Nigger

Nigger is an adaptation of the Latin word ''niger'' correctly translated as meaning the colour "black", but has now become seen by many as a racist insult against black people. Like the word "nigga", it can be used in pop culture slang. However, it is casually used by those who believe that white people are better than everybody else.

The word has been said to come from a slang pronunciation of "negro", which is the word for the colour black and for black people in Spanish and Portuguese. However, the correct origin of the Latin word is more accurate. Before 1865, most black persons in the United States were slaves. During this time, the word "nigger" usually meant a slave. Writers such as Joseph Conrad, Mark Twain, and Charles Dickens used it.

Today, the word is an offensive racial slur in English, and is often thought as hate speech. "Nigger" has become so taboo in the United States that most people do not use the word; instead, they call it the "N-word".

Pop culture

In the 1980s and 1990s, many hip hop artists used the word “nigger.” One hip hop group called themselves NWA, which stood for “Niggaz Wit Attitudes”. Their 1988 single “Straight Outta Compton” used the word, which made the group and its songs controversial. NWA also used the word “nigga” in a song called “Fuck tha Police,” which talked about violent behavior by the police and being suspicious of, or discriminating against people because of their skin color. Other rappers also used the word. For example, XXXTentacion used it in most of his tracks, including “Bad Vibes Forever” (released in 2019).