Why is racist to say the n-word in a song if you are not black?

I remember that when I was younger, my school sometime made pupils (me included) sing old songs that had the N-word in it...

Not something I feel proud of...

Quote from OnceMidzy4ever

I never understand this. In my mother language, spanish, we dont have this problem. If the word is in the song then people say the word, nobody gets offended. But this not happen with english songs. And if is that bad, why so many songs have the n-word in it? If the word is so racist then it should be banned from music, but is not. So, what happen?

It's a long and complicated evolution of a slur used against black people a lot during slavery times, and over time the word took an offensive meaning, then it got adapted to a way to describe other black people after abolition & segregation. I think that's one of the worst ways someone has ever explained anything like this (someone please help me), but I tried to explain the best to my ability right now as I just woke up

nigga/nigger = frijolero, spic, wetback, etc

Think of it as faggot. It's offensive, and many of the people in the LGBTQ+ community don't think even they should say it too anyway, but way more people say that it's okay to say as long as you're some form of queer. That's a whole different debate too.

I do think if they say the word because it's in a song, that's different. They shouldn't say the n word under normal circumstances, but they just heard it in a song so they said it as well. If you keep on doing it regardless of knowing that you can't say it that's different.

Now, if the hard r is in the song, that's verrrryyyyyy suspicious in the first place, and they CANNOT say that word.

Basically, Nigga ≠ racism, Nigga = Offensive/Questionable (if you slip up that's okay, don't do it again) | Nigger = just flat out racist ngl, why would that be in any song in the first place 🤨

i mean if it happens it happens, why are they putting the n word in songs anyways