Hey, you guys remember Stitches? He’s the guy who made the generation defining song “Brick in yo face!“. I wrote about him when that song dropped cause, well, it was insane. I wasn’t even mad at him. It was like wrestling rap. Since then, he’s put out tons of videos but he has never been able to recapture that cocaine in a bottle. Yesterday, I saw this video and it got me thinking…

Okay, let’s ignore that he did a song dissing Tyga and his child girlfriend. Let’s also ignore the means in which he disses him is telling Tyga he fucked his child girlfriend before him. The logic is staggering. Forget that. What I wanna discuss is Stitches Liberal usage of the N-word.

Now, there’s a few things we must know first…Stitches is of Cuban and Greek descent. I’m gonna go ahead and say he’s more Greek than Cuban and that sliver of Cuban he’s got in him is there just for street cred. I could be wrong but it’s a hunch. But, the fact that I’m even bringing it up is what I find so interesting. At what point does street cred begin, racially? I can only speak for NYC but dominicans and Puerto ricans have been using the N-word with no issues forever out here. No one bats an eye. It’s very much a “product of the environment” situation. I’ve knows tons of white dudes who grew up on those very same neighborhoods who had that word deeply infused in their lexicon. I’m not one of these intellectuals who will argue that that word , when used in those contexts, still carries the hate and disgrace of it’s harsher “er” ending cousin. While it will never be my place to use that word, I also don’t think it’s a black and white issue (No pun intended). Granted, as a white guy, it’s not really my place to say anything about this but it’s 2015 in America. Things are not the same as they were even 20 years ago. We’re a homogenized nation in many way. I’m in no way saying racism is over (Lol @ that) but, on a strictly cultural level within the spectrum rap music, who gets the pass to say that word freely?

I think what is so funny to me is that people will start to argue like there are rules for this. Like “Well, he’s half dominican and grew up in queens so it’s okay”. To me, that’s what makes this whole thing so ridiculous. People start campaigning for the right to say the word without being judged and using their scattered ethnic heritage as a means of defense. I honestly can’t say that’s right or wrong but the fact that it happens speaks louder than the argument itself.

The honest answer to “Who gets a pass?” is one that I don’t think people wanna hear. It’s “whoever wants to say it”. You or I may not approve but that person is gonna do it anyway cause, well, they can. Until someone actively gets them to stop, they can say it. And, even then, they probably won’t stop. Weather they be black, Puerto rican, Asian, or 1/4 cherokee indian. It’s simply too engrained in some people. Doesn’t make it right or wrong, it just makes it a reality. The only people who can truly police language are themselves. I think it’s for that reason I’ve never gotten offended by hearing people say it in rap songs. Sure, my ears perk up and i am shocked when a white dude drops an N-bomb on wax. But my reaction is more “Whoa, that dude has some balls on him” than being offended or outraged. Again, not really my place to feel either way too strongly about that. White males. We don’t really have the luxury of being offended…we’re kinda the worst.

With all that in mind, we all have our own opinions on this phenomenon. Who gets the N-word pass? I wanted to do a poll about it cause I feel like there may be a generational gap on this. My generation has always taken issue with it, especially in rap music. While it’s safe to say all white rappers who grew up in 90’s probably went through a “n-word” heavy stage, the majority of them actively kept it off record or learned that , perhaps it wasn’t the best idea to freely use that word in general. I can’t really speak on how the younger generation views it cause, well, I’m not them. So, here are two polls…One for people over 28 and one for people under. Please only answer for your age group. Let’s see if there is indeed a difference in generational think toward this topic.

You can pick more than one answer if you wanna be difficult about it.
28 year olds and older

27 year olds and younger