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Are you a parent who is concerned about the content of the Hip-Hop music your children listen to? Well now, you can relax. This article is for the parents of our community; both people who grew up in the culture of Hip-Hop, knowing what it is about and what it originally stood for, as well as those not so in touch with urban culture.
When Hip-Hop culture was young, it was all about having fun and expression through innovation, creativity, entertainment and education. As a young kid in the midst of urban culture, I enjoyed a great deal of Hip-Hop music from groups such as Public Enemy, NWA, and the 2 Live Crew. I knew it was not always the cleanest music, but I was listening to all of the bad stuff without my parents knowing.
However I'm a parent now and I know that I can't play most of Tupac Shakur's songs in my house. I can't play Foxy Brown's Sexcapades or Three Six Mafia's Gangsta Madness in my car. I know that if I am going to be a responsible parent, I need to be honest with myself regarding the kinds of things I want my son and daughter to be raised on. And as much as I love Tupac for some of the positive music he produced, my son is brand new to this earth. He does not need to be thinking about who to beat up, or if there is a ghetto in heaven. My daughter does not need to hear Lil Kim's music and wonder about the sexually explicit themes. They need to be thinking about God, school and educational television characters such as Dora the Explorer, Little Bill and Caillou (only real parents know what I'm talking about). So in our quest to be "real" we also need to think about being REAL PARENTS.
The other problem I have is that sometimes really positive rappers handicap themselves by cursing. Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Poor Righteous Teachers, Common Sense, The Coup, Dead Prez, Mystic and a few others are pure geniuses on the microphone and often times are at the forefront of socially conscious music. However, when they have curse words mixed in with their positive messages, I can't play their music for my kids. That's unfortunate, because my children could learn a lot from those artists. You would think, as hard as it is to get radio play for the positive musicians, that they would make sure to curb their cursing, so that mainstream radio would have no excuse to not play them. I fully respect artists' rights to express themselves as they see fit, however more of them might want to follow the example of a group like Gangstarr, whose album Step Into the Arena is the perfect example of a clean Hip-Hop album.
Nevertheless, here are some creative ways that I stay connected with Hip-Hop culture and still keep my kids' music clean. First, I had a good friend make me a tape of classic, old, soul music instrumental samplings, many of which gave birth to classic Hip-Hop tunes such as "I Know You Got Soul", "Express Yourself" and "Night of the Living Baseheads."
My son likes James Brown, Maceo Parker and Lynn Collins just as much as I do. My son loves listening to the Gap Band, Maze and Frankie Berverly, certain P-Funk selections and jazz artists such as Charles Mingus, Miles Davis and John Coltrane. I also play a good deal of instrumental Reggae, especially that of the Dub style, for I find it to be very spiritual and simply very good music. And if you are trying to understand Hip-Hop's roots, these records are essentials. Additionally, if you truly respect the roots of Black music in general, these gems are "must haves" anyway.
The San Francisco Bay Area's Hip Hop Think Tank, of which I am a member, will soon be putting together a guide for parents seeking assistance on appropriate Hip-Hop for children. It will not only be based on appropriateness of language, but also on the general thematic nature of content as well.
Now for my recommendations. Here is some of the music I play around my son without feeling like I am corrupting him. This is all in random order. I'll add more later, but this is a good start.
1. Step Into the Arena, Gangstarr
2. Run DMC, Run DMC
3. 3 Years, 5 Months and Two Days in the Life of, Arrested Development
4. Any album by Mantronix
5. Lost In Space, The Jonzun Crew
6. Fat Boys, Fat Boys
7. Plant Rock: The Album, Afrika Bambaataa
8. He's the DJ I'm The Rapper, Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince
9. All Hail The Queen, Queen Latifah
10. Done By the Forces of Nature, The Jungle Brothers
It's very important for us, as parents, to understand the impact Hip-Hop is having on our children. Taking that into consideration, we should be proactive in the music we choose for them. Happy listening! |
