Racism row over Nicki Minaj Nintendo gaming ad

The commercial for the Wii release Just Dance 2014, which appears to include the N-word, has shocked scores of telly viewers.

Tracks by acts including One Direction and Lady Gaga are on the game, which is aimed at the teen market.

But marketing execs picked Nicki Minaj’s track Starships for the publicity campaign, which has been running for almost a fortnight and is shown in slots before the 9pm watershed.

The short clip includes the lyric “My name is Onika, you can call me Nicki” which is said quickly.

When rapped by the singer, she appears to say the word “n****r”.

[majiebeast]

Pretty big oversight by Nintendo and Ubisoft if its even true.

[Kingthrash360]

imma say this being a black person...this annoys me when people dont understand what we say so imma let yall know

1. she would never say [email protected] never, no. thats dumb to assume.
2. no rapper say nig@er in their songs...thats just wrong and also dumb to assume.
3. what we say is nig@a, notice the "a" at the end.
4 nig@a is acually spelled n.i.g.g.a each letter has a meaning. it truly means
Never
Ignorant
Getting
Goals
Accomplished
this is something that is in the black culture so if you dont understand thats fine, just think how you dont understand koreans when they talk. its similar...a better example jamaicans speak english just in a really deep accent that unless your are jamaican you wouldnt understand unless you really listen.
so thats my public service and 1 of many black culture secrets you may not know....also btw let me clear this up too.....rodney king had nothing to do with the L.A. riots. the police beat up blacks all the time... it was over a korean store owner killing a innocent 15 year old girl the same day as the rodney king beating...that why all thos stores got burned down (we are very over protective of black woman)..that riot was a imbarassment imo but the media misled people on the "n" word and the riots.
...your welcome

[Peekayboo]

Never Ignorant?

That's ironic, LOL

[Kingthrash360]

lol see, its people like you who hide behing a computer screen and mumble things...what so ironic? are you saying blacks as a race are ignorant? if so do you feel your are not ignorant for beliving such a thing? ive told you what nig@a means...can you tell me what nig@er means originally and why blacks were tagged with such a ugly word? i can, im sure you can too ,you know because your so smart.

[Sitdown]

Going to go out on a limb and say you are not black.....and if so, please stop.

[Kingthrash360]

lol man whatevs this is a gaming site but to see so many disagrees on this topic is saddening..trust me im black or dont whatever man. but to tell me not to try to have people understand my race more is something i would never do. i got nothing to prove i was just trying to stop the confusion of blacks saying the "n" word and the differance of the two similar words...just so saddening to see peekayboo below me have less disagrees than my comment...my comment was fact and not disrespectful to anyone while his disrepected millions of people...smh. im done.

[snipab8t]

Um no matter what the spelling is, it means 'nigger' which was a derogatory term used for negros by white man. Personally, I dislike how people continue to use this word in ordinary language and in music, especially as their ancestors may have been called 'nigger' in a racist and demeaning context.

[zeal0us]

Sorry but the n-word ending with "a" instead of "er" does not means that.

Some see the term "n*gga" as a way of taking the word n*gger back and making it something of our own.

While others(Oprah for ex) view the word no different from the word n*gger.

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

I personally find it stupid someone would call their friends and or family a derogatory term that was used to label slaves. There are several others words one could use instead.

[Eyeco]

I'm going to tell YOU something as an educated black man, I don't advocate the use of tthe "n" word in any shape or form, it was a derogatory term used to demean an entire race. It's an ugly relic of our past and serves no purpose in today's modern society whatsoever, usage of the word is another form of self hate, it's shameful, embarrassing and an insult to our ancestors.

And how did you end up with the L.A riots of 92 ?

[BX81]

@ kingthrash360 step into my office.... Because you're f@cking fired! No this is not a black culture psa. It amazes me that you verbally oppress your self and others and think its normal. No worries I'll call dr. Phil for u.

[Letros]

Or maybe they mean the same thing it's just that some people choose to not pronounce the "er" at the end of all their words. The word should never be spoken by anyone, that's when it will go away.

[1nsomniac]

@Kingthrash360 That's the stupidest thing I've ever read... Did you get this from Wikipedia??

You sir are an embarrassment to the black community if indeed you are black or just a poor attempt at a troll..

[HellaWasted]

Saying Nig**r or Nigga are not the same thing. I've known this since middle school back in the late 90s, and I'm not black nor white. Come on people!!

[refocusedman]

Its sad an its says alot for the state of affairs in the black community when you have people trying to justify the N word. No its not okay, and many people who died to give blacks a better life are rolling over in their grave because of the overwhelming ignorance. So please dont justify ignorance with a lame acronyom. The statement abt the LA riots......... No disrespect but sometimes its good to just keep your internal thoughts internal. People did not burn down store because of Rodney king or a innocent child, people rioted because they were ignorant and saw opportunity (yeah I little girl was murdered and a black man was almost beaten to death....... so im gonna get me a brand new tv). Not to mention, the jamaican language is a derivative of the english langauge due to it being a colony of Britian until 1962 and the langauge isnt only an accent but, has words, terminology, and phrases that are authentic to the jamaican culture.

[nypifisel]

That's the most absurd and stupidest thing I've heard in a long while lol.

[FragMnTagM]

@Kingthrash,

Dictionary.com definition of nigger: Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. a person of any race or origin regarded as contemptible, inferior, ignorant, etc.

That is why Never, IGNORANT, Getting, Goals, Accomplished, is ironic.

No offense to any black people.

[DragonKnight]

You know what I hate? I hate that a stupid 6 letter word (or 5 depending on how you say it) is being censored by so many people because words rule their lives. Geez.

[mochachino]

I'm black and totally disagree.

I think everyone should just stop using it, especially black people. A racial slur is a slur no matter who says it. And it's never an acronym.

[nveenio]

I think there's some confusion here over the difference between black culture and just plain ol' inner city culture. It's an insult to millions of blacks to pretend that the "n-word" in any form is part of the culture. What a joke. That would be like saying racism is a part of white culture. It's not. There are just some racist whites. And there are some blacks who think they're cool. Quit drawing a line between black culture and white culture. There's no such thing anymore unless the groups choose to segregate themselves.

[Heisenburger]

So... I can say n!@@a then, correct?

You keep calling yourselves racial slurs, but pretend that it's something else. Nobody throws around the slur for Chinese people now do they?

Oh no we changed a letter to an a, because English hasn't been butchered enough(All of us have attributed to that specific part. Didn't want that to sound like I meant that only BLACK people screwed up the language)

And now a terrible hateful word is now magically okay to use. But only if you have darker skin.

It doesn't sound like you want the world to be equals, you simply want the benefits whilst simultaneously getting special treatment.

Just like some of the feminist out there. There is nothing *wrong with seeking women's rights, or equal rights. It's the blatant hypocrisy surrounding all of it that is counterproductive.
#doublestandard

[MagnusX]

Im addressing this article first "oniki" doesn't seem to me racist or a big deal. Addressing "thrash" umm you just set black people back at least 50 years lol

[hankmoody]

Let someone who isn't black say the word "nigga" around a bunch of black people and see what happens.

[Bimkoblerutso]

I'm going to be honest here...I hear the "n" word muttered, in one form or another, on a daily basis at my work.

...I work at a High School.

And now Nintendo and Ubisoft are going to get crucified for releasing a commercial containing a word that KIND OF sounds like it?

Yeah, this certainly hasn't gotten out of hand. /s

[venom06]

man... this is the DUMBEST P.O.S response/explaination i've have EVER seen on N4G... dude, IM A BLACK MAN AS WELL... and it's pathetic that us blacks folks feel its ok to say that say that STUPID a@#$ word, but get made when non-blacks say that same thing. THAT'S PURE IDIOTIC IGNORANCE ON OUR PART..... PERIOD.... if others can't say it, NO ONE SHOULD SAY IT... PERIOD... this is why the majority of our people are jail and having kids out of wedlock, because so many of us are too stupid to realize our culture is corrupted from the acceptance to us using that horrible, disgusting word on ourselves... GTFO with your lame explanation..

[Hicken]

Okay, so here's the thing, and it may shock you:

Different words have different meanings to different people or groups of people. And, over time, words gain new meanings and lose old ones.

Nigger will never go away. Deal with it. There will always be some ignorant fools who look at my skin color and have that word pop into my head. Frankly, I consider it sad more than offensive, as using it as an insult denotes a small-minded individual.

But you're all rather close-minded, yourselves, if you think there isn't a difference in how people use the word. I'm seriously sick of people trying to tell others "You can't change the definition of this word to something positive. It HAS to be negative."

To hell with that. "Shit" was a negative word for... centuries? Excrement, regardless of the term, has never had a positive connotation... until now. Now it has both positive and negative definitions.

If you wanna be offended, then do so, but be offended for yourself, not for anybody else. As for me? I intend to own the word, to give it a definition I prefer; it's hard for somebody to insult you with a positive word, isn't it?

Kingthrash has his own definition of what the word means, and it's in direct contrast with what it was originally used for.

Isn't that fine? Isn't there enough negativity in the world? Can we not change some of it into something positive?

It's almost as if people want us to react and feel a certain way. "No, damn that. You WILL be offended when somebody calls you a nigger. You will not rise above the ignorance. You WILL be upset, want to fight, do whatever. But you WILL NOT change things."

Seriously?

[Dirkster_Dude]

A derogatory word used by black people to retain (and exploit) their ancestors past as slaves. Many blacks claim it's a term of endearment (akin to brother, homie, etc), but in no way can it be as its root meaning is ignorance. It's another double standard of racism in our current time.

[xHeavYx]

My question to Nintendo is, if they want to show diversity, why not hire a black person who is not a self centered B who has no talent other than showing her "guns"?

[Underworld]

Accidentally clicked agree. Meant to disagree.

[GraveLord]

Why did you get so any disagrees? What you said is true. You forgot to mention how "nig*a" is used as an alternative to "bro" in hip hop culture. It's not used as an insult.

[Lord_Sloth]

Actually it didn't start as an acronym so you're wrong. It started as a misspronunciation of the big N word just like "Sista", "Brotha", and "Gangsta" and what-not. No it doesn't stand for anything, it's just a mispronounced word. Tell yourself what you will but do not parade your falsehoods as facts.

[edwick]

but yet, if a white dude said that in a subway, he'd still end up in the hospital.

[Realplaya]

As a black person if you do not realize that no matter if it's a a or a r at the end the it stills means the same thing your crazy. I understand that it's just music but please don't try to justify the use of such a discriminatory word.

[Kingthrash360]

wow..such a large crowd...most still dont understand what im saying...smh.
look up nig@er...
now look up [email protected] find nigga anywhere? yeah i know, and thats why i put up the true definition.
to really think rappers call each other nig@er is just baffling.
most of you dont know and just want nig@a to mean [email protected] just trying to stop the confusion.... OR YOU CAN REMAIN CONFUSED idc.

btw ALMOST EVERYONE SAYS [email protected] SAYS NIGG@R. that word was eliminated and reduced to the few racial cowards who use it in this country.
im not offended by people who say nig@a or nig@er because both are words thats all. its 2013 people! my president is black and nobody is getting hurt over this topic. times have changed for the better i take offence to none of the opinions above because we couldnt have this kind of debate 60 years ago.
hats off to nikkie too GET IT!

[wishingW3L]

between latino friends we often use the word "cabron" to denote each other like "yo cabron what are you doing today" and stuff like that but this is not a word you would use to call someone else you're not friends with or that you don't even know (it's a derogatory word). Well, the same happens with the word "nigga", a word you only use between friends and people you know.

Why is this concept so hard to understand to some people? I don't know, maybe they are too closeminded and fixated on traditional thinking based on a black & white world. But then again, of-course you could get beat up by latinos if you call them "cabron" without even knowing them/him too because they are gonna take it as an insult.

There's a place and a time for everything.

[Kingthrash360]

this^^^^
i would like to shake your hand man....awsome comment.

[solid_snake3656]

So if "nigga" and "nigger" are two different things, are we as white people allowed to call black people "niggas"?

[KwietStorm_BLM]

As a black man myself, you make me sick. In 2013 a you're still trying to justify the use of the word, and you get upset when other "races" use it. Of course they're going to because the way you all throw it around like it's nothing, young and old, you're telling everyone it's ok to use it, that it's completely non offensive. Never ignorant getting goals accomplished. How old are you? I've never heard something so stupid in my life. Making up acronyms for something like that is something young teenagers do because it's cool. So what, you call yourself a nigga because you're getting goals accomplished? That's the best you could come up with? Christ man.

[Deltaguy]

lol dude wrong place for these kinda comments...

[Lord_Sloth]

Actually you CAN find "Nigga" via search. It brings you to a page on Wiki which tells you it's an offshoot of "Nigger". See for yourself...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

[NarooN]

Well I happen to be black...But that acronym is incredibly stupid (and also blatantly incorrect if that's what the rappers nowadays actually mean when they say it, LOL!)

[DaGR8JIBRALTAR]

Bullshit.......nigga and nigg@r needs to be deleted from the english language and done with.

[Pope_Kaz_Hirai_II]

360 in your name go figure

[NewAgeisHere]

White man in America invents a racial slur that only he uses....black man makes his own version of this word.....white man forbids black man from using it....gotta love America.....home of freedom and democracy....

[cleft5]

I am Black as well, you only speak for yourself. Stop trying to assume you can speak for all other Black people one way or the other.

Black, White, Asian, Hispanic, etc it doesn't matter, people can only speak for themselves not others. You have one way of seeing thing, that doesn't make your way correct or wrong, it is just your one way of seeing things. Do try to remember that.

[Ritsujun]

Tell me the definition of nippa, teacher.

[FamilyGuy]

Wtf, are people retarded? She doesn't say the n word during that part of the song in either the clean or explicit versions. I don't care what people "think it sounds like", that's not what she says in any situation.

What's wrong with peoples ears? There's nothing wrong with the ad aside from the warping sound they use during transitions to make the commercial more dynamic.
the ad:
http://www.youtube.com/watc...

You guys are so focused on the topic of "the N-word" that you don't realize how pointless this whole discussion is. On that topic:

1. I'm black
2. I almost never use the word nigga, not because I'm against it but rather because it just doesn't fit in my manner of speaking.
3. When I do say it it's describing some one acting wild or stupid, not "endearing" by any means. I don't "my niggas", I say "those niggas", as in people I don't like or associate with cuz they're acting immature/like idiots
5. I don't care who uses the word "nigga" as long as it fits with they way they talk in general. People that use a lot of slang or consider themselves "hood".
6. If someone calls me "nigga" it does not effect me but if a white guy (yes, white in particular) called me "nigger" I'd try my best to hospitalize the guy. None have though, only over the internet.

[kornbeaner]

Dude don't bother, I grew up in Long Beach, CA and let just say that I grew up with the word begin thrown around by everyone. Black, Brown, Islander even a few select white folk, HA!.

It's a culture thing, you either understand it or you don't. Nigg@ is not the same as nigg3r, but people outside of the culture would not understand. Even if the history of the word started as a racial slur the meaning of racial origins have been so heavily diluted that the word Nigg@ basically means Homie, Homeboy or friend in today's day of age.

And if this sounds stupid to some people, which I know it must. Remember the word Gay used to mean Happy. Now it is used to describe someone who loves a person of the same gender.

[IceKoldKilla]

I literally just showed this to my black friends and they just laughed at your comment. How can you be so stupid? You really think black people think of each letter and their significance when they say nigga? You just made that up. People also need to stop crying over a word. It's just a word. The meaning you give it in certain situations is what makes it good, bad or neutral. Like I just used it to explain what I explained. Did I try insult or offend someone? NO! If you felt offended I'm sorry but you need to open your eyes to more important things than stupid people using the word. Here: "The word originated as a neutral term referring to black people, as a variation of the Spanish/Portuguese noun negro, a descendant of the Latin adjective niger ("color black"). Often used slightingly, by the mid 20th century, particularly in the United States, it suggested that its target is extremely unsophisticated. Its usage had become unambiguously pejorative, a common ethnic slur usually directed at blacks of Sub-Saharan African descent." Like me getting offended when called Brown. Just silly. America has gave it a horrible meaning and the people getting offended only help keeping it alive as an insult. If everyone calmed down and didn't give a shit then it wouldn't be a big deal.

[DoggyBiscuit]

I'm from the Bronx and everybody says Ni99a even Spanish and white dudes and nobody gets beat up for saying it

[Pushagree]

This comment is probably going to get lost in the sea of text, but whatever.

First off, I am white, but I am not going to use that to justify any sort of position. Being one race or another doesn't give you any more right to speak on a subject. That in itself implies that there is something "different" about me that excludes me from this, which is not true. There are no inherent differences between races, and saying that there are is ultimately the true definition of racism. What really gives someone a more valid opinion over another is their use of logic and facts to back up their views and that knows no racial boundaries.

Anyway, on the GER/GA thing being two different words, that is just not true. The reason for the supposed "a" or "er" sound heard at the end is because of accents, just like how someone might hear someone say "somethin'" insead of "something", the "g" sound is missing because of an accent, but no one says those are two different words. It is one word used with different accents.

When it comes to trying to take a slur and turn it into a term of endearment, that too has ultimately failed. Notice that the only kind of black people that are called "n***a" by other black people are those who are perceived to fall into negative black sterotypes, mostly economic or legal. Black people that choose to make something out of their lives (and there are a alot of them) are never referred to in this way because they have lost that "blackness" somehow by staying out of jail and making something out of their lives. See the problem here? The word, despite the attempts to take the negative out of it, has been turned around again to insult the "lower class" of black people by other black people within their own community. It's a subtle, but still very effective way of placing suggestions into a black person's mind that all he will never be is a "n***a" and never a "black person". There is nothing empowering about that whatsoever.

The only thing that the GER/GA distinction has ultimately done is desenitize a word that should never have been densenitized. People wouldn't argue over whether this word is offensive today if it wasn't for the rap communities ludicrous attempt to "take back the word" in the 90s. There should be no controversy of whether a racial slur is offensive or not. The word is rooted in way too much history to ever change and it's best to just label the word as offensive no matter what context it is used in or what person is using it.

Of course, you could go the other way, say the word is no longer offensive because it has been densitized so much and just allow everyone to use it, but I don't see that as the best way to go. Either way, we have one word. Decide whether it is offensive or not. It can't be both.

[Outside_ofthe_Box]

It's not simple as a lot of people are making it seem.

People of all races (in the US at least) use the word nigga. Black people aren't the only ones that use it. I've seen White, Spanish, Asian, Indian, etc. use the word nigga among themselves and in the presence of other black people. No blood was shed.

Whether or not someone is offended by the n word depends on the individual. There are black people that will be offended if you say nigga no matter if it ends with an 'a' or 'er', no matter if you are black or not, and no matter if you are saying it directly to them or not.

Most people that use nigga use it among people they are familiar with. Some people use it to refer to a male so anywhere someone would normally say 'guy' or 'dude', nigga would be used instead. People that live in "the hood"/projects, the word nigga is part of their everyday vocabulary. There is really a lot situational, context, tone, location etc. sh!t that goes on in the use and meaning of the word nigga. That's the thing people really need to understand. You can't look at it from one perspective.

Also that:

Never
Ignorant
Getting
Goals
Accomplished

acronym is from 2Pac's song N.I.G.G.A http://rapgenius.com/2pac-n... . That is where Kingthrash360 got that from. He didn't make up out of thin air, but that isn't the "true" meaning.

[nosferatuzodd]

I'm black and what you say is bullshit sir and I'm Jamaican has well..

[koloco9]

"what so ironic?"

the definition of ni**er is ignorant, so misspelling it is supposed to mean some acronym that most people(black or otherwise) have never heard before? I am a black man in my 30s, my father was a Black Panther in the Bay Area in the 70s. Your defence of the word and excuses for "why its not the same" is embarrassing.

[bviperz]

@Kingthrash360

You claim to be a black person, yet you say in #2 that no rapper has put the n-word in their songs. You clearly have not heard of N.W.A. You my friend, should turn in your black card.

[InTheLab]

What is this s***? I'm Black and I can tell you there is no difference between Nigger and NIgga. NOne. It's 2013 and the word needs to die.

You listen to too many of these ignorant rappers and comedians telling you the word is something positive and it isn't.

When someone steals your car, what do you say? Them Niggas stole my car. They're not your boys or your friends.

It's an ignorant word for ignorant people and no one I know uses the word.

Ask yourself this. If Doctor ML King were alive today and you got a chance to sit down and talk to him, would you call him a Nigga? No you wouldn't and it will kill him to know his struggles were basically in vein because our people continue to use a word that proves how backward our people are.

[BobBelcher]

dumbest sh*t I ever heard. People can put a spin on 'nigga' all day long, but kids don't know sh*t about our history or they just don't care. It's a negative connotation turned positive through jesture and now- now it's something that's just said JUST BECAUSE. Why the word's still relevant is beyond me, blame it on the media, pop-culture, or whatever else- It really doesn't matter. All I know is- N.I.G.G.A. might mean something to you, but I can guarantee that the N.A.A.C.P. doesn't confirm or officialize this.

[thejigisup]

Racism is so worthless. Words only have meaning is you give them meaning. Minaj uses the word nigga in a song or Miley Cyrus New twerk dlc in just dance... which is worse?

[UltimateMaster]

Well, at least it's nice that Nintendo and Ubisoft actually tried to clean up most of the explicit lyrics in all the songs, nonetheless.

Why they didn't block the N word, I don't know.
Most black people use the N word to refer people among themselves, but a white person can't use it.

It is still? If a white person were to say "you're a good N*word" would it still be offensive today?
If so, please tell me as a reply.

Because I don't really think people Should be racist by today's standards.
I mean, we have a black President, it just shows how people aren't racist.
Now if only we could get a woman president...

[IaMs12]

The N word is a derogatory word no matter who says it, white, Mexican, Asian, even black. I don't understand why the black culture says it to each other its just a bad word... The main reason racism is still very prevalent is the fact that a lot of black people make it an issue. I look at someone wrong im racist or say anything wrong regarding the color of that persons skin... Its happened i live in a majority black neighborhood.

[BoNeSaW23]

I think the G key on your keyboard is messed up. You should get it checked.

[SITH]

I'm black and I disagree with you. The word is stupid and when fellow black people say it to me I tell them, "that is not my name, learn my name, or shut the FK up talking to me." Other races do not say it to me. My response would probably be little more physical than just verbal. And regardless, she never used the N-word in any format in the song anyways.

[UltimateMaster]

Yeah, tough so.

It's just black people use it among themselves sometimes.
Anyway.

I don't think we are racist as a society, or at least we shouldn't be.

I don't judge someone by the color of their skin, just by their actions they take.

[denero1]

hello sir and props to you :) its hard for us black males -_-

[2pacalypsenow]

Never
Ignorant
Getting
Goals
Accomplished

Ok 2PAC

When blacks stop calling white people crackers , have BET , black singles dating site, having all black cast movies then you can bitch about racism , IM sick of all these people who think cuz they are black they cant be racist all of that is racist

[GoldenRimz]

Tupac didn't make up the word 'nigga,' and even if it's in black culture it doesn't make it right to say, nor does should it be on the advert. She never even said the word in the song anyway, so this article is pointless.

"My name is ONIKA, you can call me Nicki."

I believe people are trying to turning this into a context thing. It's not. Stop it. It's her name, obviously.

[HAC522]

if "that" is actually an acronym, then, quite honestly, probably less than 5% of the words users are aware of it.

[maddfoxx]

I'm black, and I never use any version of the N word. Its all the same no matter how you spell. . . a word used to put black people down. Only the ignorant use it.

[Eonjay]

Believe it or not, context is way more important than the language itself.

[chazjamie]

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

Heres the link. most racist shit i ever seen. wtf is wrong with this world.

[JustInTlME]

"MY NAME IS ONIKA YOU CAN CALL ME NICKI!!!"

READ THE LYRICS, LOOK HER UP ON WIKI ITS HER REAL NAME....

[ATi_Elite]

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

skip to the 2:23 mark to hear what this STUPID article is referring to

BUT you're gonna miss some serious FAP material if you do skip, Nicki Minaj is ULTRA Settings @60fps in IMAX. Talk about fully loaded.

Anyway this story is really reaching for webhits. It doesn't sound like the N word. Anyway Nintendo should be more concerned about the B F S MF words used before hand but i'm sure they are using the Censored version that was played on the radio too DEATH.

anyway much ado about nothing. Nintendo gets free press, Nicki Minaj gets more free press, and the N word was not being used although it's NOT like half this country doesn't already use the N word in hate or as a friendly pronoun.

Heck using the N word is a requirement on Xbox Live!

Asians, Latinos, Blacks, Whites, all call each other the N word. I live in a big city and I hang out with all races and have heard so many non Blacks call each other N words that I don't even understand why Black people still use it because it's OBVIOUSLY PLAYED out.

[Blaze929]

I thought Boondocks was just cracking jokes, but I've noticed white people truly don't know the difference between the ga and ger versions of that word. Lmao, you all invented it ffs. They don't know why Paula Deem caught so much flack. They don't get why they can't say it.

No, just simply research lol. These are two completely different words. If you really think a word, that had lost all meaning in the culture it was for, is being used freely as igger - your an idiot. But that's okay because one of my closest white friends also was unaware and I had to REALLY explain it to him.

That's all it took. Just go make some black friends and learn about them instead of stereotypes lol. And vise verse. I was truly shocked at how uninformed white people are about this word.

But that's just another topic. This is a stupid ass issue. If the problem of Onika, or Nicki is it sounding like *igga, which is another white name, then that's your problem. Nintendo shouldn't have to change a thing here nor is any party at fault for straight up consumers ignorance. That's literally ALL this is right here.

[FunAndGun]

So...

'ger' is not really used by blacks.
'ga' is acceptable for blacks to say.
'ga' is not acceptable for whites to say.

A black person uses 'ga' it is positive.
A white person uses 'ga' it is negative.

If it is a different word with a different meaning, why does the color of ones skin change the meaning when it is spoken?

"Just go make some black friends and learn about them instead of stereotypes lol."

So ALL black people think 'ga' is acceptable, or were you just stereotyping there? What if the black friends I do have don't think it is acceptable?

[Blaze929]

@FunAndGum

What are you talking about? "a word, that had lost all meaning in the culture it was for," - i said that. Black people arent the only people using that word anymore bro. I know you and me know that very well that it really doesnt matter the skin color.

I'm talking about just the relation of ger and /ga which there isn't.

"So ALL black people think 'ga' is acceptable, or were you just stereotyping there? What if the black friends I do have don't think it is acceptable?"

Again, WHAT are you talking about? "Just go make some black friends and learn about them instead of stereotypes lol."

LEARN ABOUT THEM - period. Why are you talking about the n word still? I'm talking about learning about THEM and not through TV and music.

[kparks]

Wait peoole think she raps now...? Shes a pop artist not a rapper im tired of all these hio-pop artist Fn up the music i love the shit u here on the radio these days get it straight THATS NOT RAP!

[Blaze929]

Let's not pretend she can't rap circles around your ass... she may not do it as much as she used to, but you can't take that away from her. The girl can spit.

[BoriboyShoGUN]

Wow Blaze youy believe she comes up with half that shit she spits out. And even then the shit is wack " IM a Star Sheriff Badge" fucking terrible!!!!!!

[kparks]

Are u kidding me she cant spit worth shit her and the whole young money crew is garbage!

[bryam1982]

Only in the USA black people get mad when someone use the N word in my country we still call them negros and they just laugh and call us back indios or white trash Black americans are too fragile lol

[x5exotic]

tl;dr: She a stupid hoe

[zpoc]

*AS IT SAYS IN THE ARTICLE*: she says her name, not the n word. so there's no 'oversight'. i'm amazed you successfully typed out that comment with your apparently complete lack of reading skills.

[blackmanone]

Congrats king trash on setting your people back even further. Yes, we understand you take out an er and add an a... Do you understand that it's still the same word with the same connotations, regardless of how you interpret them?

[lizard81288]

But She never says it:

"The short clip includes the lyric “My name is Onika, you can call me Nicki” which is said quickly.

When rapped by the singer, she appears to say the word “n****r”."

So she just says “My name is Onika, you can call me Nicki”, NOT THE N word. People are making mountains out of molehills.

[CraigandDayDay]

If you don't want the word said, stop putting it your songs, people. Geez. lol Double standards help no one.

And there is no difference in nigga or nigger. It's the SAME word.

NO one should use the word, not even us.

[BoriboyShoGUN]

@Kingthrash no form of the word is acceptable!!Being from NY I know its in the culture and a lot of people use it. Hell I use it entirely too much! But dont sit here and try to validate it. Expand your vocab!

[Lord_Sloth]

And it's the only White Console on the market this gen. lol

[-Mika-]

The n word is not really offensive anymore so i don't see what the big deal is.

[zeal0us]

Its not offensive to some minorities who call each other that. However that's not the case when someone who's not an African American/black who uses the term.

For instance Paula Dean lost tons of endorsements and got an bad rep for using the word and poor treatment of her employees.

[Eonjay]

"Minorities" don't call each other nigger.

[Swiggins]

^ 10 minutes on the LA Bus system says you're full of shit.

[xReDeMpTiOnx]

Don't speak for everyone man.

I'm black but more so one of the light skinned light brights :P but I still get treated differently here and there.

Can't say how many times I'll be walking with my homies and people are afraid for no reason wheter we are doing anything or nothin at all. The biggest one being a lot of people lock their car doors when we walk by.

It's just people will be people.

No reason to be so uptight about this.

If you aren't living the sheltered life then u most likely have heard the n word in an almost everyday occurance.

[-Gespenst-]

Um, no, the n word is still offensive. Slavery still happened, so the n word is still offensive. Simple as that. It's usage by white people pretty much recreates the power relations of the past. That's nothing to joke about.

If black people want to appropriate it they can, so long as they don't internalise its historical definition of objectification and subservience. It's a powerful thing to turn white words against whites like that; it denies them the privilege of being meaning-creators and definers. However, the connotations of the word ultimately can't really be ignored, and this is manifest when a white person tries to use the word. There's nothing intrinsically wrong with it, but because of history, there is.

The n word is just a word, but at the end of the day words are more than just the letters that make them up. They're linked intimately (particularly so in this case) with history and real lived historical experience. In an alternate universe maybe it's conceivable that the n word is just as inconsequential as the word brick, but not here. To deny this is to deny history and the evils that have attended it.

[iceman06]

Someone who gets it...as it seems you always do. Words hold power by virtue of the situation in which they are or have been used. This is the reason why the word still exists and is used. (as you said... recreating the power relations of the past) It would be easy, as you said in an alternate universe, to ignore the word without the history, repeated use, and ultimately the treatment that comes with the connotation of the word.
As for the appropriation of the word, well, that's a personal decision. But, also remember that ingratiation of words takes time and understanding. I guess there's hope since the word NICE used to mean silly or foolish!

[SoulSercher620]

If a white person uses it around a group of blacks they will whoop his ass. The "repercussions" of slavery and racism still exist in the year 2013 and will probably exist till the end of time. So yeah it is still offensive. Otherwise people would not have rose up against this.

[Dante81]

So all black people are emotional and violent?

[SoulSercher620]

@Dante81

I don't recall saying ALL blacks are emotional and violent. How did you get that out of my comment?

[Dante81]

That first sentence of yours, you should change it to "might whoop his ass".

[iamnsuperman]

I have never understood the (N) term. I know its derogative origins but I don't understand why it is still accepted in popular culture within the black community when it isn't widely accepted with other communities (even by the black community when other communities use it) . People can't have it both ways. I don't say it (being white) because it is an insult. Same with saying "that is gay" (being straight). It isn't right.

[telekineticmantis]

The N word is a negative term regardless of how it is used, because it is shrouded in negativity, and the black/ hispanic people who use it, know it is. But Black People themselves(Using a generality to enforce my point) is shrouded in negativity due to their history in this country(No not just slavery, alot of negativity post slavery).

Blacks have ACTUALLY embodied and absorbed the negativity in order to deal with it. So you are actually right, it should'nt be so easily accepted by the Black/Hispanic community, but it is a verbal representation of the pessimistic/downtrodden mindset of many Bs/Hs, small in the big scheme of things, but definitely telling.

[xXxSeTTriPxXx]

Because they try to front on predominate white web sites all the while droping n bombs like cary lol.

I'm black and I don't care if you don't understsnd why blacks use the word (I don't understand why in some cultures grown man kiss each other on the lips but I respect their costume) nor do I need you to understsnd period.

The word means nothing to me but a social norm in the black community and its not coming from a place of ignorance and hate (again I don't need for you to understand nor do I care if you understand)

Whites use it as a (most of the time) out of ignorance and hate so yes we get offended.

[Animal Mutha 76]

I must have heard the word 'Nigga' in GTA V over 100 times.

How is that ok and acceptable based on the general theme of comments here?

For me as a white British guy I kinda get annoyed at the double standard of its use. If its offensive then it shouldn't be outlawed for all bar one section of the community, it should not be appropriate for anyone to use it.

[xXxSeTTriPxXx]

A british guy annoyed with american problems lol enough said.

[pixelsword]

Well, it kinda like when Americans call Brits "European"; Brits tend to hate that, but when Brits use that with each other, it's okay.

Or when you call a Scott or an Irishman a Brit.

Think of it like that.

[telekineticmantis]

@xXxSeTTriPxXx

I dont get what you're saying, I am black also, but I'm not purposely ignorant on my culture, therefore through studying my culture, I understand why they do the things they do, and say the things they say. You can gain understanding of any culture and their customs if you 1st care about them, 2nd have knowledge of self, your and their environments, and 3rd incorporate said knowledge in your study of them.

So you don't HAVE TO see 2 men kiss and say "duhhhh! Does not compute", and walk off mouth breathing somewhere else.

[xXxSeTTriPxXx]

I can study all I want I still don't see a reason for two grown ass man to touch lips but I respect them all the same.

But i souldn't have touched this article in the first place seeing as most ppl on this site are on the outside looking in trying to apply their logic to something they'd never truly understand.

Just like losing a child and the thought of losing a child, you apply logic to it (both experences are painful) but you can never truly know until your in their shoes

You ever heard the saying it is what it is?...it doesn't need yourr understanding we do it and that's that.

Truly understanding is need not your, I've study this logic.

[iceman06]

What I don't understand is why it is such a big deal to USE the word!?!? Seriously, you have laid out the history, the bilious nature of the word, and the understanding of why the word is traditionally used. Yet, still there is a want to use the word. (Not you personally Iamnsuperman...just a general you) It's no mystery as to why people get upset when you call them that word. I don't believe that you would call people on the street half of the things that you call your friends in private. Well, that's pretty much how this word goes as well. It's not about having your cake and eating it too. (stupid saying by the way...what else would I do with my cake) It's really about respecting someone enough to know whether or not they would be offended...which basically means KNOWING them first.

[telekineticmantis]

@xXxSeTTriPxXx

My fault for even trying, Ignorance is bliss, intelligence is my burden.

[Baka-akaB]

Tired of people telling me its ok to call me "n*gga" "n*gger" or whatever because they feel we are the same . Call me that and i'll just insult you , whatever your background , ethnicity or intent .

Nope , it doesnt sit right with every black fella .

[JackVagina]

Kill it with fire http://images.dailystar-uk....

[joe90]

You Gay?

[dcortz2027]

Nicki ain't all that bro, she's alright but nothing special. Now Rihanna and Beyonce on the other hand are hot lol.

[TheFallenAngel]

Ugh Nicki minaj is hideous.

[kevnb]

Her name is Onika... She can't say her own name?

[dennett316]

Of course she can.....just not too fast or set to music, otherwise some tone deaf people will ignore the context of the words around it and just assume it's the 'n' word.
Seriously, most of the problems regarding race nowadays come from people being overly PC for fear of offending everyone and start over-reacting to every little thing they think might possibly be perceived as racist/sexist/homophobic etc. They create tension, they spread bitterness and bile, and they make people who fought/fight for equality look stupid by association.

[Moncole]

Naggers are very annoying.

[darksky]

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

sure are..lol

[Mogwai]

man who cares! nikki fucktarj is the worst and trying to intellectualise the word nigger/nigga is pathetic!

[GoldenRimz]

But she never said the word.

[Mogwai]

i was actually referring to kingthrash360 and i dont care what nikki fucktarj did or didnt say....she is the worst!

[Bumbleboo]

I think we can all agree that black culture is bad for the world. He'll look at Africa and you can see that. Blacks are just quick to blame everyone else because they are lazy. You can say what you want but you know I'm right. My kid goes to a school that is really well popular for makeing leaders in the world. There arnt to many blacks there because they can't pass the entrance exams. Some cry that it's racists. It's not it's just hard work will get you were you want to go. Not global welfare.

[truechainz]

Honestly brings me joy to see you try to make comments about black people not being able to accomplish things, but your spelling and grammar are atrocious (it's a big word so sorry if you don't know what it means). It must be truly difficult for your child to try to receive parenting from you when they are probably much smarter than you as well. I pray you don't hold them back much.

[Legacy212]

Um no we cant all agree. This has to be one of the stupidest, stereotypical, racist comments I've read and im not even black. I would write a much larger response but I feel like I would be wastijg my time on someone as narrow minded and ignorant as you please get off n4g and spread your hate to other fools who share your beliefs

[refocusedman]

I say boooooooooo to your spelling and grammar. If your going to write an ignorant comment please utilize spell and grammar check to appear quasi intelligent. Because your comments and writing skills say a lot right now.

[RussellNev]

Ah Mr grammar. You mean you're

[WheatBread]

LOL WOW

[Blaze929]

Black culture is the #1 stolen thing in human history yet it's bad for the world? We create create create yet eeeeeveryone wants to be like that and glamorize it and once you all steal it from us like everything we create, we gotta move on to the next.

Miley Cyrus, Justin Beiber, Robin Thicke, Justin Timberlake / you think they invented what they're profiting off so much now?

Black Culture, whether you like it or not, is in your life more than you even realize. GTA San Andreas was all black culture and one of the highest forms of entertainment rated to come out, ever.

That's an insult. Not even what you said, your level of ignorance. Probably can't even name one city in Africa yet alone a country.

[Da One]

I 100 percent agree with you, Africn-American culture continues to get robbed.

[Dante81]

You can't steal culture, get off your high horse.

[hhg305rome]

Oh yeah we copied black culture.

http://postimg.org/image/5o...

Get off your high horse buddy blacks have not accomplished anything in human history.

[Hercules189]

Just because his grammar is bad doesnt make it any less truthful. Just look around you. Places that are filled with Blacks and Hispanics are some of the worst places to live in. Disagree all you want, you know its true, even blacks dont like each other,thats why you see all these black men trying to be white, and phase each other out.

[Blaze929]

Nooo I think that has a little more to do with classism and poverty uninformed one. Look how you just singled out blacks and Hispanics. So what every culture just has areas that look like Disney land and flowers huh?

[truechainz]

I have a feeling you don't know a lot about the post world war 2 era and how it has affected the way people live in such segregated areas today. I would be glad to fill you in but since I am an educated black man I must be "trying to be white and phase out my own race" as you put it. I hope you lose that ignorance because it hurts you as much as it hurts others.

[silvacrest]

never been to eastern europe or vast areas of asia huh? poverty and ignorance is everywhere, as you have just displayed

blacks dont like each other? did they all come to your location and tell you this?

damn...i was going to go on and on but why bother? you need someone with time and dedication to teach you, that person wont be me

[nosferatuzodd]

Hercules you're an idiot

[-Gespenst-]

@Bumbleboo: You might be the most backwards person on N4G.

There's nothing "naturally" different about black people. It's a fact that humans the least diverse species on earth. Differences you judge as representing some kind of mutually exclusive difference are in fact superficial and biologically negligible. Mostly to do with geographical dispersiona dn gradation and the like.

What you don't seem to realise is that if any "Blacks are just quick to blame everyone else because they are lazy," that either 1. you can't make a generalised statement like that which applies to all black people, and 2. that such behaviour in them AS A RACE, if that can even be observed, has nothing to do with their "nature"; but the culture and society they live within and how that shapes them as people.

Think of the narrative of Frederick Douglass as an example of this last point. He brilliantly points out how white oppression on the plantations CREATED the slave subjectivity, and that it wasn't innate in black people. Slaves were forcefully separated from their family, deprived of any reading or learning material, and rigorously worked according to extremely strict and taxing regimens. All this external influence led them to become husks of people- mere machines who barely had a thought for themselves being so severed from the real world by the processes of plantation labour. They became about as functional as the cattle that were bred there. None of this had anything to do with their "nature", but the imposed power of the white overseers which, being so immense owing to what was ultimately the successes of empire (itself a giant act of piracy, violence, erasure, displacement etc.) which "won" them such power.

From the beginning, white scientists, in the interests of justifying the slave economy, set out to "find evidence" of black animalism and irrationality and inferiority. They manufactured the results in favour of slavery, and from there, false ideas of black people just snowballed, and they still pursue today. Most of what we think black people "are about" has been imposed from without- falsehoods contrived to further cynical agendas.

Because of these entrenched values and preconceptions, black people are denied a lot of privileges by what is a primarily white-run society, and thus without those privileges they "appear" (in some cases, not all) as "inferior" to whites ONLY because whites have privileges that they don't; opportunities that they don't.

Please, just educate yourself. I don't relish coming on here and giving impromptu lectures. I do so not to patronise you but to make you realize reality. It's very hard to not see it as patronisingly pedagogical though.

[-Gespenst-]

@Bumbleboo (continued): EDIT: You say "black culture" is bad for the world. What does that even mean? The entirety of black culture? That's a really, really terrible and generalising thing to say. I mean, maybe in certain subgenres of hip hop you see a lot of misogyny and materialism, but there's equal amounts of this if not more in instances of white culture. What about jazz? What about all the many accomplished black intellectuals and artists with something important to say? Your idea of black culture secretly means "ghetto" or something, which is in itself a condition imposed upon black people by white, which forces many of them to behave in such a way that further "confirms" white prejudices. It's a condition contrived by whites to make black people have no choice but to behave in a way that confirms white preconceptions- it's a limited set of parameters that feeds into white interests. Again, educate yourself, please. I always knew people like you existed, but it's never less shocking when I come across another. The level of ignorance is just baffling.

[telekineticmantis]

People so easily take advantage of Black Peoples honesty and self assessments, they use all their exhibitions in media and forums against them instead of applauding them for their humility. I've literally heard Whites use the jokes Black Comedians use to analyze Black People in regular conversation, or to ridicule.

White's would get alot less "cry's of racism" if they too could humble themselves a little and do some public self assessment, but no instead >SOME< Whites turn and look at everyone else to demonize them and blame them for societies ills.

Whites could assess the affects of all the wars they start, international crimes, destroying almost everyones infrastructure, pollution, and literal destruction of the world and said self assessment might bring about much more peace across the world, and reduce the enemy count many of these White countries have.

Before anyone gets upset, just understand I was honest about Blacks before I was honest about whites.

[Nes_Daze]

uneducated, you are...

[xXxSeTTriPxXx]

Can this get banned plz, see this right here is the very definition of a n#gger.

[truechainz]

This is why these forums are not meant to discuss race. Seeing the stupid things written about people who think they have an understanding about both the "n" word and race today has made me want to throw my laptop against the wall more than any gaming troll has.

[Rhaigun]

Agreed. This article should have been taken down by now. Too many people have their own opinions of what is exceptable, and that's fine. But, really, it's up to each individual what is fine for them. Us debating it serves no purpose other than to pass each other off.

[u-bEttA-rUn]

yes someone please destroy this thread before it destroys us...
Smh

[Axonometri]

I love lamp.

[Talamak]

Look, I'm black and live in Texas where racism in it's simplest form is still a huge problem...but in the broader scheme of things race relations and issues will continue to be an ongoing issue in America because this land was built upon capitalist and slavery driven terms and conditions, therefore the interest and segregation of certain groups will always be present, be it black or white, rich or poor...monetary, and mental slavery are the new plantations, the homeless, the sick, and have-not's are the new nigger (it's about much more than color of skin)

[strigoi814]

i dont know why its ok for some black people to use that N word specially on raps, music etc..but if the guy is another race it is offensively being racist

[xXxSeTTriPxXx]

If you don't get it you never will, so stop trying to GET IT.

[iceman06]

How about CONTEXT??? One is usually CALLING someone that N-word with contempt and malice while the other is simply relating to a person that he is at least familiar with.

[Nerdmaster]

As a foreigner, I really don't understand the big deal with this word. It may be offensive, but people act like it's the worst thing a person could say. Sometimes I feel like if someone said "I'm a nazi" he would suffer less backslash.

[nope111]

I'd hit that

[G20WLY]

What, in the face? Might as well, couldn't look any more of a mess. :/

I know she's trying to stand out, but she gets it wrong in every way Beyoncé gets it right. One is classy. The other? Classless.

[nope111]

I find weird attractive. I'd also tap lady gaga.

Their music sucks balls though.

[GamerRising]

Heres an idea stop making justdance games for crying out loud!

[Goro]

God damn it, how can people still get offended by the word "n!gger" in the 21st century.

[-Gespenst-]

So history never happened did it not? Oh wait, it did. That's why the word will always be offensive. Just because the past is more remote doesn't mean it happened any less. We have to respect and remember those evils committed if we want to move on. The word will never escape it's historical association.

[Goro]

Who cares, all/most the people that enslaved blacks 100-500 years ago or so are all dead now. Not our fault.

[Rivitur]

Why do people always look at the negatives and not get over it are the Egyption slaves still hanging their heads? Why not change the meaning what you don't think word can't have other meanings? Words are just words it's the intention behind them that means anything and the majority of us have changed the meaning because we call friends and family niggers and don't mean a damn thing so stop acting like like a damn activist and change the negative attitude.

(yes I purposely spelled it out because there is no such thing as a fucking bad word)

[AO1JMM]

I'm not going to say any of you are racist but alot of you are in fact ignorant.

We obviously have a very long way to go in this country in regards to race relations. Maybe when we are all mixed race we will get along more but I seriously doubt it.

[Dante81]

That'll never work because mixed people look widely different--look at Brazil.

[Hercules189]

If you want to fix your problems, be an example. Dont wear sagging pants, dont speak in some foreign gibberish, dont drop out of school, dont get pregnant at 15, and dont steal and cause problems and feel entitled for stuff that have never happened to you. We do not owe any of this black generation anything for all the stuff that happened to your ancestors.

[TheLastVoiceOFsanity]

I can't believe these f**king tards (on both sides of the issue) are actually trying to discuss racial issues on N4G (a gaming website). there is alot to be said about this, but this isn't the time or place, i will say that if the uncut version of this song was shown on television that is a problem because at the very least the n-word is profanity, or a profane word that should not be ran on network television in a ad campaign.

Now on to the number reason why i decided to comment. why is the headline written as if this is nintendo's fault. during the 80's & early 90's nintendo had a lot of control over the content in 3rd party games, and how many 3rd party games were released a year, but even back then i don't think i ever heard of nintendo trying to control the way 3rd party developers/publishers marketed their games.now to finish this up, this is UBISOFT's problem, not NINTENDO's

[Jag-T1000]

Only black people can say the "N" word. Anybody else who says it is considered a racist.

[Goro]

True!

[pody]

Shut up nigga

[Dirkster_Dude]

A derogatory word used by black people to retain (and exploit) their ancestors past as slaves. Many blacks claim it's a term of endearment (akin to brother, homie, etc), but in no way can it be as its root meaning is ignorance. It's another double standard of racism in our current time. Really made popular by the music genre Gangsta Rap.

[silvacrest]

what you basically said is one word cannot have two meanings, we all know this is not true

[Blackdeath_663]

everyone debating the N word is missing the point the big issue is the absolute SHITE aimed at teens these days

[ThyMagicSword]

Sure everyone has his own point of view/view of the world, but the so-called "N" word is no offence at all, it comes from the word "Negro" which means "black" or should I be offended, because someone calls me "white man", thats what I am, a white man, its not my fault. I have been called worse, someone called me "Nazi" and "Hitler", because I am from Germany, thats worse than "nigger", it depends how you say something or how you mean it. Nicki Minajs music is an offence for my ears and she is just nasty and provocative. I do not understand how people can like her and her music, but she is not the only one, there are enough nasty/provocative celebrities and musicans out there. She looks so fake ...I cant really describe it.

[Dante81]

When you say negro in a spanish accent it sounds eerily like "nigger". Dumb american rednecks must have overheard Spanish slave-traders using it back then and thought it was a deragatory term so they started using it.

[ThyMagicSword]

Thats why I wrote: "it depends how you say something or how you mean it"

[Hicken]

You're right and wrong.

You're the first person outside of myself that's actually gone back in the etymology of the word and gotten to the color. Me being me- a lover of language- one of the FIRST things I noticed was how similar nigger was to negro. And, in fact, nigger IS derived from negro. Variations, such as nigra, further support this. Simply put: the word comes from Latin origins that denoted our dark skin.

Now, outside of that, the "offensive/endearment&quo t; argument isn't a blanket situation. I have white friends that say it, and nobody has a problem(within our group). I have white friends that refuse to say it, and don't like others saying it, either.

Oh, I should specify that there IS a difference:

When a white person says "nigga," it's usually understood that they're "trying to be black" for some reason or another; black people may get offended, but that's superficial, hypocritical crap, since they know no offense was meant. A black person saying it is, generally, just a black person saying it: it can be either positive or negative, depending on HOW the person's using it.

The word "nigger," however, has NO positive definitions. It is ONLY used as an insult, regardless of who's using it. Black, White, alien, doesn't matter.

What bugs me is how determined people are to say this can ONLY be looked at one way.

[SoulSercher620]

As an educated black man while I don't necessarily take offense to the word "nigga" to a certain extent I don't throw the word around either because there is no reason to. I'll be around certain blacks and wonder why they gotta keep talking like that. You shouldn't use it just because you can, but I guess everyone views the word differently.

[lilmetal]

The short clip includes the lyric “My name is Onika, you can call me Nicki” which is said quickly.

When rapped by the singer, she appears to say the word “n****r”.

Really...?

[-Gespenst-]

This is obviously a mistake. I mean, if Minaj INTENDED for it to sound like the n word, then it's a different story, but I don't think that's the case. This is one of the few examples of a false alarm. Most of the controversies that arise about sexism and racism in games are fully justified, but this is just manufactured.

[MadSientist89]

she is so ugly

[PurpHerbison]

I'd smash.

[MyFeetHurt]

i would prefer if... her kind werent in any of my games.

[KingKevo]

MURICA, home of hypocrisy.

[Thepcz]

it seems everyone has overlooked the most racist thing about it.... just look at minaj... she looks like she is mocking white people with her image. bleached blonde hair, blue eyes etc. its essentially the same as a white person 'blacking up' painting their face black with bright red lips.

[silvacrest]

i thought her style was more her just trying to standout from the thousand of other singers out there

its not the same as blacking up, that is done for racist reasons only as far as im aware, what minaj is doing is 'look at me' kinda like lady gaga

white people dressing like 'gangstas', black people dressing 'normally'...where does the line start and stop?

[Thepcz]

''its not the same as blacking up, that is done for racist reasons only as far as im aware, what minaj is doing is 'look at me' kinda like lady gaga ''

i dont think its deliberately racist.. i think its really deep. its more tragic. her image is the result of racism.

like how michaal jackson (felt he) had to basically become white to appeal to a western audience. minaj is basically the modern day equivalent. there is absolutely no reason for her to walk around like a 'caucasian clown', other than to make herself more appealing to a western audience.

''white people dressing like 'gangstas', black people dressing 'normally'...where does the line start and stop?''

i guess its one of the side effects of multi-culturalism.. people rub off on one another, people forget who they are, people dont know who they are, people are afraid to show their true colours. so you get this identity crisis. miley desperately trying to be black and minaj trying to pass herself off as white.

[silvacrest]

to be honest, we are both guessing here

why would lady gaga where a dress made out of meat? why would nicki minaj dress like a clown? i've got my assumptions and you have yours

you say nicki's image is a product of racism but you cant possibly know this, but MJ? sure, i believe that

your last paragraph is quite telling, i have no problem with multiculturalism, who am i to tell a white person he can't dress black/hispanic/indian etc

who am i to also say they have lost their identity because of what they where?

people get hung up on nonsense like this while real issues get a pass

[Thepcz]

ok, lets assume minaj is intelligent. she would then obviously be aware of history and what black people have been through, so we can only assume her attire is provocative. i mean, if somebody claimed to be intelligent but 'blacked up' then we could only say they are deliberately making a statement. and a provocative one given the history which everyone knows.

it seems everyone will turn a blind eye to minaj, when we know in reverse it would be outrageous. just plain racist. its the emperors new clothing with minaj. everyone sees it but wont say anything.

lady gaga does play a similar game, but at least hers is more rooted in a substance. you could simply say gaga is playing with fashion. you could say gaga is iconic. whereas minajs game IS just a trashy racial slur and parody of white people which nobody has the balls to pull her up on.

she takes everything that was tragic about mjs image, identity and what it symbolized about black peoples place in western society, and multiplies it by 1,000,000.

isnt it incredibly ironic that people are acting all shocked because they heard the N word. but oh wait, it came from the mouth of an alleged black woman dressed as a clown like parody of a blonde white woman.

[young7yang]

Seriously who cares?? Oh yea mista sensitive does.. deal with it and move on?

[47]

The "N word" a or er, isn't offensive when it's said by the black community. Period. Why the hell else do they continue to use it? The word just doesn't mean what it used to for a lot of people. That's why they use it in reference to friends. People need to stop being so f'ing sensitive when it comes to words. It's not the word, it's the intent behind it. The word isnt going anywhere so everyone get the f**k over it.

[just-joe]

Seems that the people who care about this the most aren't even black. And for every person here who don't get it, here.

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

You will never get it. Ever.

[sandersprice47]

I really don't trip when other races use the word nigga when we use it so much ourselfs.( there is a difference between nigga & nigger btw) this should help explain things http://www.youtube.com/watc... And yes i am black.

[Kos-Mos]

Negro means black. Please keep you closed mind to yourself blacks and whites. If you want to insult somebody, there`s a million ways to do it. An insult is an insult no matter the word.
If you are sensitive you have a problem, no matter what the history is.
You are all accepted by the majorities.
Haters will hate. The teens loves shooters, but they don`t see the big picture.
The word nigger is an insult if you want it to be.
The word fuck can also be an insult if you want it to be.

Blame yourself for this immature topic.

[GrandpaSnake]

so let me get this straight nigga, if i call my mexican homie a beana its cool even if i dont know him? ight!

[BlueEye]

I hate her "music" nit O call bull on this. Stupid article.

[CAB1802theWiiUdefend]

Gosh, I hate these kind of singers. They are too ignorant and they can't sing
1970s-1997 was the best era of music

[HiddenMission]

I guess every rapper who uses the word has self hate...yeah Jay X's last monster hit holy grail has a lot of self hate.

It's clear that the so called educated on here do not know that the words are different and mean different things.

Look at the rest of the English language words spelled similar have different meanings.

It's called commonsense so get over it cats one word is a no no the other is not. I grew up in a poor neighborhood and guess what we all knew the difference...All races got it but the pc crowd.

[Sketchy_Galore]

So now you can get in trouble for saying words that sound a bit like racist words? We should boycott Metallica because I heard their tour manager say he was looking for a rigger to help set up the stage. I also heard a character from a saucy British 70's sitcom say he just saw a pair of knickers in the garden, maybe I should find out who wrote the show so we can go throw a brick through their window.

At the very least we should set a standard acceptable speed for a person named Nicki to introduce themselves. Anybody caught introducing themselves as Nicki at a rate greater than two words a second or anybody caught playing a recording of such an introduction should be fined.

[eman3d]

Finally! a topic that unites all fanboys and I'm happy to see the majority, no matter your culture, agrees that the term 'nigga' or 'nigger' is offensive and should not be used at all even by blacks. I am a black man and I hate that term whenever it's used, especially in Hip Hop.

It's good to see most gamers agree but I can't help but wonder how you guys dealt with the term being shouted over and over in Grand Theft Auto 5??? For me, as a black man, it took a lot for me to deal with it but as the story continued the term was used less.

Good job everybody on this post!

[Soldierone]

Do they find "talent" at the traveling circus these days?
"Hey the clowns are here, wanna find a singer?"
"Yeah, get the computer ready to auto tune!"

[DoggyBiscuit]

If Nicki were to give it up to me I would put a hole in the condom she just so sexy

[_FantasmA_]

Who cares what this freak says.

[MohammedAlShalan]

Is she even a human?

[_FantasmA_]

I don't see the problem. Stop whining. Either a black person who wrote this or a white person who feels guilty for something they shouldn't feel bad about. If you're white, you didn't own slaves so you shouldn't feel bad. And if you're black, you shouldn't be mad either because millions of your own kind would call you a nigga just when saying hello.

Lets stop getting offended for every little thing. I thought niggas were supposed to be tough and hard. Where is your tough skin now? You can't use a derogatory term so openly and not expect others to use it against you, especially when its the word used most by rappers and hoodrats. You guys thought you could use the word as a joke, as way of making it less racist by using it as your own but this plan has backfired. I'm sorry, but now you have to live with the consequences.

And most black people say crackers and whiteboy when refering to whites, but you don't see white people rioting when this happens or when a black people commit racist crimes or hate crimes. Don't be hypocrites. Everybody is racist. Lets just leave it at that. Lets also stop whining about non issues. There are more important things to worry about than some stupid Wii commercial with some wannabe plastic barbie artist saying Onika.

[KiLLeRCLaM]

Agreed..

[My_Name_BTW_Is_Dante]

I watched the commercial and it's not racist. Sounds like a crybaby minority hearing what they want to hear. Anyone who thinks it's racist is retarded.

[Kizwiz6]

I'm pretty sure the gay community did the same thing with embracing the words "queer" and "faggot", which are now far less offensive words than they used to be. A high majority of teenagers and popularity black artists nowadays use the term "nigga" to represent endearment. The N word should only be considered racist when it's put into a derogatory context, and if not, then get the fuck over it. It's 2013.

[optimus]

Wow, this is being blown waay out of proportion considering she doesn't even say the word in that line...in which case i don't know why people are arguing over the difference in one word over the other when the word(s) have been used countless times in rap songs but because it SOUNDS like it in an ad for nintendo people get bent out of shape?? Ridiculous...

There is a short film on youtube that focuses on the difference between the 2 called The_N_Word that i happen to be a part of if anyone is interested.

[PurpHerbison]

This article really brought all the scum out.

[Nocando]

I don't care, just make her stupid clown face go away.

[Xenial]

A lot of you who disagreed pretty much proved your ignorance.

[Ozmoses]

Superficial article about a Superficial artist in a Superficial world.

[Ghostdogg]

Ok ppls why is this even being discussed this whole topic is Bullshyt. Any real black man wouldn't take any real offense to this. I don't know if anyone seen the movie Deep Cover in the beginning Laurence Fishburne is asked" What's the difference between a black man and a n1993r?" He says the ni993r is the one that responds. As a half black and Puerto Rican man I say let's not give ppl a reason for ANYONE TO VIEW US AS IGNORANT....we are gamers so let's just game on

[CyrusLemont]

I don't even know who in my generation subscribes to this garbage. Anyone with half a brain knows this music has none. Even worse, Microsoft is promoting this as well. Yuck.

Hardcore ftw.

[ziggurcat]

appearing to say, and actually saying are two very different things.

if it's a misheard lyric, then who the **** cares. if it's the actual word, then that's one hell of a gaffe.

[HurstDarkStar]

I like how most people that are offended by Nigg@ is outside of my race but imma help with this. It's not offensive, it's only offensive to the people that give it offensive weight. It's not exactly a clean word but it's far from trying to offend ( cant wait for the disagrees on this one )

Im black and I approve this statement

[mechlord]

Allright, here is my full $1.

The term Nigger is a word that is a slur without proportions
because of our heritage. The word Nigga is just the same word written differently just like so many other words out there...

The issue here is that different people give different meaning to it despite it being officially a slur.

Black people "CAN" (please note the can) call other black people niggers (these says its just niggaz) because we know we have the same heritage, we feel the same pain, the same racism the same prejudice) so this call is a way to identify ouselves with others that share the same situation. Its like an obese man calling the other "hey, you fat man" or a cripple calling another "hey you wheely!" and stuff like that..is a way of acknowledging that we have something in common, normally something not acceptable by the societe or something negative but is something that we both relate in an unique way.

That is why white people cannot say that word, nigga/nigger.

Some black people think that we should just not speak and let the word go away...but the feelings, the history wont.
Thats why people started taking something bad (the word and all the negativity associated with it) and made it into something different, kinda positive...

Its kinda like the "I SEE YOU" from avatar... if you understood what that meant

Now, i'm an educated black man, but i refer to my very close male black friends as "my niggaz" and because we understand the code, we good.

Its all about the meaning we give to the words. See, when people call their female partners "by bitch" ...well, its derogatory yes, but if both of them use it in a different context, i cant just judge them because the official meaning of the word is negative.

So, its okay to call anyone anything as long as both parties agree on the meaning of the word.

thats why Nas wanted to release that Nigger album. we are so afraid of this word that we are turning it into a monster and letting it control us......

I bet this wouldnt be this much as issue if she said bitch... but noooooo!!!! the horror!!!! she kinda said nigga!!!

[celestiatem]

It's not being afraid of a word, it's not about context. The word was created to be DEROGATORY. No other culture/race/religion/orientat ion has taken their derogatory word and started calling each other by that word. It's stupid, childish, and shows a lack of growth. Forget the past, look to the future. This should not be a discussion =_=

[mechlord]

man...words do change meaning. So...the word is evil, and all black people that use it for any meaning different than the original is childish, stupid and underdeveloped????

Words change meaning, and no people suffered what black people have suffered on this planet, to the same extent at least so you cant compare that.
couple links for you:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

http://www.dailywritingtips...

http://www.mirror.co.uk/new...

[MadMax]

In the words of the great Lord Humongous, just walk away! Humongous wanna squeeze Nicki's titties!

[wheresmymonkey]

OMG!!!! Someone said the N word. Time to get out the pitch forks.

The funny thing with all of this is that i bet the people offended are white guys,

[SaulGoodman]

Kicki is is plastic nigga wannabe. There, I said it.

[celestiatem]

Don't know why words intended for derogatory use, are ever used. You can try to twist the word, it still means EXACTLY what it used to, no matter if you shift that er to an a. You're just being lazy on the pronunciation. No other race actively uses their racial slurs to talk to one another. STOP defending nonsense.

On topic: If this in fact a potential misheard lyric, probably not the smartest thing on Nicki's part, not that I expect much in that department from her. I would also be dumbfounded that none of the devs noticed this, since they have to listen to the track, or at least I'd hope they do. I don't believe it to be out of malice or spite though; just mere callousness and lack of concern.

[silvacrest]

no other race/culture uses racial slurs to talk to one another?

im quoting a fellow N4G member right now

"between latino friends we often use the word "cabron" to denote each other like "yo cabron what are you doing today" and stuff like that but this is not a word you would use to call someone else you're not friends with or that you don't even know (it's a derogatory word). Well, the same happens with the word "nigga", a word you only use between friends and people you know."

its okay to say you dont know if other cultures do this but the way you said it, as if you knew this as a fact when it clearly is not true....

just do some research next time

[GinjaNinja]

Boring.........

[Mogwai]

and here we have a prime example of a black person trying to be white, the worst!

[Shnooze]

Why do people care so much about this? I doubt it's the first time she's ever even come close to muttering it, or saying it in her life.