Entertainment Weekly is reporting that Nas has caved under myriad “pressures” to change his ninth CD title. For months now, he’s been promoting his latest release as Nigger, garnering criticism from tons of folks from civil rights leaders to bloggers.
Now the rapper’s changing his tune, insisting the project, now slated to hit shelves on July 1, is as yet untitled. He put forth as his main concerns the considerable advance backlash he’s received regarding the title and mounting worries that it would significantly impede sales:
“Record stores are gonna have a problem in this day and time selling a record with that title,” he explained. “Who knows what’s gonna turn out and be on that title? Who knows what that title will be? It was important to me to let the fans know what the album would be musically. … Everybody is trying to stop the title. It’s just people being scared of what’s real. Somebody is trying to open up dialogue for people to talk. People that’s high up, [who aren't] really understanding what I’m doing, are scared. They’re scared for reasons I understand, but the fans gotta know either way: This is the same album. The content is the same, the direction is the same, the message is gonna be everything I intended it to be musically.
Despite the fact that Def Jam Music Group Chair L.A. Reid fully supported the title Nigger last October, it’s clear that the label has been mulling the potential fallout, as the CD has been long delayed (it was previously due December 11 of last year).
On the one hand, it’s sort of disappointing to see Nas back down from his firm, if convoluted stance on the use of the word nigger in hip-hop. Maybe we were heartened by the idea of a hip-hop artist (particularly one not widely identified as “conscious”) standing up for what he believed in (i.e. the manipulation of historically incendiary language for thought-provoking and action-inciting causes; hip-hop’s role in promoting social change through phraseology). We know a controversial album title isn’t exactly akin to a Woolworth lunch counter sit-in, but we were hoping to watch Nasir ride this Nigger thing out, see where it took him. (And on a more shallow note, that rumored monochrome cover art was kinda dope.)
On the other hand, it’s nice to know that we won’t be subjected to any more wonky his and hers fashion statements come July.
We’re just sayin’.
but will there be more tight gold pants?
Glad he decided to change the album title. It was too distracting and seemed gimicky to me. His music can stand on its own.
He didn’t have to go there to get his point across – I’m offended by whites OR blacks using that word (and I am black ) because of where it comes from, and while it’s okay to discuss it, I think it’s another thing to advertise it.
those pants…
I thought the title screamed of “look at me”, but its never good to see someone back down from their stance. especially when Nas seemed to be so defiant
the ability for you to ascribe to Nas such meaningful intent:
“i.e. the manipulation of historically incendiary language for thought-provoking and action-inciting causes; hip-hop’s role in promoting social change through phraseology”
means that you definitely didn’t see that ass clown at The Grammys.
and that you didn’t hear the album’s first single.
dammit
i’m not a fan of the word but the irony of public indignation would have been oh so satisfying
You’re right that I hadn’t seen his Grammy interview and haven’t heard the CD’s first single. All I went on was his pre-press, in which he’s been asserting that he was using the title as a springboard for discussion of discrimination, politics, and societal ills.
Now, I *did* say his stance was convoluted, and in other writings here, I’ve mentioned that I don’t agree, but I’m with Rashad: he was so dogged in his stance on the matter that it’s disappointing that he backed down–and the YouTube link you provided reaffirmed my wish that he would’ve just ridden this thing out. If nothing else, his interviews and comments are oddly entertaining.
First single is ass. I’m so, so disappointed.