Satire helps us see the ironies and contradictions of life, and when used purposefully, the audience is often made the butt of the joke. But when its premise is murky, the satirical message is left open to multiple interpretations — leaving its meaning lost in translation and its message up to do more damage than good.

By all intents and purposes, satirical devices are crafted to be inside jokes that entire audiences can be "in on." Flaws in the design, however, leave an enlightened few with the punchline and the target audience without much of a clue. Missing the satirical mark, a satirist ends up "preaching" to a select minority; a "choir" who already has "gotten it," the problem lies with the "heathens" who don't.

Such is the case with Nas' ninth album, Ni**er, which had the title dropped (and left "untitled") in a storm of controversy. While Untitled is steeped in knowledge, it fails in its satirical mission: to address and dissect the multiple connotations of the "N-word."

Although satire should never be censored, it is not always useful, especially when one aspires to foster widespread understanding. Nas' use of satire took the focus away from the album's content and, instead, placed the attention on the album's title. Once the title was changed, all mainstream interest in the album's content quickly waned.

Unfortunately, large swaths of the American public have little interest in Nas or the various dimensions of the "N-word" debate. That being said, Nas' publicity stunt missed a significant opportunity to hold a constructive dialogue on the social, cultural and historical implications behind the "N-word."

As a result, America's ongoing balancing act between the cultural acceptance of "ni**a" and the historical repudiation of "ni**er" continues full-steam ahead — with no immediate end in sight.

Nas proponents might state that since Ni**er opened at number one Nas was successful in reaching the public with his message. Unfortunately, chart success does not correlate to public understanding. Billboard and SoundScan records show that Nas has a built-in fan base, strengthened by years of consistent output, with four of his previous efforts also debuting in the number one spot.

Putting things into perspective, Nas' 2006 album, Hip Hop is Dead, moved 355,880 copies in its first week with similar media pageantry. And despite all the hoopla behind Nas' publicity stunt, Ni**er crashed as soon as the Eagle landed. Sales figures for the album's first two weeks equate to only 250,357 — 70.3% of the first week sales of his previous effort. (Nielsen SoundScan reports that Ni**er moved 187,078 copies in its first week of release and 63,279 copies in the second.)

Considering the fact that Nas and Kelis paraded around the GRAMMY Award ceremony in "N.I.*.*.E.R." t-shirts, I wonder the true motive of Nas' Ni**er project. Is it safe to assume the couple wouldn't have worn such an outfit to the NAACP Image Awards? Even so, why "rock it" then "drop it"? Shouldn't an artist defend his/her work at all costs, even if it means distributing it, as-is, for free? I don't believe a true prophet would put a price on a message whose time has come.