Paul McCartney backs Kanye West’s N-word use

In a new interview for the BBC Mastertapes series, Paul McCartney defended Kanye West’s use of racially volatile language in his single “All Day.�

McCartney recalled collaborating with West on the single, which featured a McCartney melody radically revised by West into a hard-hitting single that references hip-hop and grime. The song’s hook prominently uses the N-word in nearly every line, and McCartney said he’d faced some pushback over the tune, including from celebrities like Oprah Winfrey.

“People like Oprah, who are a little conservative about that stuff, she says, ‘You shouldn’t do it. Even black people shouldn’t use that word’,� McCartney said.

“I said, ‘Yeah, but it’s Kanye. And he’s talking about an urban generation that uses that word in a completely different way. It’s the context.’ So I was actually pleased with it.�

McCartney also expressed surprise at the direction the session took, as he didn’t expect much to come out of that particular day’s work. “I get this track back, a thing called ‘All Day’: He’s taken my melody and he’s made it seriously urban, which is funny, because the lyrics use the N-word — a lot. ‘How long have you been at the mall? All day, n-word.’ �

Their collaborations yielded several other singles of a markedly gentler tone, including “Four Five Seconds� and “Only One.�

Fans can watch the video version of the interview here, and the full interview is scheduled to be broadcast on the BBC on May 28.

ALSO:

Paul McCartney mines virtual reality for ‘Pure McCartney’ release

The Cure takes over the Hollywood Bowl: Five thoughts on Monday’s three-hour show

Tragically Hip’s Gord Downie has terminal brain cancer