MC Serch launched The Serch Says Podcast earlier this year and he’s already had a handful of intriguing guests such as Method Man, actor Jon Cryer and now, W. Kamau Bell.
The comedian and host of CNN’s United Shades Of America sat down with the 3rd Bass legend (via video because, social distancing) and chopped it up about a variety of topics, including being a family man and the use of the n-word.
During the conversation, Serch recalled a moment when he was speaking at Dillard University in New Orleans. As part of his dissertation as the ad-hoc professor, Serch played them a 2016 song by Oakland-bred rapper V-Nasty called “On The Hood” without showing them the music video — and was astonished by one of the attendees’ reaction.
“Every other word out of [V-Nasty’s] mouth was the n-word,” Serch recalled. “And I remember looking in the back row, and there was a young black woman singing every word, knowing every word. And when I cut it off I said, ‘How many of you are offended by the fact that V-Nasty, this white chick from Oakland, is using the n-word?’ And there was some, surprisingly not all, but some of the students raised their hands. And when I said, ‘How many of you just accept it as a temperature of the culture?’”
Serch continued, “The girl in the back not only raised her hand but enthusiastically raised and waved her hand. And so I said, ‘OK, I gotta ask you, young lady, why why are you so enthusiastic?’ And she said, ‘Cause I fucks with V-Nasty! I know where she comes from. She could be white, purple, brown, whatever. I would rep my hood the same way she reps her hood.'”
The Hip Hop vet then admitted he was blown away by the fact she accepted this very taboo use of the word. It’s not a secret White people are traditionally looked down upon for using the n-word in any of its incarnations, but the White Girl Mob rapper got a pass.
“I was so astounded by how comfortable she was by a White woman using the n-word because she didn’t see her as white,” he added. “She saw her as a product of the environment. And that product of the environment had no color. She was dealing with what she was dealing with in her neighborhood.”
Bell replied, “I think black people can recognize the difference between, ‘You grew up around that, and you are of that, and so you are repping where you are from, so you put this on as a jacket.’ I mean, you know this! I don’t need to tell you about authenticity and how it can transcend color. I think about Moshe Kasher a lot. When I met Moshe — Moshe’s from Oakland and he is of Oakland, and he also looks like a white hipster — but he can go Oakland on you real quick. That’s where he grew up and those are the people he knew, you know what I mean?”
Serch then posed the question, “Have you gotten to a level where there’s a certain amount of expectation that this is what a level of normalcy is when it comes to appropriation of the n-word? Do you just say, ‘Meh, it’s not hateful, it’s not being said’ — it’s just, like, literally at this point people calling each other their homeboy or their homie?”
Without missing a beat, Bell contended he wouldn’t be necessarily shocked but would take into consideration the timing and who was saying it.
“I think everything can be done well, and everything can be done poorly,” he said. “Just because you drop the n-bomb doesn’t mean I’m gonna go, “What?! Whoa!!” And also there’s a time and place for everything. I don’t want to turn on the news and hear Anderson Cooper dropping n-bombs.”
Serch replied, “But he’s not of the culture,” to which Bell continued, “That’s what I mean. There’s certainly people I don’t wanna hear it from, some people I accept it from, and some that you’re just like, ‘I’m not sure’ and you just have to piece it together on your own.
“It’s that thing where people go, ‘How come some people can say it and some people can’t?’ That’s just how life works. Some people can do some things and some people can’t.”
But Serch was quick to point out back in the ’70s and ’80s, there was absolutely no wiggle room.
“It was a flat-out no,” he said. “It didn’t matter where you grew up. If you were White and you used that word, it was a beatdown. It didn’t matter what hood you rested in. It was a straight beatdown. Period, end of conversation.”
CNN’s new season of the United Shades of America airs at 10 p.m. ET on Sunday (July 19). Meanwhile, The Serch Says Podcast goes down every Wednesday from 10 p.m. to midnight ET.
MC Serch is a fuckin cuckold
Of course, he is a joo after all.
Wtf did I watch…idk who this white dude is but who tf does he think he is saying that it was cool the Black girl used that lame purple green red bullsh*t to excuse the n word? Gtfoh.
He’s MC Serch from the group 3rd Bass, who were famous for taking shots at Vanilla Ice for perpetuating black stereotypes. Educate yourself before you make such ignorant comments.
OH OK sorry old fuck…the beef between a white group against a white rapper—we care about that.
Apparently doing that makes these white guys able to decide it’s ok to say the N word. You and the dumbasses supporting u really thought u said something.
Dont hate on Search, he was at the peak of his career when your mom sucked her first penis
(((white dude)))
MC Serch, the Guy who said White People in Hip Hop are Culture Vultures and shouldnt be part of it except for him because he has a “ghetto pass”
It would be antisemitic for him to not have a ‘ghetto pass’ for he is god’s chosen people who consider themselves above all other races that exist only to serve them. They consider other races as subhuman, animals with no soul. This from their own sick t.almud that r.abbis teach to them early on.
Everything you just wrote is a lie. Please educate yourself on the practices of Judaism before making such slanderous remarks.
“…never anyone demands them..” Excellent use of grammer there buddy. You really showed him!
“The USS Liberty incident was an attack on a United States Navy technical research ship, USS Liberty, by lsraeli Air Force jet fighter aircraft and lsraeli Navy motor torpedo boats, on 8 June 1967, during the Six-Day War. The combined air and sea attack killed 34 crew members (naval officers, seamen, two marines, and one civilian), wounded 171 crew members, and severely damaged the ship.” -Wikipedia
Dude signed Nas, so you should listen.
A joo exploiting black man.. like throughout music industry history…
“Mc Serch is not white/though His ethnicity rhymes with bike”
Imagine being kicked out of 109 apartments but you claim it was always the landlord’s fault, not your behavior. Or imagine being kicked out of 109 bars and it was always the bartender’s fault.
This from a man who used ”nukka” in his rhyming.
Hanukka?
V-nasty got them meff teeth
Real talk
And that fetal alcohol syndrome face, just like Meek Mill!
Whats with all the antisemitic comments? Y’all really ok with this white supremacist bs?
SHUT IT DOWN DA G0YIM KNOW
Hey Rabbi Whatcha Doin’?
She’s everything you want in a woman, Unattractive, foul mouth uneducated, terrible tats and Masculine. Awful !
Small hat alert
“It didn’t matter where you grew up. If you were White and you used that word, it was a beatdown. It didn’t matter what hood you rested in. It was a straight beatdown. Period, end of conversation.”
Ok same goes for blacks when they use racial slurs to describe, whites, Hispanics and Asians. They’re gone get popped in their fat Hoover nose and better not cry “hate crime!!!!’ When a beat down comes for them too.
Nah, that’s your fantasy. We’re talking real life now
What does Pete Nice have to say about it tho
Mc Serch is truly the best white rapper . However, these conversations taint the legacy and are clown shit. V-Nasty’s cool, not ok with her saying the n word every 3 seconds and I hate tats on any human being. Tats are for dumb idiot losers and the judge will roast you twice as hard in court if you got em.
Serch isn’t white. He has the blood of the joo in him.
That means he isnt caucasian, he is still white though
No he’s not. That means he has light skin.
fuck this h.e.e.b
what happened to the white girl mob lol havent heard anything from em in years till serch brought em to light again