I can’t believe this still has to be said in 2022, but when rap music is playing, it doesn’t give white people the green light to say the n-word. You can easily recite the lyrics and omit that part. A group of white teenagers riding the Metro didn’t get that memo last Thursday.
The Washington Post noted a viral video of mostly all-white students from Landon , an all-boys private school, singing the N-word while riding the DC metro. A spectator named Jose Romero captured the video and recognized “Freestyle” by rapper Lil Baby when it came on the speaker. Romero started recording the video when he realized the students were saying all the n-word parts of the song. He also said a young Black woman in the middle of the car dropped her jaw in shock and made eye contact with him because “they couldn’t believe what we were seeing or hearing.”
Landon schools later apologized and said they would investigate the situation.
“We absolutely do not condone or tolerate the behavior displayed in this video, and we deeply regret the hurt it has caused. We are looking into the matter,” the statement reads. “As we begin the school year, we look forward to continuing our work to build in our boys the characteristics of respect, honor, and kindness that are so essential in preparing the next generation.”
It may not be a big deal to some, but you can easily support rap music and its culture without saying the n-word. “Black people use it, too” is also not an excuse. Just skip over those lyrics – it’s easy to do. Don’t use hip-hop as a method for you to say a slur that has a loaded and racist history behind it.