…will Nas actually release an album titled “Ni**er” ?

If his record company does, it might cost them $84 million.

New York assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries (D–Fort Greene) has threatened to have the $84 million that the state has invested in Nas’ record label Universal and its parent company, Vivendi, withdrawn should the album be released with this title.

Jeffries, a former assistant general counsel at CBS and a lawyer at Viacom, says “(i)t is time for Nas and other hip-hop artists to clean up their act and stop flooding the airwaves with the N-word.”

After this, we should expect Jeffries to take similar actions against Dick Gregory for his book “Ni**er”, the estate of the late Richard Pryor for his comedy album “That Ni**er’s Crazy”, the blaxploitation flick “Boss Ni**er” and John Lennon’s estate for his LP “Woman Is The Ni**er Of The World”?

Sorry for the sarcasm but, the assemblyman seems not to care how many times a rapper actually says the word “ni**er” in one of his/her recordings, he just doesn’t want to see it on the cover.

Ni**a please!

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Whether he likes it or not, the mayor of Jena, Louisiana needs to recognize that his town has become a symbol of racial injustice.

So, he can be mad about John Mellencamp’s video, “Jena”, but, what he really needs to do is to address is the racial inequities in his community. But, obviously, he recognizes that something has to change:

“At McMillin’s request, the Jena Town Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to create an interracial committee to study racial relations and suggest solutions to any problems.”

For those interested, here’s the video:

 

 Jena: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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