Nas’ Album Spurs NY Politician To Action
Monday, October 29, 2007
By: Kenny Rodriguez
As Nas’ controversial album title, “Nigger,” meets with
opposition from several civil rights leaders, a New York politician is urging
Universal Music Group to change the record’s name or risk losing $84 million in
investments.
Brooklyn assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries has requested that NY Comptroller Thomas
DiNapoli withdraw $84 million that the state pension fund invests in Vivendi,
which oversees Def Jam Recordings and is home to such artists as Jay-Z, Kanye
West, and Fabolous.
Vivendi, the parent company of Universal, is reportedly one of several
entertainment companies that receive investments from the New York State pension
fund, which exceeds a staggering $2.8 billion.
“[They are] profiting from a racial slur that has been used to dehumanize people
of color for centuries,” said Jeffries, according to The Brooklyn Paper.
“It is time for Nas and other hip-hop artists to clean up their act and stop
flooding the airwaves with the N-word.”
A spokesperson for DiNapoli, who manages the pension fund, said that the
comptroller intends on contacting Universal and urges them to halt the release
of Nas’ album, due out in stores on Dec. 11.
Meanwhile, Nas has dismissed rumors that his label disapproves of the album’s
title, and he hopes his LP will spark discussion over the sensitive issue.
“It’s like talking to your child about sex,” Nas told Rolling Stone magazine.
“It’s hard, but it’s important.”
“It’s probably going to make people uncomfortable. I don’t expect a lot of
people to sell a record called ‘Nigger.’ Hopefully, people can open their minds
up and lose some of their fear and deal with it. It’s just an album. It’s one
piece of the many things I do, and this will be one of my favorite pieces.”