Every once in a while, there will be a dilemma in the Oreo lifestyle. That’s right, two lemmas. The n-word in hip hop songs creates two of those said lemmas.
On one hand, any self-respecting Oreo knows zero lyrics to any hip hop song. On the other hand, sometimes, you’ll have the misfortune of knowing what the words are because you are, say at karaoke. When that happens, you’ll sometimes have to choose whether to say or not say the “n-word.”
This brings us to two more lemmas..(lemmae?).
On one hand, the n-word is a horrible, offensive, painful piece of slang that no one should ever say ever.
On the other hand (Yup, I’m quadri-dextrous), no self-respecting Oreo would say the above. It implies that you have a connection to race and thus the sting associated with the speaking, singing or rapping of that word.
So, if you do find yourself having to say the n-word in song, you’ll need to have options. Karaoke is fun, and I’ll admit that even I know all the words to Baby Got Back and Shoop. While neither of those songs uses the word in question to get their very salient points across, it does go to show that anyone can be caught in the middle of some hip hop.
Here are some alternative words that to drop like they’re hot in the middle of a song like Golddigger**:
- Nibbler
- Knickerbocker
- Snicker
- Nietzsche
- Nicknack
- Ninja
- Knitter
- Nagging
- Nephew
- Narwhal (why doesn’t this word end in an “e”)
- Mitzvah
- Nahum (sorry, book of the bible)
- Nancy
- Nanpie (they’re black, too)
- Nacho
- Nabob (but not the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters)
- Narnya (like Narnia, but with two syllables…golly, Lazy Sunday was a great song)
-
Nietzsche
See, they all work perfectly!! Perfectly.
**(True story about Golddigger…this conversation did happen when that song came out.
OreoExperience: This is awful of me to say, but I actually kind of like that song Golddigger.
WhitePal: Yeah, I like that the radio censors it like that.
OE: What do you mean?
WP: You know, when they go ‘…but she ain’t messin’ with no broke, broke…’
OE: Yeah?
WP: Well, they censored it there.
OE: I don’t get it.
WP: How is that possible?
OE: What could they be censor…ooooohhhhhh! I thought they were being poetic and turning the word “broke” into both an adjective and a noun. That’s why I liked the song…. Why are you walking away??)
Nietzsche…LOLZ!
How dumb am I that it took me a little while to “get” the connection with the top photo and the word “dilemmas”? (Basically until the second photo, really.)
I just watched you today from a link posted on my facebook page. “Why you haven’t dated a black guy”. I thought it was hilarious and I loved it. I was smart enough to figure out it wasn’t a personal discriminatory choice, as much as it was a product of your environment and circumstances. With that being said, as an actor I really admire how you’ve tapped into your personality and I think you’re great! I hope you go as far as you want in whatever you choose to do. But there are few in entertainment that can bring to the table what you bring. You have a fan in me.
Jeff Lee Palmer
I like the connections you made with dilemmas.
This blog reminds me of when I was in college. We were in the cafeteria and a close friend of mine, a white girl, called me a frigger. The entire cafeteria went quiet, everyone gazing me, waiting for my response. I can’t say if the moment was more uncomfortable for her or for me.
And about the word nigger, If I ever do a paper on the complexities of a language, I’ll base it on that word.