Ice T On Gwyneth Paltrow Using The N-word: ‘Leave [Her] Alone’

By Billy Johnson, Jr.

Gwyneth Paltrow was the subject of much debate this week. While jet-setting in Paris at Jay-Z and Kanye West's "Watch The Throne" concert, she joined them from the sidelines of the stage, took a camera phone photo and posted it on social media sites Who Say and Twitter. The problem was her caption that included the title Jay-Z and Kanye's controversial song, "N-ggas In Paris."

Some have attacked Paltrow for typing "ni**gas in paris for real" underneath a photo of two African Americans, Jay-Z and Beyonce. Others like Russell Simmons, The Dream, and now Ice T have come to her defense.

[Related: Beyonce, Reese Witherspoon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Cameron Diaz to Star in Massive Movie Musical?]

Veteran rapper Ice T, who has freely used the N-word in his lyrics since the 1980s, believes the slams on Paltrow are unwarranted. "The Internet has allowed a bunch of dumb people to say dumb things. Gwyneth Paltrow typed the name of the f—king record," the "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" actor told Yahoo! Music's The Aftermath in an exclusive interview. "Leave Gwyneth Paltrow alone. We got wars going on. We got real issues. People have nothing else to say. People want to talk sh-t about Gynweth Paltrow. Is she a racist? If she was really racist, she wouldn't be listening to rap music to begin with. So shut the f—k up and leave Gwyneth Paltrow alone."

Ice T, who also stars in the reality series "Ice Loves Coco" with his wife Coco Austin, said he does not have a problem with people who are not African American using the N-word when singing a rap song. "If you a rap fan and you listening to the damn record … if you singing the words, you get a pass. That's part of the record. I wrote it. You lip syncing me."

Ice T, who releases his new documentary "Something From Nothing: The Art Of Rap" on June 15, said using the word is about a universal rule of respect that he applies to other "inside words." "So if the word does not pertain to you, you don't say it," he said. "If you ain't fat don't call anyone fat. If you ain't Jewish don't say Jewish slang. If you're not Italian don't say Italian slang."

By the same token, Ice T understands why some people are upset with Paltrow for posting the N-word online. "It's an inside word so use it at your own risk … As far as Gwyneth Paltrow, ain't she Jay-Z's [daughter's] godmother? So she f—ks with black people. Leave [her] alone."