Encounters with the 'N' word

I often find myself correcting people here when they call me a nigger. Most often such people use the word thinking it means friend or 'cool black person'. They use it to relate to me. But to me the word brings images of cold dead black bodies hanging from trees in southern USA. Some may think I am overreacting but to me the issue is simple. The word nigger can never help you relate to anybody. But rather than get angry these days as Batswana, once they place my American accent, begin calling me a nigger, I turn to the reason why it is socially possible for one to use such a controversial word with such ease. The answer is hip-hop.

'Hip-hop is dead.' These famous words, the title of a 2006 album by New York native rapper Nas, caused a stir two years ago. Artists, fans and critics debated whether the title is accurate. Now, I wonder whether those arguments included hip-hop's growing global interest and the consequences of its impact.