on the young woman and calling an end to the appearance, while thanking her for the effort nonetheless” (Highsnobiety.com). The videos of this exchange are short, but they give viewers a chance to see the events as they truly happened, and formulate their own opinions.
Link to video: youtube.com
As news of this incident was spread through sites like CNN, CBS, and Twitter, the conversation surrounding it grew. This particular happening sparked debate among social media users, with many Twitter users stating their viewpoint and opinions in the form of 120-character limit tweets. Various news sites posted articles explaining the incident, which allowed for even more conversation, particularly when links to those articles were posted to Twitter. Another factor that contributed to the wildfire spread of this incident is Kendrick Lamar’s notoriety. As one of the most well-respected and talented hip-hop artists of this century, any and all happenings concerning Lamar are well monitored by his fans and popular news sites.
The word “nigger” is defined as “a contemptuous term used to refer to a member of any dark-skinned people”, or “a contemptuous term used to refer to a person of any racial or ethnic origin regarded as contemptible, inferior, ignorant, etc.”. These two definitions insult a specific race and are directly tied to the history of slavery in the United States, according to the Random House Unabridged Dictionary. The word is one of the most offensive and controversial words in the English language, established as a derogative name for African Americans in the 1800s.
Today, the term “nigger” is less used, but its slang term, “nigga”, can be found frequently in rap music and everyday speech in the black community (Alonso). The use and meaning of this word are heavily dependent on context, as it can be used as friendly or derogatory (Kennedy). The word is derived from such a strong, historically vexed word, and its use is constantly debated.
The question of ethics arises when we claim fans of Lamar have agency to use his music and lyrics any way they would like. Kendrick uses the word to be a cultural educator and member of African American culture. He believes the term to be culturally appropriate for him to use, but agrees that using it in his music can lead to unwanted results like non-black individuals singing the word, and he can’t stop using it because it is essential to his identity in his culture and community (NME Magazine).
Rhetorical agency states that meaning of words is negotiated between audience and rhetor (Miller). Agency is the capacity to act, and requires cooperation. One does not get to decide what words mean without the agreement of the audience (Campbell). Agency is a question of validity and authenticity of the speaker or writer. Kendrick Lamar has created a “text” which are his songs, and fans arguably have agency because they can take that text and do what they please with it. This includes performing it, no matter their race.
What makes this event significant is its uncovering of underlying societal themes concerning race, appropriation, and language in music. Those who participated in the conversation following the event included fans of Lamar and non-fans, from various backgrounds, ethnicities, races, and ages. This event brought about relevant conversation about a controversial word that society, as hard as we try to, are unable to eradicate due to its constant use. Nearly every individual has their own opinion on who, of what race or background, should or should not be able to say the word, and under what circumstances it may be acceptable. Dissecting the conversation on Twitter following this event is crucial to defining the reasoning for society’s inability to eliminate this word from everyday speech.
In this article, I will argue that music made by Kendrick Lamar, a celebrity, contains themes that are accessible and relatable for the African American community. Then, I will explain the history of this controversial word, why it is so relevant today, and why it will likely never be eradicated from our language. Finally, I will assert the importance of the conversation following this incident, address the question of agency, and examine the insights this specific event provides about society.
The Meaning Behind The Music
The n-word is a derogatory term; a racial slur which was used to insult and refer to black slaves, but today it is used predominately in hip-hop. Hip-hop music, especially made by African-Americans, has historically spoken out against racism, inequality, and injustice in our society (Howard). Music is an outlet used to call for change, and spread the word about the true happenings in an unjust world. Kendrick Lamar’s music is often made and used for those who feel like they have been treated unfairly in society (Howard). The word itself has more meaning to those in the black community that those outside of it likely understand, and putting that word into music automatically makes that music relevant to the community. Topics that are normally difficult to discuss are made to be easily accessible, especially to younger generations. Alison G. Dover and Tony Pozdol used that accessibility to connect young students to societal issues.
Tony Pozdol used Kendrick’s “autobiographical hip-hop to promote mandate-compliant analyses of complex social, racial, and political realities” (43). Pozdol stresses the significance of Lamar’s music, which provides an outlet for understanding current issues and events, and therefore becomes a very relevant piece of art in the black community. The text itself highlights the importance of teachers helping students (especially those in black communities) to make connections between the analysis of literature and contemporary events. Pozdol is a (white) rapper, and an English teacher at a school in Illinois. He emphasizes that there is currently a disconnect in students’ values; they make a clear differentiation between “what matters” and “what matters in English class” (42). Tony argues that hip-hop is both “geographically specific and thematically broad, requiring students to make connections to their lives while simultaneously unpacking nuanced details of each artist’s experience” (44). By using contemporary, contextually resonant nonfiction, and specifically the auto-biographical, situated songs of Kendrick Lamar, Tony created opportunities for students to interrogate the complexities of race, identity, and the dominant narrative.
This text emphasizes the importance of connecting education to music as a way for students to cope with and form opinions on what is happening around them. Lamar’s music is used to aid individuals in comprehending and reframing the political issues they are forced to respond to in their daily lives, especially for members of the black community. Many who feel like they are treated unfairly in society turn to Kendrick’s music to have a relevant figure who can empathize. His music is often riddled with the struggles he has faced as an African-American including racism, general disadvantages, and his challenging upbringing.
Many African-Americans face these same struggles, and turn to music to feel like a part of something bigger; an entire community bound by music advocating for a change. Kendrick’s music comes from personal experience, and is therefore very real.The firsthand encounters he discloses in all of his music relate directly to issues that are still very prevalent in our society. In various interviews, he shares how much his music means to him. On interviewmagazine.com, Kendrick is quoted saying “I really focus on what my fans will take from it, people living their day-to-day lives. At the end of the day, the music isn’t for me; it’s for people who are going through their struggles and want to relate to someone who feels the same way they do”.
 |
| From npr.org |
Vanityfair.com also provides some insight about Lamar and his music in a 2018 interview. The author of this cover story, Lisa Robinson, begins the article by showcasing the success of Kendrick Lamar; “In addition to winning this year’s Pulitzer Prize for music, Kendrick Lamar has sold more than 17.8 million albums, been nominated for 29 Grammys, and won 12”. It is clear from these simple statistics that Lamar has had a profound impact on the music industry and is very talented at his profession. He writes about being young, black, poor, and gifted in America with a candid self-awareness of who he is, where he’s from, and where he’s been (Robinson). This quote encompasses the nature of Lamar’s music, and is likely the reason for his enormous fanbase. He understands the power of his music and gives meaning to each lyric, sound, and title.
 |
| From entertainmentweekly.com |
Kendrick Lamar is a celebrity. Celebrities allow themselves to expose their lives in order to gain a following and an audience (Marshall 41). They invest in their public self to produce a presence to engage with millions of users (42). Lamar has used his social status and fan following to communicate political themes and ideas, especially within his music. “The parasocial self is a pragmatic understanding that it is impossible to communicate individually with thousands and millions; and yet in this shifted on-line culture some effort has to be made” (43). Lamar connects his private self to the public world through his music. Kendrick’s job as a celebrity is especially challenging, because his mainstream popularity has begun to overtake his position as a political activist. As his fanbase continues to grow, his music becomes misinterpreted by fans more frequently (Shaad D’Souza, junkee.com). He has a vast YouTube following, with nearly 7 million subscribers to the Kendrick Lamar VEVO channel (youtube.com). His last three studio albums; Good Kid, m.A.A.d. city (2012), To Pimp a Butterfly (2015), and Damn (2017) were all certified platinum and each sold over one million copies just in the United States (riaa.com).
One of Lamar’s especially impactful albums is 2015’s To Pimp a Butterfly.The album is riddled with Kendrick’s ongoing fight with the devil, who he refers to as “Lucy” (in reference to Lucifer), as the evil that tempts him. His lyrics are about fears of letting down his hometown of Compton, California, and continually trying to escape the velocity of his fame and wealth which could put him out of reach of his sense of community, family, or belonging (vanityfair.com). The album pushes past a divide of the personal and the cultural; “It is through examining the relationship between himself and his community and context that Lamar gives authenticity to his voice, despite its fallibility”. Many fans of Lamar, especially those within the black community, are so strongly affected by his music because of his ability to bridge this divide, and relate his personal self to his cultural self so fluently.
Although many African-Americans don’t experience the same struggles Lamar raps about, his emphasis of his own values connects with fans. Kendrick Lamar’s music is made to empathize with and provide an outlet for the black community, but his fans are of all races, ethnicities, and backgrounds. Some appreciate his music for his lyricism, some appreciate it for its callout of current social injustices, and some appreciate it simply for the way it sounds. However, it is clear that Kendrick makes music to communicate, often with the communities he relates to the most.
 |
| Kendrick Lamar in Compton, California for his "Alright" music video - Youtube |
In an interview with Vanity fair, Kendrick addresses the violence he raps about in his album, good kid, m.A.A.d. city, stating, “That was our world. I remember when good kid came out, the people I grew up with couldn’t understand how we made that translate through music. They literally cried tears of joy when they listened to it—because these are people who have been shunned out of society”. Lamar was able to put his experience into words, and communicate the feelings within his community. He continues to say, “And for me to tell my story, which is their story as well, they feel that someone has compassion for us, someone does see us further than just killers or drug dealers. We were just kids.”. Lamar truly shows his love and compassion for those he grew up with, and attempts to communicate to a larger audience the reality of his upbringing in Compton with his music.
Lamar understands the power he has, and it is clear that the lyrics he chooses in each song he creates are very intentional. He is not focused on who listens to, sings, or spreads his music, but rather what they gain from it. Ultimately, Kendrick’s music is catered to the African-American community, and he adheres to the historical theme of African-American rap – speaking out about injustices and empathizing with those who share your struggles.
Exposition and Definition
In the past, Lamar has talked about using the N-word in his songs, and says that he tries to reclaim the word by relating it to the word "negus," which means emperor in Ethiopian history (merriam-webster.com). He told NME magazine in 2015 that he isn’t ready to stop using the n-word. “That’s 27 years of reversing that word, I probably been saying that since I was one year old”, Lamar revealed. The word has been in music, specifically the rap genre, for decades.
The controversy surrounding this word, however, is not unreasonable. The word represents generations of maltreatment and disrespect. However, to many African Americans, it conveys a social meaning that is foundational to their identity, and to take that away from them is harmful. In Jacquelyn Rahman’s article, The N Word: Its History and Use in the African American Community, the author assesses the nature and implications of this word in social settings. She asserts that there are a “range of stances related to the basic meaning of the word, including solidarity, censure, and a proactive stance that seeks to bring about positive change”. This is the essence of the word in the black community. “The N word can function as a term of endearment when exchanged by blacks” (Asim 212), and can also be found in countless popular, “mainstream” rap songs. As Rahman points out in her article, “rather than being negative, the core meaning represented by nigga has the capacity to enhance the self-concept of African Americans” (Rahman 164). As a non-member of the black community, it is difficult to know exactly how the word is used and how critical it is to one’s sense of identity. Attempting to remove the word from our language could negatively affect the African American community.
Conversely, some individuals such as Funmi Olytoye, a writer for the UK Metro, believe that the word “nigga” is offensive no matter who uses it. Olytoye writes, “Well, to me, the N-word should be silenced. By everyone. And the black community should lead by example” (metro.co.uk). She believes it should be eradicated from language, and that nobody should be using the word, regardless of race. Jabari Asim, author of The N Word: Who Can Say It, Who Shouldn’t, and Why, says that “anyone should be able to use the word in the privacy of their homes as long as their public behavior is void of racism”. The only downfall of this viewpoint is that the personal self becomes the political self. The way individuals act and carry themselves in private is almost always bound to translate to their actions in the public world. Asim also argues that some “ways of using the word” are thought by society to remove its power to offend. For example, many individuals choose to use the term in a non-derogatory way while singing along to a song. To some, this takes away the offensive power of the word. Asim’s text frames the history and current usage of the word, whereas I, in this article, am aiming to look at the morality of the word. His book is limited to one chapter on debates surrounding continued use or nonuse of the word, and ultimately, although the history of the word is crucial to determining its morality, he does not provide a clear answer to that question.
Kendrick Lamar even has his own viewpoint on whether or not the word should be used by non-black individuals. “Let me put it to you in its simplest form. 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, let me have this one word, please let me have that word” (vanityfair.com). What he is saying is that the entire black community has been faced with being told “no” for their entire lives, and all they want is to be able to call this one word their own. It’s embedded in their culture. Instead of having to erase it from language altogether, Lamar asks society to simply let African Americans have this one word, when we haven’t given them much else.
Society and the “N-Word”
Any form of conversation following a controversial event reveals key details and opinions of members of society. In the case of this event, much of that conversation was formed on Twitter. Though other news sites covered the story and contained fan conversation in the comments, mentions of this happening on Twitter appear to reveal unfiltered opinions of an even wider range of individuals. Some participants in this conversation were fans of Kendrick Lamar, and others were impartial, but nearly every mention of the incident was followed by an opinion concerning whether or not the young woman onstage with Lamar was wrong to say the n-word.
To gather relevant, timely tweets about this event, I conducted an advanced search on Twitter using the words “Kendrick Lamar Fan”, and the dates 5/20/2018 to 5/22/2018. News sites including Mass Appeal, TMZ, Billboard, Complex, and The Independent tweeted articles or videos on their associated Twitter accounts, which immediately brought the conversation about this event to this social media site. Users were quick to educate themselves on the incident and react. In the Tweet by Mass Appeal, a media content company, a video is posted with the description, “Kendrick Lamar brought a white fan on stage to rap "m.A.A.d City"....and then she dropped the n-word”. The video within the tweet gathered 808,000 views, and the tweet itself received 10,000 favorites, 4,700 retweets, and 860 replies. Users proceeded to then create their own tweets about the event to state their viewpoint.
 |
| Screenshot from Twitter.com Advanced Search |
“You people need to understand that you don't ever get to say the word in public or in private.”, said one user. “You can enjoy our culture without using that word. PERIOD. The nerve and the privilege of this white woman to even think she could say it on stage. Clearly she has NO black friends” (Twitter).
Dedicated fans respond to popular media by a process called textual poaching (Jenkins). Fans are not just passive consumers of texts or other works, but ‘become active participants in the construction and circulation of textual meanings (Jenkins 24). Fans, according to Jenkins, are not only absorbers of material. They “poach” their favored works and make them their own, or create something new with them. Fans of Kendrick Lamar do this by taking his songs, and saying the n word as they please. Kendrick may have a preference as to who, of what race or ethnicity can say the word, but fans have the power to ignore that and do what they please with his music.
One Twitter user asked, “Why add the word to the song.. why ask a white person on to the stage if you get offense at her singing the song exactly how it's been made...this is why the n word shouldn't be allowed in music..people who love music will sing the lyrics exactly..” (Twitter).
This tweet highlights the question of whether or not “Delaney”, the young woman identified in the incident with Lamar, has agency to say the word. Arguably, she does not, because the meaning of the word, and her allowance to use it, is not agreed upon by both her and the audience, including Lamar. It would be argued that she has no validity or authenticity to use the word because of her race, and the word, whether she meant it to or not, has different meaning to her audience when she speaks it.
Another user claimed to have actually attended the concert, and tried to explain the situation in more detail; “Multiple ppl went on stage and preformed this before her and they knew not to say it and they weren’t black lol. I was there” (Twitter).
According to Carolyn R. Miller, agency is “the kinetic energy of performance that is generated through a process of mutual attribution between rhetor and audience. Agency is thus a property of the rhetorical event, not of agents, and can best be located between the two traditional ways of defining agency: as rhetorical capacity and as rhetorical effectivity” (137). In her article, titled What Can Automation Tell Us About Agency?, Miller discusses agency as being communal, social, cooperative, and participatory. According to this description, twitter users do technically have agency. However, it is also important to recognize that African-Americans have agency when saying the “n-word”, while those who say it and are not black, arguably do not. So, we could assume that this reasoning would also apply to textual rhetoric, such as tweets.
Users on Twitter who responded to this event attempt to negotiate agency with their claims, but the lines become blurrier within social media sites. Users aimed to convince their audience of what they were saying, whether it was the hypocrisy of Kendrick Lamar in using the word and not allowing the fan to sing it, or arguing that the word should be left out of language altogether. Many attempted to use their relationship to Lamar as fans to claim agency, stating “Kendrick Lamar stops his concert because the girl that he brought on stage to sing HIS song says all the lyrics & because she’s white she’s not supposed to say the N word that’s in the song? Kendrick can take the L for that. Don’t use the word if you don’t want ur fans saying it” (Twitter).
These tweets illuminate the various views, assertions, and feelings of those who heard about the event. Thousands of twitter users spoke passionately about this event, stating their argument and agreeing with other users with the same viewpoint through retweeting, replying, and favoriting. These 120-character declarations arguably revealed current societal standpoints on racism, appropriation, language and privilege.
Multiple communities in our society still deal with racism, and after this event, many Twitter users expressed their disapproval of this young woman using this word because it is so racially charged. The word references an oppressive past and ties into the continuing institutional racism we see today in the form of discrimination, police brutality, and unjust incarceration. The conversation on social media following the event mentioned helps us, as a society, to examine this underlying racism. Fans educate themselves and each other with this conversation, and begin to interact with politics just by interacting with Kendrick Lamar.
It is important to evaluate the underlying explanation of current standpoints on appropriation, language, and privilege in these tweets as well. Appropriation comes into play when the individuals who viewed the coverage of the event were discontented with the young woman’s use of the word, because to some, she is taking a word that is not hers for her own use. Additionally, current appropriate use of language, more specifically controversial language, is clarified in these tweets through confirmation or disapproval from individuals. By looking at these conversations, it becomes simpler to understand the current state of society.
Conclusion
In further studies, it would be helpful to continue to examine the question of agency in these situations, and how social media users claim agency. Additionally, it would be beneficial to study demographics of those communicating about events like the one discussed in this article. Studies of similar incidents should be conducted, and compared to this article’s evaluation of this one, to gauge accuracy of current societal conditions. Social media should be fully considered when deciphering use of controversial words, including use of these words on sites as well as conversation on those sites following that use.
Incidents like the one discussed in this article are bound to continue to happen, and the debate concerning agency and this word is sure to continue, regardless of the impossibility of eradication. As a society, is it imperative that we continue to study how these events are addressed by the public, and decide where this leaves us in terms of racism, appropriation, acceptance, and use of vexed language.
Music is controversial, outspoken, and an outlet for change, especially for African Americans. The word “nigga” has appeared in music for decades, and use of the word has been debated since it transformed from the meaning it had during slavery. Incidents like the one mentioned in this article showcase the deeper argument surrounding this word. When situations arise where the question of agency in terms of saying the n-word are relevant, the conversation that follows them is revealing and should be examined. The use of the word will always be questioned due to its history, but the word itself will likely never be removed from the language of our society. In the incident mentioned in this article, white fans of Kendrick Lamar used their parasocial relationship to him and his connection to black culture in order to claim rhetorical agency in their own usage of racialized language.
References
Alex Alonso. Won’t You Please Be My Nigga: Double Standards with a Taboo Word. May 30, 2003.
Asim, Jabari. The N Word: Who Can Say It, Who Shouldn’t, and Why. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2007.
“'Black Panther: The Album' Is Kendrick Lamar's Parallel, Pan-African Universe”. NPR, 21 February 2018. https://www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/2018/02/21/587334273/black-panther-the-album-is-kendrick-lamar-s-parallel-pan-african-universe. Accessed 8 October 2018.
Campbell, Karlyn Kohrs. “Agency: Promiscuous and Protean”. Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies, vol 2:1, 1-19, DOI: 10.1080/1479142042000332134
Cardiner, Brock. “Kendrick Lamar Invites Fan on Stage For ‘M.A.A.D. City’ & Things Get Awkward Quick”. High Snobiety, 21 May 2018. https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/kendrick-lamar-fan-maad-city/. Accessed 9 October 2018.
Chapelle, Dave. “Kendrick Lamar.” Interview Magazine, Jason Nikic, 12 July 2017, https://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/kendrick-lamar-cover, Accessed 8 October 2018.
Dover, Allison G., and Tony Pozdol. “Teaching Good Kids in a m.A.A.d World: Using Hip-Hop to Reflect, Reframe, and Respond to Complex Realities.” English Journal, vol. 105.4, 2016, pp. 43-48.
Flynn, Darin. “White People Should Never Rap The N-Word, According To A Linguist.” Huffington Post, 25 May 2018. https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/the-conversation-canada/white-people-use-n-word_a_23442918/
“Gold & Platinum”. Recording Industry Association of America,https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/
Howard, Willie. Rap: The Cry of a Rebuked People. Retrieved from Stanford University website: https://web.stanford.edu/class/e297c/poverty_prejudice/mediarace/rap.htm
“Kendrick Lamar stops white fan using N-word on stage at concert”. BBC, 22 May 2018, https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-44209141. Accessed 8 October 2018.
“Kendrick Lamar Fan since:2018-05-20 until:2018-05-22 – Twitter Advanced Search.” Twitter, https://twitter.com/search?l=en&q=Kendrick%20Lamar%20Fan%20%20since%3A2018-05-20%20until%3A2018-05-22&src=typd&lang=en&lang=en.
Kennedy, Randall. Nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word.Vintage, 2008.
Lawrie, John. “‘I Remember You Was Conflicted’: Reinterpreting Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly.” Sydney Undergraduate Journal of Musicology,vol. 6, 2016, pp. 40-54.
Miller, Caroline. “What Can Automation Tell Us About Agency?” Rhetoric Society Quarterly,vol 37:2, 137-157, DOI: 10.1080/02773940601021197
Negus. (n.). In Merriam-Webster online.Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/negus
Nigger. (n.). In Dictionary.com. Retrieved from https://www.dictionary.com/browse/nigger
P. David Marshall (2010) The promotion and presentation of the self: celebrity as marker of presentational media, Celebrity Studies, 1:1, 35-48, DOI: 10.1080/19392390903519057
Rahman, Jacquelyn. “The N Word: Its History and Use in the African American Community.” Journal of English Linguistics,vol. 40, no. 2, 2012, pp. 137-171.
Robinson, Lisa. “The Gospel According to Kendrick Lamar.” Vanity Fair, Condé Nast, 28 June 2018, https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2018/06/kendrick-lamar-cover-story, Accessed 4 October 2018.
“Should white people ever sing the N-word?”. BBC,22 May 2018, https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-44209119. Accessed 8 October 2018.
The Random House Unabridged Dictionary of the English language. New York :Random House.
Williams, Stereo. “Kendrick Lamar, Black Language and What White Fans Don't Get About the 'N-Word'”. Billboard,https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/8457834/kendrick-lamar-n-word-white-fans. Accessed 8 October 2018.
No comments:
Post a Comment