Fat Joe’s N-word comments reignite a complicated conversation about Blackness and hip-hop

Fat Joe’s claim that he’s “the Blackest” person critics have seen has reopened a complicated conversation about race, culture, and hip hop.

Fat Joe has been saying the N-word for years. And through the years, discourse has periodically surfaced online about whether or not Hispanic rappers should be able to use the reclaimed racial slur in their music. This weekend, the conversation resurfaced after Fat Joe, who is Puerto Rican, justified his use of the word during an appearance on “The Joe Budden Podcast.” 

 “I’m the Blackest n—a you’ve ever seen in your life,” the rapper declared, noting that he was raised in the Bronx in close proximity to Black communities and deeply immersed in Hip Hop culture.  

Since then, various corners of the internet have shared their reactions to Fat Joe’s argument and particularly his declaration. 

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However, the viral clip has sparked broader conversations about who gets to say the word, the history of Hispanic rappers using it, and ultimately raised questions about whether anyone should be using it. Marc Lamont Hill, one of the co-hosts of the “Joe Budden Podcast,” who was absent for Fat Joe’s appearance, notably shared his reaction to the clip in an episode of his YouTube series “Just My Thoughts.” 

“If you use the N-word, you should be Black. If you’re going to use the N-word, you should be somebody who could actually be called a n—a. That’s my position. That’s my belief,” Hill said. “Fat Joe has love for Black people. Fat Joe is not racist. Fat Joe cares about Black people, but Fat Joe is not Black.” 

While Hill notes the overlap between Black and Latino communities, especially in New York City, he emphasized that the similarities do not make them mutually exclusive. 

“Being close to hip-hop doesn’t make you Black. Loving Black people doesn’t make you Black,” Hill explained. Meanwhile, others like Faizon Love argue that Fat Joe’s use of the word is a cultural thing, citing other Puerto Rican Rappers like Ruby Dee who have addressed the overlap in their music. 

“Everything ain’t racial, some things are cultural. This is a cultural thing, and it’s the Bronx,” Love said, chiming in on the conversation. “Being Black is not a skin color. Being Black is a it’s a culture. 
You gotta eat it and live it in. You eat it. You live it.” 

Others, like rapper 5ive mics, have defended Fat Joe in the discourse, claiming that Puerto Ricans are Black. And while studies have proven that Puerto Rican genetic ancestry is a mix of African, European, and Indigenous, the 2020 census data shows that more Puerto Ricans identify as white (540,592) than Black (228,711), which reflects a larger pattern within Puerto Rico’s history.

“As a Black person who has lived in Puerto Rico and Miami, I was teased for being Black in both places incessantly. Fat Joe is absolutely not Black and has no business saying [the n-word],” author Ericka Hart wrote on Threads.

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Ultimately, Fat Joe is not the first Hispanic rapper to make this argument, and he likely won’t be the last. However, as many social media users have pointed out in this discussion, the bigger question is not about who gets a pass, but whether this metaphorical “pass” should exist at all, and if Black communities should consider abandoning the term altogether.