“These ni**as be mad/That’s why they stay hating” — V-Nasty, “Andy Milonakis Freestyle”

Rap Genius, and plenty of other folks around the hip-hop blogosphere, have gone back and forth over the use of the “n-word” by a member of a group called the “White Girl Mob”

As our Gucci Gucci-fiending readers undoubtably know, Vanessa “V-Nasty” Reece has landed herself smack in the middle of the zeitgeist by using the word “ni**a” like it’s going out of style..

..and for getting hella defensive when people take exception

This raises a number of fascinating issues around race, hip-hop, and the relationship between subcultures and mass culture. All of these issues, incidentally, are far more interesting than V-Nasty’s actual rapping, which is pretty terrible. If you’re interested in a white girl who can rhyme, do a little research

Vanessa may be totally telling the truth when she pouts that her use of the n-word within her clique is acceptable (though the shortage of actual black folks in her videos makes a viewer suspicious). However, this is far from the whole story. What may be okay amongst you and your friends has a whole different meaning when thrown out to the wider world

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