US rapper Nas has revealed that some of the tracks on his new album deal with how the world views America.

The album, which is released on July 1st, has already drawn controversy because of its title, ‘Nigger’.

Speaking for the first time about the songs on the album, Nas said that ‘This Is Not America’ addresses America's position in the world, while ‘Sly Fox’ is an attack on the broadcaster Fox News.

“When Americans want their independence and they celebrate it, they know what's still going down," Nas said.

"We can't forget it. America still got a lot of growing up to do. America has so much great potential. You know, I love this country, but at the same time, we have to fix up a lot of things. And it's just a reminder."

The album was widely criticised when its title was revealed towards the end of 2007.

Originally entitled ‘Nigga’, the album was changed to ‘Nigger’ last October following complaints from civil rights campaigners.

In the interview with MTV, Nas accepted that stores might be reluctant to stock the record, but said that people were “being scared of what’s real.”

"[The title] kind of comes off as something that can be disrespectful," he said. "Our older black people can take it the wrong way. Some non-blacks can take it the wrong way, and it becomes a thing that becomes controversial in all the wrong ways.

“I accept that. I'm here to do music. I'm here to rap about what I feel and what makes sense to me."

(by Jason Gregory)