It should come as no surprise that Jay-Z is part of the "take the power from the word" school of thought when it comes to "nigger," considering the prevalence of the word in his music and the fact that his label is putting out Nas's new album. He wonders why the word is even up for debate.

For me, it's all about the intention,” he said in reference to using “the N word” in his lyrics. “I could call you an 'apple tree,' but if I say it with venom and hate, that is what it's about. It's not the word that has the power, it's the person. All of this came about because the Imus discussion turned into a hip-hop discussion.”

Jay went on to further dissect Imus’ “nappy headed ho” comment that sparked a month’s long debate about decency and Hip Hop lyrics.

“Imus couldn't name three rappers; well, maybe he could, but he couldn't name their songs. Imus doesn't listen to rap, so he's not influenced by it. He didn't get that from us. I missed the point the discussion stopped being about Imus.”

Oh yeah, that's why! And while it was surely masterful on the part of the media or Imus supporters or whoever to deflect the negative attention from Imus by pointing the censorship finger at hip hop, it's silly to think to imply that this is not a conversation that doesn't need to be had. [HHDX]