Twelve years ago this month, Kanye West’s song “Gold Digger” peaked at number one on Billboard’s Hot 100 list, where it remained for a total of ten weeks. On Wednesday, an administrator at the University of New Hampshire confirmed one group of sorority sisters is under investigation for singing the lyrics to that song, which include repeated use of the n-word.
A member of the school’s Alpha Phi chapter reportedly uploaded video of sisters singing and dancing along to the song on her Instagram story where it was subsequently captured and posted to a Facebook page focused on “[exposing] injustices at UNH.” A university spokesperson confirmed on Wednesday the incident is “under review.”
West himself has actually weighed in on this question before, facing criticism for saying variations of the phrase “White people, this is the only time you can say the word ‘n***a’!” at his concerts. Given that one of West’s most popular songs is titled “N****s in Paris,” the matter has been raised repeatedly over the past decade.
Asked specifically about the n-word and what he thought about white people using it at his concerts in a 2015 interview, West gave a long and thoughtful answer, arguing, “It’s all in the context.”
“People get so caught up in the wrong things and want to point fingers off of content over intent,” the artist asserted at the time.
If the university chooses to formally punish students captured in the now-viral video, that decision will set an interesting precedent for future parties and gatherings, many of which certainly feature music with similar language.
Emily Jashinsky is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
