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PROVOCATIVE: Spoken word poet Dean Atta's latest offering challenges people to consider using the N-Word

A POEM written by spoken word artist Dean Atta inspired by the death of Stephen Lawrence has won praise from the teenager's mother.

Atta penned the controversially-named piece – I am Nobody’s N****r – to challenge rappers and others who casually use the N-word without taking stock of its significance.

The poet said he was left shaken by the reconstruction of the attack against Stephen, aired as part of a BBC Panorama special, in which his killers can be seen using the racial slur as they stabbed him.

Atta immediately put pen to paper and recorded the result on his mobile phone, calling out American rappers like Kanye West and Jay-Z who recently released a track called N*****s in Paris .

He is recorded saying: "How were you raised on Public Enemy/
And still became your own worst enemy?

"You killed Hip Hop and resurrected headless zombies/
That can't think for themselves or see where they're going."

Days after it was posted online, the poem went viral thanks to support from music heavyweights, like BBC 1Xtra's DJ Semtex, and is now available to download on iTunes. All proceeds are being donated to the Stephen Lawrence Trust who must raise £150,000 before April or risk closure to its centre in Deptford, south London.

In an email to Atta, a representative from the trust wrote: "Mrs Lawrence has had a chance to listen to your work and found it to be very powerful and thought-provoking.

“Regarding how you can help; we would love for you to keep spreading the message and the beliefs of the trust."

Atta said: “Because of the poem I am getting a lot of recognition but that means nothing if I’m not able to give something back. The N-word was one of the last things Stephen Lawrence heard. It helped me realise that kind of a word can never be reclaimed. It is killing us.

“My aim is to perform the track as much as possible to help raise money for the Stephen Lawrence Trust who, alongside Stephen’s family, have worked tirelessly to get justice and do something positive in the community.”

Atta was approached by Paris Zarcilla, creative director of online youth broadcaster SBTV, to shoot a video to accompany the piece.

It features popular rap artists and spoken word poets like Scorcher, RoxXxan, Mic Righteous and Random Impulse – who has recently-signed to Universal – attracting more than 28,000 hits on YouTube.

But for every popular artist who appeared there was another who turned down the invitation to get involved.

“Quite a few rappers wouldn’t appear because they’ve used the N-word in the past and didn’t want to come off as hypocrites,” said Atta.

“Others were advised by their management not to do it because they might be taking their careers to America and you never know what might happen in the future.

“That was quite an upsetting realisation.”

He added: “People have picked up this word from America and are using it, but not questioning whether it is right.

“Rap music didn’t kill Stephen Lawrence but I think anyone who has a public voice – politician, poet or rapper – should think carefully about the words they use; what they mean, their history, the impact they have on others.

“Not using that word is a sign of respect to people who have died because of racism, to those who have sacrificed and campaigned for civil rights on our behalf so that we can enjoy the freedom we have here in London.”

There is a sense of irony that rap music pioneered in the US by conscious artists like KRS-One as a form of protest has now become part of the problem.

Why aren’t more artists in the UK using their platform to discuss deeper issues in the way that Atta has done?

“Rappers like Akala, Lowkey, Bashy and Mic Righteous are doing this but they are far and few between”, said Atta.

“But to get signed and be successful there is formula that does not want or allow that freedom of expression.

“Poets in many ways are the underdogs but we don’t have a massive industry behind us telling us what to do. Many poets do it for the passion and our words come straight from the heart so they are more truthful.

“We don’t need fancy equipment. You just need your voice and that’s why anyone can do it. I recorded I am Nobody’s N****r on my mobile phone and I hope in some small way it makes a difference.”

To donate, visit the Stephen Lawrence Trust website