Hopefully this doesn't evoke too many reddit trolls. How did the N-word go from being used almost exclusively as a derogatory word against African Americans to being ingrained in so much African American pop-culture?
I think there is something beautiful about African Americans taking such a hateful word towards them and changing the definition, the context, and the way it is used. Although I would never recommend using that word, I feel that African Americans have the right to make it powerless as an insult.