Trinidad James' claim to fame, "All Gold Everything," was always a controversial track, but since the house mother of OU's SAE fraternity was recorded singing along with the tune, the discussion of James' (and Hip Hop in general) use of the term has become a national story once again.
James took up CNN on their offer to discuss the N-Word along with host Don Lemon, and surprisingly he took it easy on the elderly white woman who repeatedly used the term on camera.
"I'm not going to be that person," he says on-air to CNN. "It's a rock and a hard place. I can't be as upset at that lady. I'm upset at the fraternity because what they're saying is a chant that's just completely disrespectful to the black race. As far as that lady goes — man, that's an old lady, man. Let that lady be."
He goes on to say he can't be upset when others use the term since he and other rappers use it often.
"It's hard to ridicule somebody for something that you continue to use in your music," he said. "Every (hip-hop) artist is using the n-word in their music — hit records with the n-word in it. You can't be upset when somebody says it. You can't. It's hard to differentiate when you can use it. If we don't want the word used and the word holds such a negative connotation, then we shouldn't use it at all, period."
James and Lemon were later joined by Professor Marc Lamont Hill and conservative CNN correspondent Guy Ferguson. Hill pointed out that rappers are always singled out for their use of the N-Word, while film directors, such as Quentin Tarantino, are never policed for using the word within their art.
Hear the discussion above. How do you feel about other races using the N-Word?
Source: CNN
