… I dont restrict my teenage son from watching mainstream rap videos because he rarely watches them, expresses understanding of how ridiculous many of the images are and has shown absolutely no desire to emulate anything about them. And I consider myself an excellent parent. I respect the fact that he prefers looking at videos on BETJ and is more interested in the underground hip hop movement. As long as he continues to be a gentleman, articulate, and takes care of his business in school, I see no need to totally shelter him from ALL negative images put out there. … My peers who came up in extremely restrictive households due to strict religious practice seem to be the very ones who turned out the most trifling.
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This is rhetoric that works for few people… there will always be segments of population that resists role models of celebrity, fashion, sports, and the entertainment world…, but there seems to be a large segment of young people who model their entire lives after rap culture… self-mutilating their looks, their teeth, their bodies, and their future, in the name of being hip.

I didn’t allow my kids to watch BET, and it wasn’t about being naive or sheltering them from the world, because, that, we can never do, as the influences of this life & this world are too powerful, too prevalent…. but as parents we can raise our children to think for themselves, to understand “a wolf in sheep’s clothing”, and to take a stand against what harms the masses, against what may harm their own people. … but when parents are indifferent, it sets a tone for the future generations of parents to be indifferent…. so I ask you, Shade, what if your son turns out alright, but your grandson embraces this craziness and is in & out of jail… your indifference may have mattered, even in the next generations.

Interestingly enough, I recently came across my ex-fiancees kids MySpace sites. Since I like to stay in touch with them, I added them as friends, or whatever they call it.

Her 14 year old daughter said that she is 17, her 11 year old son states that he is 14. He has links to gangsta rap videos, and images with curse words all over it. She has pictures that make her seem much older and give a clear idea what she is looking for.

I sent a message to their mother (my ex) and she said she’s spoken to them a number of times. I also sent a message to their older brother, just stating I’m a little worried. His page has his accurate age.

I get a condescending lecture back from him about how different generations open new doors, including ones that other generations wouldn’t dare open. Now what that has to do with lying about your age, I don’t quite see. Every generation has done that, and for all the similar reasons.

Now, as La Shawn said, there is a certain lure toward subversive music when you are young (I felt that as well) and each generation does push the envelope.

But, I have had too many friends my age that have become grandparents to their 15 and 16 year old daughters children. And the teenager daughters (and the grandchild’s fathers) aren’t very responsible in taking care of their children. And I can see my ex becoming a grandmother someday soon very easy, but I’m dismissed with my concerns.

There isn’t anything else I can do, but it’s nice to see that some people (La Shawn and some of the commenters) at least see some of the same negative behavior that I do.

Music overall now days is sad. I totally agree with Dave in AZ. Most of it is crap. I think however, it all is just a portion of the entertainment industry overall. I mean, really think about it, what popular entertainment today is not overtly sexual, violent, witchcraft or denomic nowdays.

It is next to impossible to sit down a watch a family movie today with your kids. If you find one, you have to contend with the advertisments. I am so sick of seeing ads for “male enhancement” until it makes me long for the days of female hygiene ads. LOL!!!!

Back in the day, I loved hip hop and still do for the most part. Back when they used to dance in the videos, Heavy D, Big Daddy Kane, Public Enemy, old school LL Cool J etc etc…I loved that era of the genre.

I just cant justify most of these guys’ music anymore. The old cats are either gone or trying to be like the new guys. Its a sad case. The thing is, as the actual production and music sound better, the lyrics have gotten worse!

I caught myself watching “Richboy” today, “just bought a cadillac”…hot beat, all about buying a cadillac and hooking it up. Nothing wrong with that and I love Cadillacs, but why is the video full of half-naked women? Just sad…

Today its all about drug money, getting more money, getting with as many girls as possible…

I love the entrepreneurship and business acumen of some of them, but I cant stand alot of what they’re saying today.

As for Eminem, he is one of the world’s great mysteries, one of the poster children for this degeneration of music. He’s a rude, crude, obnoxious, offensive slug with no discernable talent other than demonstrating a lousy attitude in public, but he has become rich and famous. I don’t get it. And I’m GLAD I don’t get it.

It’s a conversation I had many times with my husband when he was in the Navy. There were plenty of lower-enlisted black men blaring rap music, but not a single black chief or officer. A very clear class divide. Likewise I personally know of no successful black people who embrace the ‘music’–it is solely the purview of the lower classes and white liberals who think they’re supporting African American Culture.

One last thing…If Eminem is what passes for mainstream, acceptable rap music, then I officially give up. I’ll huddle over here in the corner with my Cowboy Troy cd and whimper.

“The A-Team”?

Does not compute!

I remember when Bill Cosby decided to make the Cosby Show. It was after television was bombarded with violent shows such as: Charlie’s Angels, The A-Team, and many others but in addition to those, The Simpson’s (which outlived many many sitcoms). I always believed he wanted the television viewing audience (the youth back then) to have a choice — a better choice, but at least choices. Yet here we are years later, bombarded with more hideous images of violence and sexuality in the media (books too) because it sells. Money. Money. Money. Money. BET and MTV have the same crass shows and commercials. Perhaps if the voices of grandparents and great grandparents who found the music of the 60’s and 70’s had been heard, the rap and rock we hear today would not exist. Or even before then, the blues caught

But in defense of single mothers, I know of three women who raised sons without the assistance of welfare or a father in the home. All three males are black. One graduated Duke University and has started his own business, the other is a Marine and the last is graduating high school this year with a bright future. Perhaps I can find a way to bring those three ladies together and have them write a book, not just for single parents but for two parent homes as well. Because the bottom line is, if you’re not raising / loving / disciplining / praying with and for / teaching and talking to your child you’re not doing your job as a parent(s). There’s more to raising a child than having two adult bodies in a home.

I have to disagree with you. Clean does sell. Wal-Mart controls one-third of the music distribution in this country. They will not stock anything explicit. Viacom has controlled BET for the past three years, by the way. I don’t like the content, but “market demand” and all that. BET does have Gospel and Jazz programming, by the way.

I had an interesting conversation a couple of years ago with a group of co-workers of varying races and ages and was firmly told that Will Smith, whom my 14-year-old son likes to listen to, is not a rap artist. Imagine my surprise, remembering the days of the Fresh Prince! When I asked what he was, they said “entertainment”. So in their minds, it’s not rap if it’s not filthy. My eldest son, now almost 21, went through a hard-core rap phase in high school (not allowed in my house). It really is appalling – thank goodness he grew out of it.

Although I’m a classical/jazz person myself (and the old late-70s, early 80s rock), I heartily approve of Will Smith and his music. Very clean and family oriented, as are most of his movies.

Unfortunately, “clean” doesn’t sell.

For me, no one has given us a greater heritage of rich music than the Black culture. Blues, jazz, soul, R&B, beautiful soulful harmonies, etc. etc……………yeah! Now, that’s mostly a memory.
So, folks my age listen either to the oldies or jazz stations and, drive around with our windows rolled up.

My opinion – out.

RIP DJ, one hell of a hoops player. I loved those Celts/Lakers games. I see a lot of that DJ magic in Steve Nash, making the impossible plays, passes that come out of nowhere.

Watched a college game the other day, jumper after jumper, clanging off the rim. It was so awful. The NBA is not any better, it’s why I could care less, it’s as sloppy as ice hockey.

SHOCKING. Yeah right.

On another note, Michael Wilbon called the NBA all-star weekend “Black Thanksgiving” because it represents the black culture or somesuch nonsense.

If so, that is a scary proposition, I understand there were tons of arrests and poor behavior.

What is going on there…I don’t get the excuse makers like Dyson et al who alibi for the terrible behavior of people like Pacman Jones.

Blacks can say it back and forward let a non black say it and all the sudden it a civil rights violation. As a conservative black female this crap makes me sick. It totally disrespects everything our ancestors went through so we can live the life we have today.

That crap sickens me