Phil Mushnick, sports media critic for the Post, has never been shy about his opinions. On Sunday, he used the occasion of Jay-Z's big week with the Brooklyn Nets to suggest the rapper's role as a "cultural icon" is not benign, that his frequent use of the "N word" and glorification of the drug culture has a malignant effect.

"Jay-Z, NBA team owner, is among the most successful at exploiting and growing a racial culture that logically should have been long gone. He’s among those at the forefront of the Ten Million Man March, Backwards," wrote Mushnick. "I know, he’s just keepin’ it real."

• .Nets owner Jay-Z straw that slurs the drink - Phil Mushnick - New York Post