Public Enemy’s Chuck D slams Jay-Z and Kanye West for using the word ‘n***a’

Comments follow incident at L'Original festival in Lyon, France

Chuck D of Public Enemy has slated the use of the word ‘n***a’ in hip hop, singling out Watch The Throne’s track ‘N****s In Paris’ for contributing to its continued acceptance.

The famously outspoken rapper made the comment via Twitter after his group’s performance at L’Original festival in Lyon on Sunday night (April 28), at which a white fan in the crowd used the word.

He wrote, “Standing ovation in Lyon France telling these folks we are African NOT Ngrs In Paris why I gotta travel PlanetEarth cleaning sht from USA?” He followed up with another tweet reading: “Blackfolk are hangin on a cliff in the USA. Calling us NGR & making youth think its normal & diggin it is like pushing us off it. It pay$ well.”

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Of the fan who used the word, Chuck explained, “He didn’t know. It’s a language cultural thing where they’ve seen black men call themselves that like happy ass slaves for 20yrs.”

The song ‘Ni**as In Paris’ was released last year and has been criticised for its use of the word, though this the first time a high-profile rap artist has commented. After a fan responded on Twitter defending Jay-Z and Kanye West , Chuck continued, “Yes JayZ is a very very sharp smart dude and gifted. But with great power comes responsibility, it is necessary to lead forward.” He concluded: “When you have mainstream RAP songs basking in it out of context, Sometimes you gotta call time out and demand some respect.”

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