Ta-Nehisi Coates Breaks Down Why White People Can't Say The N-Word In Rap Songs

“Words don’t have a meaning without context.”

For any white person who still doesn’t get why they shouldn’t ever say the N-word, even if it’s just rapping along to a hip-hop song, Ta-Nehisi Coates has a straight-forward explanation.

At an event last month at Evanston Township High School in Illinois ― a clip of which was posted to YouTube last week by Coates’ book publisher Random House ― the journalist and author of We Were Eight Years in Power was asked the seemingly perennial question of why white people can’t use the word “nigga” when singing along to a rap song.

“Words don’t have a meaning without context,” Coates responded in the video, which has since gone viral on social media, garnering more than 4.5 million views on Facebook.

Coates listed a few examples of words that are acceptable to use in some situations, and not in others. For instance, while it is OK for his wife to refer to him as “honey,” he noted, it is probably not cool for a strange woman walking down the street to do so.  

“My wife with her girlfriends will use the word ‘bitch,’” Coates continued. “I do not join in. I don’t do that ― and perhaps more importantly, I don’t have a desire to do it.”

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Journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates during a Jan. 24 interview on "Late Night with Seth Meyers."
NBC via Getty Images

The author explained that just because certain communities may choose to use a derogatory word ironically among themselves, that doesn’t give other people outside that community license to do so.

Coates noted that LGBTQ activist Dan Savage was considering calling his show “Hey Faggot.” Coates pointed out that, as a straight man, he would never use that word.

“I had a good friend who had a cabin in upstate New York, which he referred to as the ‘white trash cabin,’” Coates continued. “He was white. I would never refer to that cabin, tell him ‘I’m coming to your white trash cabin’ ― and I think you understand why.”

“The question one must ask is why so many white people have difficulty extending things that are basic laws of how human beings interact to black people,” he added. “And I think I know why.”

“The question one must ask is why so many white people have difficulty extending things that are basic laws of how human beings interact to black people. And I think I know why.”

- Ta-Nehisi Coates

White privilege ― or white people being raised in a society whose laws and culture communicate to them that “everything belongs to you,” as Coates put it ― makes some white people feel as though they have a right to do anything,
including use a word they have been repeatedly told is inappropriate for them to use.

“For white people, I think the experience of being a hip-hop fan and not being able to use the word ‘nigga’ will be very insightful,” Coates concluded. “This will give you just a little peek into the world of what it means to be black. Because to be black is to walk through the world and watch people doing things that you cannot do.”

Black people cannot drive without fear of being pulled over or even killed by police; black children cannot act out in school without fear of being overly disciplined or even criminalized; black people cannot apply for a job without fear of being rejected because employers discriminate against people of color ― just to name a few.

The moral of the story is: if you’re white, just don’t use the N-word, period.

To listen to Coates’ full breakdown, watch the video at the top of this post.

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Before You Go

Fighting Racism And Discrimination Everyday
Bullying(01 of12)
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Even kids who share the same identity -- be it racial or gender -- can be guilty of bullying and discrimination against each other. Ontario's Ministry of Education defines bullying as "a form of repeated, persistent, and aggressive behaviour directed at an individual or individuals that is intended to cause (or should be known to cause) fear and distress and/or harm to another person's body, feelings, self-esteem, or reputation." (credit:Alamy)
Cyberbullying (02 of12)
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Social media can be a platform for bullying to continue even after school is out. Cyberbullying occurs when young people take malicious actions online. through chat rooms, email, social sites and instant messaging. (credit:Getty Images)
Stock Answer To 'What Are You?'(03 of12)
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"You don't need to go into full confessional mode, but have fun with it, if that helps. Or be perfectly honest," author Jonathan R. Miller said. Miller writes e-books with multi-ethnic characters and themes. You don't have to talk about all the nuances of your family tree every time you're asked about your background, he said. That can be exhausting. Find something that works for you personally. (credit:Shutterstock)
Real Answer To 'What Are You?'(04 of12)
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"I like the word 'mixed' because it's a messy word, and in my experience growing up mixed is exactly that," Miller said. He suggests that it's important to allow yourself to truly wrestle with questions of identity in environments you consider safe. (credit:Shutterstock)
A Friend To Confide In(05 of12)
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If you are struggling with your identity, you don't have to tell the whole world, but confide in a friend that you trust. Having someone to confide in is important. "If you can, find someone who you can talk to about your most honest, ever-evolving, often-messy answer to the question, 'What am I?'" Miller said. (credit:Getty Images)
If You Can't Speak, Write(06 of12)
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"Maybe you don't have anyone trustworthy to talk to honestly about your experiences. Write about them. It helped me, sometimes, to get those out," Miller said.It may not make a lot of sense initially and it might feel uncomfortably personal, but write. Keep a journal, write short stories and rename the characters, try your hand at poetry -- whatever feels best. (credit:Shutterstock)
Let Your Identity Be An Open Question(07 of12)
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"You are likely being told at different times, more or less, to hurry up and get off the fence, pick a side and get on with it," Miller said. It's not necessarily a bad thing to be unsure of who you are, even if your peers seem to have their acts together, he said. Teenage years are discovery years. Miller also quoted author Rainer Maria Rilke: "'Have patience with everything that remains unsolved in your heart. ... Live in the question.' That's good advice. Difficult to follow, but good." (credit:Shutterstock)
Embrace The Chameleon(08 of12)
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When it comes to mixed heritage, "you don't have to be 'both' or 'other' or 'all of the above' all of the time. Sometimes the only way to figure out what you are is to choose one thing and be it for a while," Miller said.Explore how it feels to fully embrace a single aspect of your identity, for short period of time. See "what stick and what slides off." It's simply learning, Miller said. (credit:Shutterstock)
Don't Be Afraid To Abandon The Labels Altogether(09 of12)
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"I can't tell you how many multi-racial people I've met who have chosen a single race or ignored race entirely and been perfectly content with the decision. A biracial friend of mine used to tell me, 'I'm black and white, yes, but I'm black. Period,'" Miller said. He said he knows many people have chosen to identify with only one aspect of their multi-background, while others have embraced the blend. (credit:Shutterstock)
Get Involved In Life(10 of12)
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Find creative ways to occupy your time, Miller said. Join a group or do an activity (with others) where you are empowered to be who you are, instead of having to act how others think you need to be in order to fit in. (credit:Getty Images)
Be Proud Of Who You Are(11 of12)
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Take pride in your ethnic (culture, color or religion) heritage. You have no control over your heritage, and you can't change that fact that this is who you are. So embrace it and learn as much as you can. "You may feel like it would be an insult to your heritage to embrace one aspect of yourself above the others, but trust me, it wouldn't be. This is important: it is not your job to uphold, with perfect equity and grace, all of the elements that went into your making," Miller said. (credit:Shutterstock)
Have A Ready Defense Against The Identity Police(12 of12)
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"Often they're the 'gatekeepers' that decide whether you're 'in' or 'out.' But what you can do is have a ready answer for the 'charges' they level against you. Whether you use humour, earnestness, or self-righteous anger, it helps to have your defense lined up and ready," Miller said. Sometimes people think all the "members" of their cultural or ethnic community must behave, dress and think a certain way. But as an individual, you can do whatever you want and find your own identity. (credit:Getty Images)