*Michael Richards’ N-word-filled rant at the Laugh Factory last week has thrust the racist epithet in the midst of a national debate and prompted one Web site to interview a variety of rappers for comment.
While civil rights leaders such as Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton have long called on rappers and others to cease using the term, Richards’ behavior at the comedy club has not only given new life to the debate, but caused a notorious user of the word to put it on the shelf for good.
As previously reported, Paul Mooney appeared at a press conference with Jackson, Sharpton, Rep. Maxine Waters and others earlier this week to denounce the word and call for its use to be banned in all fields of entertainment.
Mooney’s change of heart was startling, considering his comedy act made a point to use the word abundantly in an attempt to weaken its power. In a performance in Atlanta, Mooney once said, "I'm a real ni**er. Bury me in a white Cadillac El Dorado and write 'Ni**er' on the license plate."
In an interview with the Associated Press, Mooney further explained his decision to stop using the epithet:
AP: You helped pioneer the use of the n-word in black comedy many years ago, didn't you?
Mooney: Oh yeah. I had a romance with the word. I worked with Richard Pryor using the word. It was so destructive — it was created by whites to hurt and destroy — and we were trying to defuse it, trying to desensitize people to it. We did it every chance we got, we would drive people crazy. We were very funny at it. But Richard backed off the word in the early 1980s. He went to Africa and came back and said he didn't see any n-people there. But I said, 'That's him, that's not me.' I was very much into it like an alcoholic was into (liquor).
AP: Any idea how many times you've used the word?
Money: Oh, honey, you can't count it! If I had a dollar for every time I used the n-word I'd be a billionaire.
AP: So, what happened last week? You heard about Richards at the Laugh Factory — he was caught on tape attacking black audience members.
Mooney: I have known Michael Richards for something like 20 years. We're friends. But I heard about the tape and I said, 'That doesn't sound like a comic routine. That sounds like a breakdown.' Then I saw the tape and I had an out of body experience. It was so ugly, so horrible. I hadn't heard (the n-word) like this — from someone I knew. Suddenly, I was directly connected. I was able to look at it not just through my eyes but through the eyes of the world. I had always thought it was endearing. It's NOT. It's not an equal opportunity word. I don't want everyone running around saying it.
AP: Being friends with Richards, did you ever have an inkling he could say those kinds of things?
Mooney: No, he never showed me that. Never. We had a private meeting and he told me he didn't know he had that ugliness in him. He said some white people had come up to him after the show and said, 'We agree with you. We're behind you.' He said it scared him. He didn't want to be the new Klansman.
AP: Will he be forgiven? Isn't this the ultimate taboo in America — a white person using racial slurs in public?
Mooney: The man is a human being. Everyone deserves a second chance. I've heard violent reactions from people, black and white — how could I be forgiving? Look, everyone's rap sheet is ugly, mine included. We've all got to straighten up about this race thing. We've got to make something positive out of all this.
AP: Do you think your comedy will suffer — can you be as edgy without the shock value of the word? I mean, you've used it constantly for so long.
Mooney: I'm an n-word alcoholic and I will not be drinking from the n-bar. I will say 'black' or I will say 'African American.'
AP: Can you tell me a joke that you've told in the past with the n-word and show me how you'll change it?
Mooney: There was a white lady baking a cake for her little white son. She turned her back and he took the chocolate icing and smeared it on his face and said, 'Mommy, look! I'm black!' She slaps him and says, 'Don't ever do that again. Now go tell your father what you did.' So the boy goes to his father and does the same thing and gets slapped again. The father sends him to his grandfather and he does it again and the grandfather slaps him, too. So the boy goes back to his mother and she says, 'Well, Timmy, what have you learned today?' He says, 'I learned I've only been black five minutes and I already hate white people.'
AP: Ha!
Mooney: Believe me, it will get just as big a laugh. Oh yeah, honey, it's a new Mooney. And another thing — I will not be using the b-word (to refer to women) anymore either.
AP: Oh?
Mooney: I'll say 'heifer' instead. In my wildest dreams, I never thought I'd be saying this, but it's a whole new world. A new time. I can't change the past, but one person can change the future — anything can happen. I'm taking my stand.
Meanwhile, Allhiphop.com interviewed rappers from various ethnic backgrounds to discuss the NAACP’s call for hip hop to delete the N-word from its lexicon.
"I support the NAACP in their cause," white rapper Paul Wall told AllHipHop.com. "I think the word is offensive for anybody to use. It's a disgraceful, offensive word that was used to belittle people because of the color of their skin. It’s become such a general term, that everyday good people now use the 'n-word' in general conversation. Its meaning and definition have evolved, but its roots are still negative."
Wall added that his friends and fans frequently refer to him as a n***a.
"I don't use it because my mother raised me to believe that it is an offensive word regardless of who says it," Paul Wall explained. "But being that the word is so common, I am referred to by the 'n-word' everyday. 'Paul Wall, n***a you my favorite rapper.' 'That n***a Paul Wall got a clean grill.' Last year in Ozone Magazine, I won the "Realest N***a Award. It obviously was a joke though."
Bilingual rapper Noreaga, who is black and Puerto Rican, had a different opinion. He told Allhiphop.com: "Man, Seinfeld was my show and Kramer, he was my favorite character. But f**k him. Why run to his aid? There are neighborhoods in the U.S. and in Puerto Rico that look like Third World countries. I definitely don't plan to change my vocabulary or speech pattern because of this incident. You never hear from these leaders until something controversial happens."
Houston-born African-American rapper Chamillionaire said the word has become a part of general culture.
"It's not just rappers its as African-Americans in general, we do a lot of things that are opposite of past history," Chamillionaire said. "We wear flashy jewelry and brag like it's a trophy, when people in the present and past history would get killed for the diamonds. We promote violence and drugs but complain about violence and drugs. We don't vote but complain about who is in office. We throw the 'n-word' around like it's a good thing, when in the past it was one of the most dreadful words. All this stuff has grown to become a part of the culture."
Noreaga told AllHipHop.com: "Racism is alive in America and I been all over the world. What hurts me the most, is when you have an actor of such stature and he says your a n****r, and I think that's how he really feels. What also makes me mad is when you got Jesse [Jackson] running to his aid, as if he didn't mean to say it. Man f**k that motherf***er."
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