Back in September of 2015, when I was teaching English in Medellin, I wrote this blog post on the use of the word “nigga” here in Medellin. Recently, we had the lovely Sofia Uran on the Medellin Podcast, and she gave us her perspective on the word.
Although I wrote this blog post five years ago, I think it’s still relevant. Have a read…
I’ve been teaching English in Medellin for over 4 years now. As many of you know, I run my business, Red Door Studios, from home and that takes up most of my time, but teaching is a passion, and it’s really fun, so I continue to teach, even if it’s only one class a day at 6:00 am. If you’re interested in my experience as an English teacher in Medellin, I wrote a post about it.
Throughout my 4 years of teaching, I have encountered the word “nigga” at least once every semester. At first, I would feel angry and scold the students for using it.
After 4 years I have come to terms with the word and realized that people in Colombia really do not know what the word “nigga” means. Many times they use it incorrectly, and when asked what the word means they usually have the wrong idea.
Therefore, my idea with this blog post is to help those English as a foreign language students who are curious about the word know the real meaning of the word and its use and perhaps inform some native English speakers as well.
My Nigga, My Nigga
First of all where the fuck are students hearing this word? The word “nigga” has been around for a long time and it has been used, by black people, for many years in the United States. In my opinion, the widespread use of the word “nigga” among black people in the United States can be traced back to Richard Pryor’s stand up comedy album called: That Nigger’s Crazy in 1974. (I’m aware of the Paul Mooney’s “nigga please” routine.)
Currently, you can’t hear a rap song without hearing the word “nigga” a few times. From Snoop Dogg to Kendrick Lamar the word is littered in all rap songs. The song My Nigga by YG was released in 2013 and peaked at 19 in US Billboard Top 100 list.
Other examples of songs using the word nigga are Niggaz Wit Attitudes (N.W.A), A Tribe Called Quest’s “Sucka Nigga”; Notorious B.I.G.’s song, “The Realest Niggaz”; Jay-Z’s “Jigga That Nigga”, “Nigga What, Nigga Who”; Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “Niggas in Paris”; DJ Khaled’s “I Wish You Would”; Snoop Dogg’s “For All My Niggaz And Bitches”; and Nicki Minaj’s “Lookin Ass”. One of the earliest uses of the term was in the 1983 song New York, New York by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.
There’s no question why students know the word, so now let’s talk about how they use it here.
How “nigga” is used in Medellin
In my experience, people that use the word “nigga” in Medellin use it differently. Instead of using it as a colloquialism meaning “dude” or “homeboy” as it’s used in the U.S, young Paisas use it as an adjective or a noun. A common sentence would be, “That is nigga” or “He is nigga.” They think that the word “nigga” means “hood” or “ghetto.” The proper way would be, “That is hood” or “He is ghetto.”
Understanding this has helped me to cope with my anger when a student uses it in class.
Why would I get angry at the use of “nigga” in class?
At first, I would get angry at the student for using the word in class. I grew up in Southern California, where we have a large variety of cultures and races. Most of my friends were Mexican and white, and never, ever, ever, ever, would we ever, under any circumstance, use the word “nigga.” The word “nigga” back in the ’90s was solely used between black people, and I still believe that this should be the case. Therefore, when a student would use the word in class, all I would see is a brown person using a very racially sensitive word.
Once I understood that people here in Medellin do not know what the word actually means and that their only source of contact with the word has come from rap songs my anger became directed at African-Americans that use it and accept it.
Why “The nigger is not fit to vote.” – Nast, Thomas (1840-1902)
Where does the word “nigga” come from?
Nigga is a colloquialism meaning dude or homeboy, but in literature, it is what is called eye dialect. Eye dialect is when a writer spells a word in the way it is spoken instead of the actual way it is written in order to transmit a character’s background. For example, the word “that” can be seen written as “dat” and this would make the reader understand that the character is probably uneducated and/or hip.
It’s not that complicated though.
The word nigga comes from the word nigger. The word nigger comes from the Portuguese and Spanish word for black, negro.
In the early 1600’s white Americans used the words neger and neggar in reference to black slaves. In history books and literature, the word has not been denoted as being used as a derogatory term for blacks. It was simply the word used for African slaves being brought over to Virginia.
Nineteenth-century English (language) literature features usages of the word nigger without racist connotation, e.g. the Joseph Conrad novel The Nigger of the ‘Narcissus’ (1897). Moreover, Charles Dickens and Mark Twain created characters who used the word as contemporary usage. Twain, in the autobiographic book Life on the Mississippi (1883), used the term within quotes, indicating reported usage, but used the term “negro” when speaking in his own narrative persona.
The word nigger has evolved and since the early 1950’s the word has been used as a pejorative (derogatory and/or insulting) term. It is used, predominantly, by white, racist Americans to degrade black people.
The word nigger is a VERY BAD word! And you should never use it!
This is a picture of a slave wit some torture equipment.
Teacher when can I use the word “nigga?”
NEVER! In my opinion, whether you are black, white, brown, yellow, orange or purple you should never use that word.
I love hip hop and I listen to it almost every day, but the word is not in my vocabulary, I wouldn’t use it even jokingly. In my opinion the use of “nigga” implies ignorance and a loss of faith in the black American culture. I’m sure Jay Z and Snoop Dogg would differ, but that’s not the argument. The fact of the matter is that you shouldn’t be using words that you do not truly understand the meaning of.
It’s like if a foreigner comes to Medellin, and he listens to reggaeton, and hears the word “gonorrea” and then starts to use it instead of “parce” or “hombre.” Imagine what trouble he would get into or how stupid he would sound.
I recently had an ex-student contact me via Facebook. He is now living in New York. He told me that he inadvertently used the word nigga as an adjective, as people do here in Medellin, and a black man overheard him and he got into a fight.
This is evidence that one should steer clear of using this word. It’s ok to listen to hip hop and to like songs that have that word, but don’t go using it.
April 2, 1863
Baton Rouge, LA
“Peter”
What word can I use?
The word “black” is now accepted to refer to someone of dark skin. If you are in a formal setting I would suggest you use the word “African American.” You can also say that a person is “dark-skinned.”
In the United States people are very sensitive to racial words and terms. So, as a good rule of thumb, it is best to just use African American.
I hope this post has been informative and has helped you understand the word “nigga.”
If you have any questions feel free to post them below in the comments.
About the writer – Andrew Macia
Hello, my name is Andrew Macia and I am the founder of the Medellin Buzz. I’ve been living in Medellin for about a decade now. I have a digital marketing agency, Red Door Studios, and a podcast, the Medellin Podcast.
I love living in Medellin and I love Colombia. I want to give back to the community and this is the best way I know how. Let’s practice English and Spanish and have a great time!
I am born and raised in New York City.member of NYPD Police Officer. I retired after terroist attach on World trade center. when we were on patrol. we did not address people in a disrespect ful or condesending manner. thats alway been around in New Yor. my grandmother used the term “colored people” Nigga in that form is an insult of the worst kind. I have heard that word usted many times. in New York.but its kind of a cause and effect .where something happens to generate this anger and disdain to denegrate people. but I did work in the black area of New York specifically Brooklyn North. and i s the only white person on the street. of course in uniform but New York was split like that according to groups or social status. economic status. I grew up working class. just is probably just a millimeter above lower class, economcially I think the time to use that word in an insulting way has passed. but Jesus said”love Your Enemies bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other
It was definitely odd when I was walking outside of my volunteer office in Poblado and some Colombian or Venezuelan of maybe 19-20 said to me “what’s good my nigga” and I was like um…we speaking English here?
I think it’s odd and uncomfortable when anyone that’s not Black American uses it because we have a very intense relationship and history with it that I feel like no one else in the world has. The somewhat unfortunate thing is that Black American culture pretty much runs the world. Tiktok and Fortnite dances, memes, tweets, and all that so if people are learning their English through music, it’ll likely be rap which means they’ll hear the word and think it’s cool to use but they don’t have the proper context for it at all.
Personally, I use it but I kind of exercise my right as a Black American to do as I wish and seize control of the word, especially since it’s been a part of how I was raised.
Also, interesting how you think of African American as the correct word when I think of myself as Black moreso than African American. A bigger discussion is typically had because both sides of my family have been in the US for at least 8 generations, dating back to the mid-1800s. Since Africans weren’t coming on their own volition to the states at that time and the carriage of Blacks to be slaves was generally finished in 1808, I can assume my family dates back 200 years in any circumstance (free man of color or not). My culture, heritage, and anything I know is unfortunately in the US. I went to Africa and felt only so much at home, realizing that my English was different than theirs and my identity was much different than theirs. I probably say Black American more since it’s more accurate than African American (or Africans in America or Afro-American) because my blood lineage is probably many different ethnic groups.
Hope you been well Andrew, wanted to just see what you had on the blog since I randomly thought of how you don’t make your bed anymore.
Kenny, thanks for the comment. Great point on the term African-American. I’ll be using “black American” from now on. We’ve been quarantined over here, that means my cleaning lady Doña Eva comes over a limited amount of times…so I have to make my bed, lol. I hope you’re doing well brother, hope to see you back in Medellin soon.