Writer Ta-Nehisi Coates had to school some students about the use of the N-word during a recent stop at Evanston High School in Illinois while on a book tour promoting his latest work, We Were Eight Years in Power. 

During the Q&A portion of the event, a white student asked the acclaimed author if it was OK to say the N-word if you are rapping along with your favorite rapper. The question was inspired by a recent school-sanctioned Lil Uzi Vert concert where the student witnessed several students saying the slur while enjoying the songs. And to the student's surprise, he uses an analogy to paint how wrong it is to use the racial slur even if you're not racist and just singing along with a popular song. 

“My wife, with her girlfriend, will use the word, ‘b*tch,’” Coates said. “I do not join in,” he continued, eliciting loud chuckles from the audience. “I don’t do that.” He equates the use of the word "b*tch" to the slur "fa**ot" that may be used in kind in particular circles but not meant to be said by everyone. 

“And then here comes this word, that you feel like you invented,” continues Coates, before mocking those that would defy his point. “‘Why can’t I use it? Everyone else gets to use it. Why can’t I use it? Everyone else gets to sing along, why can’t I sing along?’”

He pointed out that the N-word and the experience of black people is something white people cannot understand, so saying the word in the same way black people use it would not carry the same weight. 

“The experience of being a hip-hop fan, and not being able to use the word ‘n*gga’ is just a little peek into what it means to be black. Because to be black is to walk through the world and watch people doing things that you cannot do.”

Do you think Ta-Nehisi Coates has a point or is the n-word just a word? We want to hear your thoughts!