tHIS episode we walk into a minefield and discuss colorful language, like the N-word!

It all begins with rapper Takashi 69 went on the breakfast club and talked mostly gibberish but in the rambling that fell out of his face and into the mic he used the N-word a few times. Some people went out and said he cant say that word.

Now in my opinion (Nolo) I don’t think race plays a big role in this, but non the less ill let you know that Takashi is half Mexican and half Puerto Rican. More importantly to me is where he is from. He’s from Brooklyn, NY and not just from anywhere in Brooklyn but from Bushwick. Just in case you didn’t know, this my fiend, is the hood. And in the “hood” or “ghetto” or “Bario” this kind of language is the everyday norm. This means if you are Black, White, Asian or Hispanic and you grew up in the hood, this was your everyday language. To go even further no one ever look at you funny for doing so. This means that if your white home boy that you grew up with, that lived on the 15th floor of the projects in apt 15D came though the crib and started telling you about some altercation he had with some random Mexican dude he might just use the N-word. No one in that story hes telling is black, because that word, in the minds of everyone in that neighborhood is not meant for color, its meant as a place holder for the word “guy” or “dude”. All this outrage about that word being used has always been around but it seems like the victim police are on patrol more and more nowadays and looking for the next offender to accuse of racism or whatever else their feeling lead them to.
I have also been hearing, in the echo chambers of the back patting self congratulating corners of the internet that Hispanics or Latinos cant use this word. To this I say my friend that we Latinos come in many shades of melanin. from the “Oh snap, i thought you was white this whole time” shade to the “you speak Spanish? I thought you was Caribbean”. (also there are at least 3 Spanish speaking countries floating in the Caribbean, so yes some of us are Caribbean too). Some of us are clearly Hispanic, and some of us are racially ambiguous.

I can tell you about the Latinos in New York, we have been using this word for generations. Some of your favorite Rappers have been going around, under your nose being born Latino and don’t even have the decency to even give us clues. Here goes a small list of some that are or at least part Latino. (some of which use the N-word, but lets just keep this between us)

Fat Joe – Puerto Rican – Bronx,NY

N.O.R.E – Half Puerto Rican – Queens, NY

Fabolous – Dominican – Brooklyn, NY

Jim Jones – Half Puerto Rican – Harlem, NY

Juelz Santana – Half Dominican – Harlem, NY

 Lloyd Banks – Half Puerto Rican – Queens, NY

Cardi B – Half Dominican – Bronx, NY

All the links above are to some of their most popular songs that also have them saying the N-word.

Bonus Videos