In an Oxford Union address hosted last November, English rapper and cultural expert Akala was asked his opinion on the use of the n-word in rap music, and he completely demolished any explanation for using the word.
In the video, a white woman in the audience asks Akala about the use of the n-word in rap music. She issues a disclaimer before asking the question, saying that she was raised to never say that word but hears it multiple times in her favorite music.
Akala says he used the word before but recalls a conversation with one of his elders that changed his perception.
He was simply told that he was better than that and the word shouldn’t be said. While he tells the audience that he is not against people using the word, the n-word is attached to the brutality of Black people. To him, the word has not become a term of endearment. There is too much blood connected to the word and the history of how it is used is repugnant, he says.
