Nigger: a mutable epithet in hip-hop music

Thesis (M.A., Sociology)--California State University, Sacramento, 2014.The purpose of the current study is to expand knowledge of the history of the term Nigger and its variation Nigga (Nigger/a) in Hip-Hop music. The word ???Nigger/a??? was a label for African slaves that was also used to signify inferiority. ???Nigger/a??? is often used in the African American community as a term of endearment. Moreover, the word is regularly used in Hip-Hop music. Eight Hip-Hop songs from the early 1990???s and 2011-2013 were used to identify trends in how the word was used in reference to the artist and others. Hip-Hop lyrics from the early 1990???s used ???Nigger/a??? largely to speak of discrimination and other social disparities while the modern artists used the term to gain solidarity from their audience. The modern Hip-Hop lyrics did not contain Nigger or any variation of the term as frequently as the lyrics from the 1990???s. Misogynist messages appeared in the more current lyrics and no misogynist lyrics were identified in the older lyrics. Results suggest that successful Hip-Hop/rap songs are not authentic unless the word nigga is used to gain solidarity and misogyny is used in reference to women.Sociolog