The most powerful word in American history is one that has divided our country since its inception. The "N-word" has deep roots and requires much context when presented in a public space. What was the speaker's skin color? How did they phrase the word? Did it come from a place of respect or hate? This topic is tough to address given all the strings attached to it. But at least one 81-year-old white dude is trying to figure it all out. That'd be controversial multimedia guru, Larry King, who began broadcasting a "panel" in January to discuss the word.
He recently spoke with Noisey about what he's learned.
"The word is a terrible word when done by a white man," King said. "It's a terrible word when said on the football field, especially by a white athlete to a black athlete. But in the black culture, it is not a terrible word when used to talk to each other. I make no judgements. I understand it. I understand that a black person might use the word in an often complimentary about another black person-while it is never complimentary for a white person to use it... just as it is never complimentary for someone to say, 'kyke,' or 'wop.'"
Of course, the word often comes up in hip-hop and it has been accepted as rap slang for nearly three decades. But as much as King has learned about hip-hop culture, it still hasn't won him over.
"I'm not a fan of the music," he said. "I respect that the music is appreciated by many. But it's very hard for someone... I'm 81 years old... I'm curious about a lot of things. I'm accepting of a lot of things. To me, lyrics mean Cole Porter and Irving Berlin and Frank Sinatra singing them. I like to understand them. My kids understand them."
That leads to the following scenarios...
"Sometimes I'll go home and say, "I interviewed T.I. today," and I didn't know who that was going in, but they knew all about him," King said. "I'm learning on the run. But enjoying it a lot."
Check out this video featuring Pusha T and King discussing the "N-word" and homosexuality in hip-hop.
