THE FOLLOWING FREE VERSE POEM CONTAINS THE CREATIVE USE OF BOTH PROFANITY, AND RACIALLY CHARGED LANGUAGE AND IMAGERY. This was deliberately done by the author to make a social and political statement. Specifically, this piece may contain more instances of the “n-word” than five-minutes of a Quentin Tarantino film. Sensitive readers who might be offended by this artistic expression, may want to stop reading at this point.

These niggas ain’t free!

From niggas wit attitude

To niggas with accountants

Allen Edge once said, “I ain’t sayin’ u niggas, but u got nigga ways!”

Glorifying the badass-gangsta-nigga-mentality

Pimpin’ nigga poverty-                    to a dope beat!

My nigga, my nigga, my nigga, my nigga, my nigga- PLEASE!

Iconic niggas

Archetypical niggas- WAIT,

How many niggas so far?

Including the title, and that question,

You got sixteen out of ninety-nine niggas, my nigga!

But sixteen niggas don’t add up to ninety-nine niggas.

Black Lives Matter,

What about niggas?

That last line probably pissed off some overly-sensitive niggas.

They probably thought to themselves,

Disrespectful nigga

Rude-ass nigga

Ignorant-loud-talkin’ nigga talkin’ out of turn

That nigga ‘bout to make it worse for the rest of us niggas!

Nigga shut up!

Why would a, “nigga wit’ an attitude” be polite?!

Nigga wake up and smell the crosses burning!

Niggas out here ain’t woke

Not this nigga

Not that nigga

Not your average everyday nigga

Nigga on the street

Nigga creepin’ up behind me

Breathin’ their hot nigga breath

On my post-traumatically stressed nigga neck-

Damn, if a nigga could just get some fuckin’ respect!

Niggas might not be killing other people

They think are only niggas.

Niggas with kids

Niggas with criminal justice-involved drama

Niggas with absentee fathers, and single mamas

Niggas with a bunch of estranged baby-mamas

Niggas with all kinds of childhood traumas

Niggas that look like President Barack Hussein Obama.

Wait a minute, nigga!

How many niggas is that?

Forty-six niggas, nigga!

Thanks, my nigga!

Well nigga, that’s almost half-

But it still ain’t ninety-nine niggas.

Naw, not enuf niggas

Not enuf niggas in school

Not enuf niggas in college

Not enuf niggas in board rooms

Not enuf niggas in technology

And in the “land of the Dred Scott free”

There can never be enuf niggas in the penitentiary.

We need mo’ niggas!

There still ain’t enuf niggas-

Ain’t enuf niggas in positions of power

Ain’t enuf niggas here.

Ain’t enuf niggas there.

Ain’t enuf niggas almost everywhere!

Nigga-rigged

H.N.I.C. or head nigga in charge

That nigga got good hair!

Nigga looks like they could be a Debarge.

Nigga rich

Nigga situation

New improved niggas

Replace the same old niggas

House niggas

Field niggas

Wannabe head nigga in charge niggas

Niggas in monkey-suits

Niggas in Paris

Niggas all over the world

Niggas coming to a lily-white neighborhood near YOU!

Nigga’s just supposed to take it, just like a good nigga.

Niggas stands up for themselves, and all of a sudden,

“THOSE NIGGAS MUST BE CRAZY!”

But not to worry, to paraphrase the Last Poets,

Niggas are still “scared of revolution!”

Uppity niggas

Militant niggas

Black nationalist niggas

What happened to the nigga moratorium?

The nigga what?! Nigga stop talkin’ like you white!

People, especially niggas, are s’possed to stop using the word, “nigga”

As a racial slur

As a term of affection

As a noun, verb, adjective, or adverb

The word nigga is not to be uttered or heard

At nigga block club parties,

At bougie-ass nigga gatherings

Or at nigga places of bid’ness

Where unprofessional niggas

Provide nigga-service

To their predominantly nigga clientele.

Yeah, whatever nigga.

Nigga bitches.

Bitch-ass niggas.

Niggas always bitch.

Niggas love to moan.

Niggas can’t keep the same number, for their mobile phones

So other niggas can call them, when they’re out in streets being niggas

Good niggas

Good nigga?

The only “good nigga” is a dead nigga.

Bad niggas

Ugly niggas

Beautiful niggas who think they’re ugly niggas

Black niggas

Blue-black niggas

High-yella niggas

White niggas

Passin’-for-white niggas

Sand niggas

Orange-is-the-new-black niggas

There always seems to be some new niggas

Cheaper niggas

Easy to handle niggas

Safe niggas

Dangerous niggas

Lazy niggas

Shiftless niggas

Suspicious niggas

Creative niggas

Singin’ niggas

Dancin’ niggas

Rappin’ niggas

Niggas wit attitude

Can’t explain what has happened… to niggas.

This nigga’s poem is titled, “ninety-nine niggas”

To “keep it one-hunnerd”- minus one less nigga

Because it’s got ninety-nine niggas, but my black-ass ain’t one!

FYI a nigga can comprehend the irony

of a nigga writing a poem about “niggas”

While referring to themselves as a “nigga”

but- hey, niggas is complicated!

In closing, since a lot of niggas (like myself) don’t like math,

The actual number of niggas found in this poem may vary.

☆