The singer-songwriter sees the use of the word as marketing for the white public.
Singer-songwriter John Mellencamp does not hold back his political opinions, either in his music or in public. Now the American found clear words about the use of the “N-word” in rap. In his view, nobody should use this term for commercial purposes.
John Mellencamp: ‘You’re selling other people’s struggle to white kids’
In the podcast “club randomMellencamp brought up the subject with Bill Maher. The background was a collaboration with Public Enemy rapper Chuck D, which was created in 2001. Mellencamp was uncomfortable with the song’s use of the “N-word” and the context in which it occurs in music in general.
“[Chuck D und ich] talked about the ‘N-word’. We talked about how not to use it,” the singer said. “That’s why I’m not a big fan of rap music. The guys sell other people’s resistance and struggle and they make money off it by selling it to white kids too? I don’t like that.”
The moderator and Mellencamp also talked about the current situation of Afro-Americans in the USA. From the musician’s point of view, these are still a marginalized group that the white majority would only accept for entertainment purposes. Rapper Childish Gambino also addressed this problem in his song “This Is America”. “Maybe one or two percent of the black population now have a better life than before,” Mellencamp criticized the social conditions in his home country.
Watch the full interview with John Mellencamp here: