January 24, 2006 @ 12:21 pm

The N-Word: Divided We Stand

by: Jalylah Burrell

Directed by former VH1 producer and The Source editor, Todd Larkins, The N-Word splices meaty celebrity interviews with leading scholar's insights and stock civil rights footage. Dramatic literary readings by actors, including Samuel L. Jackson, drape 'nigger' in the bloody garb of American slavery and Jim Crow while vintage film footage, primarily from seventies African American concert film Wattstax, injects a buffering yet biting humor. right The N-Word casts comedians as pivotal disarmers of the loaded term. Recently deceased icon Richard Pryor's incessant and incisive use is presented as opening the doors for rebel rappers like N.WA. and irreverent comedians like Dave Chappelle. Spit rapidfire through episodes of Chappelle's wildly popular but now defunct sketch show, and more recently permeating Aaron McGruder's controversial animated series The Boondocks, 'nigger' is inextricable from the hip hop generation. The N-Word confronts this phenomenon not by campaigning for its censure or by justifying its preponderance. It explores what it means to be a 'nigga', self-styled and unapologetic, alongside what it meant to be a 'nigger' and how that history shades today's usage by posing provocative questions. Are young African Americans resigned or revolutionized? Damon Dash and Michael Irvin offer divergent takes. Are older generations justifiably wary or hypocritical? Quincy Jones and Bryant Gumbel speak to the generation gap. Can white people say 'nigga'? Michael Rapaport and Ice Cube demystify the supposed 'double standard.' The N-Word shifts the dialogue from defense to definition all the while serving as an informative and jarringly entertaining conversation piece for proponents and opponents of the word. The N-Word hits stores today, January 24th, 2006. Read more vibe.com reviews.

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