in this entry i will quote lil wayne approximately 42 times
I’m not a big fan of censorship in general. If you’re offended by something, change the channel or turn it off. Same goes for people with kids — be a parent and pay attention. It’s common sense.
I basically only started listening to the radio a couple weeks ago when my iPod got stolen. Up until then, I’ve always listened to uncensored versions of everything, so I find myself cracking up and/or baffled at some of the things censored in mainstream radio. And yeah, I listen to rap and hip-hop. I’m used to more intelligent rap like Immortal Technique, but have learned to settle for what they play on the radio… it’s fun. I don’t take it too seriously; it’s good to dance to at the club and it’s just something to sing along to carelessly on the drive to work. And a few mainstream artists are actually kinda clever… Weezy and Kanye, for example, mention the quintessential bitches and bling, but it’s not typically in the form of mindlessly repetitive lyrics.
But I digress. Anyway, it seems like every other word is bleeped out. Lil Wayne’s “Lollipop” is a particular example that instantly springs to mind… I guarantee that people hear “lick” and “juicy” in other contexts on a daily basis. Hearing them in a not-so-vague sexual reference isn’t really going to be that damaging. “Venereal disease” is omitted from some versions of A Milli… yep, kids, STDs are bad, but is it really that “explicit” of a term that it needs to be censored? Working with five year olds, I can also pretty much say with certainty that I’ve never heard them repeating lyrics that complex… they’re way more apt to chant catchy choruses than relatively difficult to pronounce medical terms. And if your preteen is listening to it and brings up the phrase… well, it’s time to have that talk anyway.
My thoughts pretty much echo Weezy’s on the matter. “That’s too explicit… but why you listening?”
