It seems like every few months we get an incident where someone gets press for using the dreaded “n-word”, nigga, or nigger (however you want to spin it this week). From V-Nasty feeling comfortable with using the word as a part of her everyday vernacular, blackface dress up parties, and study session hosted “nigger” or racial slur events. This past week we have another incident of a form of racial tourettes in New York Post writer Phil Mushnick‘s criticism over Jay-Z and the Brooklyn Nets new color scheme. He used the word Nigger in a way that I always wondered wasn’t used more. He dropped the words New York and Niggers in an effort to make a point for his distaste of Jay-Z. The biggest problem with his comment is that it shows Mushnick’s inability to constructively criticize while still being able to evolve.

Phil Mushnick has been upset with Jay-Z’s involvement with the new Nets regime since the beginning. Mushnick feel s like the hip hop icons persona and lyrics precede Jay-Z and that he has no business being involved in an NBA franchise.   Phil Mushnick would write about how much he hated the color scheme and logo that Jay-Z and his marketing team came up with that he wrote this:

“As long as the Nets are allowing Jay-Z to call their marketing shots — what a shock that he chose black and white as the new team colors to stress, as the Nets explained, their new “urban” home — why not have him apply the full Jay-Z treatment? Why the Brooklyn Nets when they can be the New York N——s? The cheerleaders could be the Brooklyn B—-hes or Hoes. Team logo? A 9 mm with hollow-tip shell casings strewn beneath. Wanna be Jay-Z hip? Then go all the way!” (Source)

I have always wondered if a team could really be named the “Niggers or Niggas”.  I always wondered how the Newark Niggas would sound for a team name. I mean think about how many teams are named after Native Americans? The Washington Redskins anyone? But I digress. Mushnick comes doesn’t come off as racist as much as he comes off like an old man who is upset that some hip hop scoundrel was able to get a big piece of the American Pie through untraditional channels.

There are two things that are strongly coming from statements like this. First, Mushnick like many people now are using the word hip hop as an interchangeable word for “nigger”. .  It is just that Mushnick made it a correlation without necessarily saying it. Second, many believe that doing business has a certain blueprint that one must follow to success.

I get it a lot of you hate hip hop. And many of you have a great reason to dislike hip hop. There are great and valid reasons to dislike hip hop and more conversations about hip hop need to happen. One of my issues is that it seems that the word hip hop has become interchangeable with the word nigger. This isn’t just a white situation either black people do the same thing with the interchanging of hip hop and nigger in their language (Cue Chris Rock’s “Niggas vs. Blacks“).

Mushnick and those like him believe that there is a certain blueprint that has to be met to be considered a real businessman. How who wears jeans and tennis shoes to work know anything about business and marketing? What they miss is that Jay-Z and those within the hip hop generation know the most about marketing and business on more global level. What culture has brought more people together than hip hop? With deductive reasoning one can conclude that one of the biggest icons in hip hop history would be able to market this professional team to the growing amount of consumers who are a part of the hip hop generation?

Mushnick’s from his writing has serious problems with hip hop and its lyrics. Last week I asked the question “Did Gangster Rap contribute to the prison industrial Complex?” I concluded that the question is something that can’t be made with a simple yes or no answer that it is somewhere in-between. But, just like many people Mushnick wants to blame hip hop for almost every woe in the world. In this case he has a problem with “hip hop being involved with a professional team”.  Mushnick could have really had some legs to stand on and generally bring an honest debate and dialogue to the ills of hip hop (if that was his idea in the first place) but he would try to defend his statements by saying:

“Jay-Z profits from the worst and most sustaining self-enslaving stereotypes of black-American culture and I’M the racist?” he continued. “Some truths, I guess, are just hard to read, let alone think about.” (Source)

Is this an issue an old man disliking the methods that the younger generation comes about their money? Or that hip hop artists shouldn’t be a part of traditional business because of their lyrics? I ask those with the thought process of Mushnick: Are you alright with Paul McCartney or Ringo Star doing traditional business? I mean The Beatles lyrics on “Helter Skelter” supposedly influenced Charles Manson and his Family. The Beatles also had many other songs condoning drugs and sex and I’m sure most of you don’t have a problem with them getting into traditional business. Then why shouldn’t someone whose background is in hip hop be able to own a professional team if they have the money and means to do so?

It seems more and more everyday that hip hop is being made the sacrificial lamb of what is wrong with the world. Just like people want to blame “niggers” (in the media they call them welfare queens, thugs, or * gasp* the hip hop generation) Mushnick like many people just feel that mainstream America is being lost (shout out to Pat Buchannan) because of the changing dynamic of our society. Why not blame hip hop and get upset and throw around word nigger? Because those like me will laugh because world is not going to stop evolving and throwing out the word nigger makes you look like a dinosaur who is incapable of evolution die.

Related articles

• The other team in town was once called the “Niggerbockers”. (field-negro.blogspot.com)
• Phil Mushnick remains unapologetic about ‘New York Ni**ers’ Jay-Z column (thegrio.com)
• New York Post Columnist Phil Mushnick Stands By Jay-Z “New York Ni**ers” Comments (hiphopwired.com)
• I’m Back Bitches (max-logic.com)
• “Incontinent Speeches”, and those racist anonymous trolls. (field-negro.blogspot.com)