Poll: Is rap/hip-hop really bad for kids?

[ReservoirAngel]

Someone called me out on this today. I was listening to my old Dr. Dre album "2001" today around town and my headphones fell out of my iPod. Which led to the thing blasting a large part of Snoop Dogg's section of the song "The Next Episode" to blare out quite loudly until I noticed.

Right next to me was a woman with her young son (kid was about 7, maybe 8 at a guess) and she pretty much started having a go at me for it. According to her, hearing that sort of music is a bad influence on her son.

I proceeded to retort that I'd listened to this exact same stuff when I was about his age and I'm perfectly fine. I don't deck myself in more cheap bling than Mr. T, I don't treat women like crap, I reckon I got no problems from it at all. But she insisted it was a horrible influence.

I can see how it could be. I mean kids are impressionable little idiots, so hearing people singing about the kind of stuff hip-hop stereotypically talks about is obviously a problem for many people cause there's a chance they could pick that shit up.

So Escapists, do you think rap/hip-hop music is really that bad for kids to listen to? Yeah it's not appropriate, obviously, but I don't personally think it's "bad for them". But what do you think.

P.S: I feel I should mention this woman was probably the whitest person I've ever seen, excluding albinos. Just thought I'd throw that info out there.
P.S.S: Sorry if this has been done before. Don't hate me.

 

[L3m0n_L1m3]

Just because you listened to that as a kid doesn't mean everyone wants their kids to listen to it.

 

[katsumoto03]

She's an old (assuming), white woman. Oh course she's against something that's known for being somewhat of a "black thing".

 

[Sticky Squid]

I feel it's fine so long as it isn't something like Mama's boyfriend.

 

[staika]

Depends on what type of rap, now if its the normal mainstream rap (no matter how much I despise rap) its not bad for kids and that lady was being way too over protective. now if it was gangster rap then yes I could see a problem with that being that every other word rapped in those songs contain words and actions 8 year olds shouldn't know.

 

[Johnnyallstar]

I think a better question to ask is "Is the Rap/Hip Hop culture good for society?" Some parts, yes, some parts no. Then, how do we fix the bad parts, and promote the good.

 

[Actual]

I can see how it could be. I mean kids are impressionable little idiots

I think it is a bad thing and for the reason you mentioned it should be up to the parent to decide if their kid is mature enough to listen to it. It shouldn't be something they can just stumble across.

Unfortunately rap and R&B songs are everywhere now, with sexually explicit lyrics played from sun-up to sundown, keeping your children away from it is an impossible task.

Still, when my sprogs are born I'm damn well going to try. At least until I know they've developed a good moral code, and aren't weak minded enough to be influenced and can just enjoy the music, if they find they do like that kind of music.

 

[pulse2]

Lets be honest here, as much as I love Hip Hop more so than most music, much of it has swearing, not all of it is derogatory though, so she slightly has a point, then again, its no different to most forms of music.

I don't expect her to assume you listen to classical, nothing wrong with classical, but come off it, you're young and vibrant.

To be honest, its not so much the fact she thinks its inappropriate for her child to listen to, thats her business, its that she had a go at you for an accident that annoys me, I would have put her in her bloody place. Who does she think she is?

 

[Aris Khandr]

I'd say it's bad for everyone, just on the basis of not being good music.

 

[Gaiseric]

I don't care for rap, but I do like metal and they said that metal was bad for kids and I am fine so I think it's fair to say rap is fine.

If I was a parent and my kid wanted to listen to rap I'd let him at the same time I would try to keep him from listening to the songs that have a lot of swearing until maybe he was 12-13.

 

[Dags90]

Then, how do we fix the bad parts, and promote the good.

By buying music whose message you agree with and not buying music you don't like.

Obviously gangsta rap is what made the OP the ponce he is today. /Freud.

Also, I would consider this "bad...period".
I mean it's harmless, but everything about that movie was awful.

Edit: Not everything about the movie was awful. The BK tie-in burger was pretty tasty. Onion rings and BBQ sauce.

 

[ReservoirAngel]

I don't expect her to assume you listen to classical, nothing wrong with classical, but come off it, you're young and vibrant.

To be honest, its not so much the fact she thinks its inappropruate for her child to listen to, thats her business, its that she had a go at you for an accident that annoys me, I would have put her in her bloody place. Who does she think she is?

Actually I do listen to and love classical music. My iPod confuses a lot of people since I go from Eminem to Beethoven at the press of a button. People look at me weird. haha

And I was so tempted to go off on her over starting shit on me for what I choose to listen to. I mean, I had headphones on and as soon as I noticed they'd fallen out I stopped the music and put them back in. But I restrained myself since, come on, her kids was right there. So as much as I wanted to go off on a rant about her starting shit for no good reason with me, I held myself back as much as possible.

Though nothing would have given my greater pleasure than verbally unloading on her, but ah well. Pick your battles and all that jazz.

 

[Evil Earlgrey]

Rethink that question. It doesn't work.

As with EVERY way you can classify media, it doesnt matter what classification it is, but what the content is. You can't ask if rap/hiphop is bad because some of it is and some of it isn't. This might work on the level of a specific song, but even then it depends on many more factors than just the song alone.

 

[campofapproval]

there's a lot of different factors at play that make this a tough question. what about hip-hop would be "bad" for kids? what wouldn't just be due to culture (if you believe, say, cursing is a sin or otherwise has no redeeming social value) it'd have to be a serious analysis into what hip-hop artists advocate or idolize and what kinds of positive/negative ways hip-hop and its subgenres may affect society at large, from kung fu films to haiti to gang culture. also, cocks.

 

[BGH122]

But she insisted it was a horrible influence.

She's wrong for the exact same reason that people who claim violent videogames are Satan-producing monstrosities are wrong. Rap is shoddily written, talentless and uninteresting, but not dangerous (unless the danger we're discussing is the danger of being incredibly bored by rap).

This is a simple case of people mistaking correlation for causation: people who live in ghettos listen to rap, people who live in ghettos are likelier to commit crime ERGO RAP IS TO BLAME! Incorrect, both are corollaries of poverty.

 

[MASTACHIEFPWN]

Alright, just fucking drop it already.

I am not against the Rap Generea, I am against it's popular artist.
I have nothing wrong with it if it is just like any other type of music, but most of it is not.

Take a look back to your childhood. Did you ever have a hero who you wanted to be just like? I'm pretty sure you did. Now look at all of the small children who like the bad rapers. A lot of them set bad examples, such as getting arrested, and doing illegal drugs. This is not an example I would want to set for my kids.

The worst thing is they set a stero type for all black people. (The hordes of ignorant white people do) Everyone douchebag is hostoneshed that their is a black person in the school who doesn't like rap, do drugs, and actually obays school polocies.

I have nothing wrong with rap, I just hate that popular rap where ever second word is "Fuck" or "N*ger"

 

[BGH122]

Welp, Let's take a trip to my highschool!

You will automatically say "FUCK YES, IT KILLS SOCIETY"

Take a look at the 3 groups
The Nerds- (around 8 percent) We are not the bad people, we don't go around doing the dumb shit others do, though we have constant jokes about it.
Punks- (around 20 percent) Skateboarders, Pot Heads, Bob Marley Lovers, y'know, those sterotypical teenagers.
Douchebags- (around 40 percent) These are the kids obsesed with rap music, and trip over their shorts they wear them so low, funny thing is, none of them are black, though they all act like it. They also don't give a shit about school. they blatenly disregard school policies every chance they get. (They are the ones who get caught doing stupid shit.)
Hick-Douches (around 30 percent) (Note that this combines the normal mindless "Country" person, and the douchebag verson) Again, like the douchebags, but with a country accent, and make me laugh even more when they try to act black, also wear 200 pound jackets when it is 80 digreese farienhiet outside.
and then the other 2%...

Who seems the most messed up out of all of them?
The douches.
What do they get "Inspired" by? RAP.

Well your made up statistics have certainly swung me!

 

[MASTACHIEFPWN]

Welp, Let's take a trip to my highschool!

You will automatically say "FUCK YES, IT KILLS SOCIETY"

Take a look at the 3 groups
The Nerds- (around 8 percent) We are not the bad people, we don't go around doing the dumb shit others do, though we have constant jokes about it.
Punks- (around 20 percent) Skateboarders, Pot Heads, Bob Marley Lovers, y'know, those sterotypical teenagers.
Douchebags- (around 40 percent) These are the kids obsesed with rap music, and trip over their shorts they wear them so low, funny thing is, none of them are black, though they all act like it. They also don't give a shit about school. they blatenly disregard school policies every chance they get. (They are the ones who get caught doing stupid shit.)
Hick-Douches (around 30 percent) (Note that this combines the normal mindless "Country" person, and the douchebag verson) Again, like the douchebags, but with a country accent, and make me laugh even more when they try to act black, also wear 200 pound jackets when it is 80 digreese farienhiet outside.
and then the other 2%...

Who seems the most messed up out of all of them?
The douches.
What do they get "Inspired" by? RAP.

Well your made up statistics have certainly swung me!

Go to my highschool, Yes, the statistics aren't 100 percent to truth, but it is a good ballpark guess.

You've never been to my highschool, so you really have no take on if the statistics are made up or not.

Think before you speak.

 

[Condor219]

Personally, I detest the rap genre. I respect the artists for getting out their "message" and I'll not impose on anyone who likes rap, but I find that there's so many better songs out there to listen to. I personally have found that all music in general has deteriorated since rock (and, to a lesser extent, pop rock) was popular, even rap itself.