Nigga

Nigga (/ˈnɪɡə/, pronounced identically to nigger in some dialects) is a colloquial term used in Black English Vernacular that began as an eye dialect form of the word nigger (a word originated as a term used in a neutral context to refer to black people, as a variation of the Spanish/Portuguese noun negro, a descendant of the Latin adjective niger, meaning the color "black").

Usage

In practice, its use and meaning are heavily dependent on context. Presently, the word nigga is used more liberally among younger members of all races and ethnicities in the United States. In addition to African Americans, other ethnic groups have adopted the term as part of their vernacular.

There is conflicting popular opinion on whether there is any meaningful difference between nigga and nigger as a spoken term. Many people consider the terms to be equally pejorative, and the use of nigga both in and outside black communities remains controversial. H. Lewis Smith, author of Bury that Sucka: A Scandalous Affair with the N-word, believes that "replacing the 'er' with an 'a' changes nothing other than the pronunciation" and the African American Registry notes, "Brother (Brotha) and Sister (Sistah or Sista) are terms of endearment. Nigger was and still is a word of disrespect." The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, a civil rights group, condemns use of both nigga and nigger.

Untitled Nas album

The untitled ninth studio album by American rapper Nas was released by Def Jam Recordings and Columbia Records on July 15, 2008 in the United States, with earlier dates in some other countries. Its original title—Nigger—was changed due to controversy surrounding the racial epithet. The album is distinguished for its political content, diverse sources of production and provocative subject matter.

The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, Nas' fifth to do so. It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for shipments of 500,000 copies in the United States. Upon its release, the album received generally positive reviews from music critics; it holds an aggregate score of 71/100 from Metacritic.

Background

Title controversy

The original title of the album—Nigger—was mentioned by Nas several times, as well as on an October 12, 2007, performance at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City where he announced the title and release date.Def Jam made no comment on the title. This was similar to attempts to name his 2006 album—eventually titled Hip Hop Is Dead—both Nigga and Hip Hop Is Dead... The N. On May 19, 2008, it was confirmed that Nas changed the name of the album to an untitled one (although on iTunes, the album is self-titled), stating that "the people will always know what the real title of this album is and what to call it." The cover of the album shows the back of a shirtless Nas with flagellation scars forming the shape of the letter N, a reference to the racial slur and how slaves were tortured. Fort Greene, Brooklyn assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries requested New York's Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli to withdraw $84 million from the state pension fund that has been invested into Universal and its parent company, Vivendi, if the album's title was not changed.

Cartel (hip hop album)

Cartel is a German hip hop album released in 1995 featuring various artists of Turkish descent. The compilation contains five tracks by Nuremberg artist Karakan, three songs from the Kiel group Da Crime Posse, three songs by Erci E. from West Berlin and a communal recording by all of the artists entitled Cartel.

Spyce Records facilitated the recording of this album under the supervision of their manager Ozan Sinan. Cartel was initially released by Mercury/Polygram, and by RAKS/Polygram in Turkey. The Turkish market consumed over 300,000 copies, providing for widespread notoriety for each of the contributing artists. The German-Turkish community also received the album enthusiastically, although only 20,000 copies were sold within Germany.

The album cover is a blatant allusion to the Turkish flag in that the "c" is manifested by the crescent of Islam. Album manager Oznan Sinan justifies this symbolism by stating that "Our targer-group are the Turks not the German society". Similarly, the beats were enriched with samples from Turkish folk music and attempted to unify an ethnic minority within Germany.

Cartel (Cartel album)

Cartel is the second studio album American rock band Cartel. It released in stores on August 21, 2007 despite being announced by the band's lead singer as coming out on July 24, 2007. It was officially completed at sometime around 8:00 p.m. on June 10, 2007 and features "Lose It" as the first single.

The Bubble

The album was completed in 20 days inside a giant glass bubble as part of the Band in a Bubble program sponsored by Dr Pepper, MTV and KFC. The band was forced to live inside the bubble for 20 days without being able to leave. The first single, "Lose It", was performed from the bubble live on June 1 for TRL's Spankin' New Music Week. Throughout the recording of the album, the band was watched constantly by fans through 23 webcams that were positioned all through the bubble. The album was finished two days before the set time and was completed with 13 songs. The album was performed by Cartel after they left the bubble on June 12, 2007 at 8:00 p.m.

Reception

The album received mixed reviews by critics.

Cartel (disambiguation)

A cartel usually refers to a tight organization based on a formal agreement among commercial enterprises with conflicting interests. The term may also refer to:

Various cartels

Cartel may also refer to:

Art, entertainment, and media

Fictional entities

Film

Music

Young

Young may refer to:

Music

People

Surname

Given name

Nickname

Young (Hollywood Undead song)

"Young" is a song by American rock band Hollywood Undead. It is the fourth single from their debut studio album, Swan Songs, and is the sixth track on that album. The single was released after the album's release on April 13, 2009, with a music video directed by Kevin Kerslake released the same day.

Background

Following the release of their debut album, Swan Songs, in 2008, the album became certified gold by the RIAA and led to the release of five singles. The fourth was Young, which was released as a single on April 13, 2009, six months after the United States release of Swan Songs but a month before the worldwide release. Prior to the single's release, several seven-second teaser videos of the music video were released on the internet. The full music video, directed by Kevin Kerslake, was released on the same day as the single.

The song was included as one of 20 free songs downloadable to play for people who purchased new copies of Rock Band 2.

Music video

On April 13, 2009, an official music video directed by Kevin Kerslake was released on iTunes. The video was later posted on the band's official website for viewing. The music video shows clips of Los Angeles and the band performing. The band is shown playing in a narrow hallway with no doors or windows, only photographs on all four walls. The photos show fans and others wearing their own homemade rendition of the Hollywood Undead masks. Quick cuts and fast moving camera shots are used while the band is performing around the hall. Johnny Three Tears raps both the first and second verses of the song with Deuce singing the chorus. A breakdown is placed after the second verse where choir girls sing angelic lines while the band raps between them.