if i did have kids, i would ABSOLUTELY encourage them to listen to this stuff. and i'd be right there with them, explaining what everything means so that they truly understand. my parents made sure i was exposed to everything, unsheltered, i learned to take responsibility for myself. i make sure that i make the right choices and make the best of my life because i know they love me and want the best for me, which makes me want that for myself and for them. i'd say that worked very well for me as well as my 3 siblings.
i do make my parents listen to the best of eminem, 2pac, snoop, dr.dre, jay-z, and others. oh, also my youngest brother who is a teenager, i got him into it.
people dismiss rappers' messages because they don't like the messenger and they manner in which it is conveyed. that is very unfortunate. open your mind, get past the profanity and you'll see that they have some very important things to say and truths to express. they are rapping about their own lives, reality. but the censors don't want to hear it. i think it's funny that "American Beauty," the brilliant movie about the reality that many families in america live through... it is critically acclaimed. it is actually not much different from the types of messages that rappers send, but American Beauty came across in a much less threatening/offensive manner so people were able to digest it.
even better, they convey these messages with brilliant poetry. i would also say, shakespeare was controversial back in his day. and yes, i am likening eminem (and 2pac) to shakespeare.
i'm not going to make any further issue of this. after all, i am not a missionary. i can give you this link which says some similar things as i'd say.
observer.com |
