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N***a Jaedyn Charles Nigga nig·ga [nig-uh] noun Slang A term of endearment or slur? Derogatory or familial? These are the questions this term has been shrouded in since its increasing popularity within pop culture and mainstream society since the 1980s. Context and history surround this word in a slurry of controversial discourse, with meaning changing depending on the individual and space. 'Nigga' can be heard over various songs, with artists referring to individuals in both positive and negative connotations. Over social media, the word is linked to different meanings within African American Vernacular(AAVE), being utilized as both noun and general expressions based on the tone and emphasis of specific points of the word. In its origin, the term derived from the Latin word Niger, meaning black. Niger was twisted and reformed into Nigger at some point through the Atlantic Slave trade, first appearing in the 17th century in a port of what would become Virginia (The Washington Post, 2015). European slavers often brandished the new variation and hurdled the term at enslaved people to dehumanize them and further strip them of their identity. Many were unable to understand what cause people would have to want to reappropriate the term for their own as it began to appear in its current form in tv and comedy specials in the 80s and 90s. Hip-hop and Rap pushed 'Nigga' into the mainstream as Black artists began to showcase how the word was being utilized as a term of familiarity and endearment. The goal was to reappropriate the word to lessen the fear and hate felt when it was spewed at African Americans by those who wished to insult and disparage them. Music groups like N.W.A saw the word as a way to push their message forward and get the attention of the masses, while current artists like Kendrick Lamar see the term as a sign of power to an alternate origin of the word (Lamar, 2015). While it has been over 40 years since the induction of 'Nigga' into pop culture and slang, it remains vital to understanding adolescence as it is indefinitely ingrained into most aspects of their lives. Once secluded to the sphere of hip-hop and rap, the word has become mainstream with social media and the explosion of hip-hop within pop culture extended to individuals of varying backgrounds and ethnicities. For adolescents today, the term 'Nigga' is normalized and, depending on their algorithm, may pop up in every other post on their Instagram or TikTok feed.
