Disappointed

[bart5]

Well, today I went out and bought 3 albums:

Run-DMC - Tougher Than Leather

A Tribe Called Quest - Anthology

Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions

When I got home, my bro told my dad that I bought some albums. My dad demanded to see the covers, and he quickly scans through them and found the sticker on PE. He gets all ticked off after that. My dad hates hip hop, and doesn't understand it at all. He said that PE is all about black power, and that PE is a bunch of gangsters with negative message. My dad read over the lyrics in the booklet, and said there wasn't much swearing but it was bad music. I tried to tell him that it is good music, and that it is politcal rap with not much swearing in it but he still confescated my album. He told me that PE was all about black rage and inner city ghetto expressing themselves, and it was all about killing cops & stuff :shakehead: He asked me why that kind of music appealed to me, and told me that he was dissapointed in me. I was very mad at my brother for telling him that I bought some albums (because I knew this would happen), and at my dad. I told my dad to just throw the album out cause I would just not rather talk to him about it (but he is saving it to show it to my mom, who had to go a funeral) and that I am going to listen to that music when I move out. I reget buying it now, and I still have it on my computer (which my dad already knows but didn't tell me to delete it). Have any of you been in a similar situation before?

Edited May 15, 2006 by bart5

[Da Fresh Prince]

dang, that's horrable dood! i feel your pain. albums that my brother, Trey, listens to, my mum wont let me hear yet. & Trey doesn't listen 2 bad stuff! :blabla:

[WesSyde]

yeah i had that same problem and still have it to some extent. my parents didnt like my listening to 2Pac and other rappers that i was listenin to other than JJFP when i was like 13 and 14. they took my albums away, but they were all burnt. now im 17 and they deal with it. i think i've shown them that i've matured, that i dont let the artists' message influence my decisions, and that the music i listen to has some value, at least better than that 50 cent and lil jon stuff on tv

however, my parents would at least acknowledge that Public Enemy has a positive message to their music. i am reading a book right now called Parental Advisory: Music Censorship in America and it's all about how those explicit stickers came about. the reason PE's album has a sticker isn't for vulgar language, but for some violence and the revolutionary themes in the music. the problem is that the message is misunderstood. it is about inner city ghetto expressing themselves, but it's not about rage or anything. it's about educating other black people about what they can do to create a fairer world. unfortunately, some parents are too lazy to look at the whole picture. all they want to hear is the cuss words and words about violence, but they dont want to hear that maybe the artist is saying guns are bad, but they only hear guns. maybe the artist is trying to educate people and isnt glorifying violence or sex but parents dont sit down and listen to the full content.

unfortunately, im afraid there's not a whole lot u can do but wait time and hope your dad will start to treat u like an adult in your music choices when u get a little older. i've tried to play good rap in front of my parents like Run-DMC, Will Smith, and Blackalicious, but they havent caught on too much. my dad likes Christian rap (T-Bone, Cross Movement) but doesnt seem too impressed with rap. you might not be able to convince your parents to like it, but dont let that stop u from enjoyin it.

[JumpinJack AJ]

Ha ha...that sucks. But i can relate. I remember when i waz younger, i'd hide my more explict stuff. I waz between 9 and 13 when i had some stuff like N.W.A, 2Pac, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Cypress Hill, Onyx, Snoop Doggy Dogg, Naughty By Nature, MC Lyte, Ice T, etc. My parents rarely heard it cuz i waz good and keeping my music purchases secret. It's funny tho'...cuz now that i'm older, i really can't stand cussing and get the edited versions of CDs that do have explict lyrics.

I gotta be corny and say "Parents Just Don't Understand." My parents didn't really understand Hip-Hop and Rap back in the day...but things were alot different back then. I remember when i got Jodeci's Diary of A Mad Band, they heard the extreemly sexual lyrics of some of the songs...and made me dub a copy of the album on cassette minus 2 or 3 of the really sexual songs. I remember they also heard me blasting Queen Latifah's "Black Reign" and the song "Rough" waz on. While there isn't a crazy amount of cussing on the album, they heard enough and took it from me...but let me keep the singles i got from that album...ha ha. A few years down the road i got it again.

My advice is 2 just keep your purchases secret. There isn't much u can do 2 change your parents' opinions of Hip-Hop other than having them hear songs like "Tell Me Why" and the really positive stuff. Making an agreement with them of what they think is appropriate is cool 2. Let them know about a certain artist b4 u get and album...have them check their website or lyrics. Let them know u aren't gonna be going around cussing, getting drunk, addicted 2 drugs, and acting all negative. Let them know u are making a choice 2 listen 2 positive stuff. Ask them if they listened 2 anything racy in the day, ask them who music they think u should listen 2....just 2 see and then compare various Hip-Hop acts 2 that artist.

On a kinda funny note, i waz washing the car a few weeks back and blasting Rev Run's "Distortion"...my dad came out and said "man, that sounds angry...i can't stand when u listen 2 stuff like that." I just laughed cuz it reminded me of when i waz alot younger. Of course Run is a reverand and doesn't cuss or preach poison in his rhymes...so it made it all the more funnier.

[Jonny 5]

man, that would suck.I guess I was lucky in that my parents always trusted me not to do anything crazy or stupid as a result of listening to music... I had a few random Eminem tapes when I was about 14 which they definitely knew I had, not a word was ever said though...

[Da Brakes]

My Mums only demand was the music that I that had explicit lyrics to, I wasn't to play when she was around!

[MaxFly]

When I was a kid, I generally kept my parents out of my business: parents just don't understand after all... lol

I also never really had any explicit tapes or CDs, but it was more my choice than anything having to do with my parents. Even now, I still don't like to listen to excessive profanity.

[Turntable]

Thats nbot a problem in my family, and it never was. Maybe partly caus my mmum doesnt understand very much enghlsih. But even if she would, she wouldnt care. She akso doesnt with the german Mc`s. She understands that liberla thinking, and she understand that people use swears to express themsels stronger. She likes allot of Hip Hop oo because of me. She also understands that some of them just say **** to entertain and that they dont mean it.

I would say its like this in most european familys, parents dont realy care about that. Over here I never heard a story like that.

[bigted]

Yeah it's basically "Parents Just Don't Understand", basically the older generation didn't grow up with hip-hop so they don't really understand it, and when they were growing up they were probably listening to something that their parents might of thought of as rubbish, lol, I'm surprised that your dad would get upset over Public Enemy lyrics 'cause I know a lot of older people actually like those lyrics 'cause they're intelligent, my parents don't really mind what I listen to especially since I'm not really into thug rap anyway, they actually ask to borrow some my CDs 'cause they like the beats, lol,but when I was younger they had me get edited CDs

Edited May 15, 2006 by bigted

[Turntable]

Ovr here the edited versions dont even get released,lol

[DevilsJim89]

Parents Just Dont Understand is the truth.

I've also had experience with my parents. About 2 years ago, we went to Coconuts which is a New and Used Music store. I got some CDs and one of them was 2pac's "Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z" album. My parents were pretty mad at me for getting that and I originally only liked 3 trax off of there. But I began to listen more and I love that CD. Now I'm older and they know the basic stuff I listen to and as long as I dont blast it and play it around them, then its alright.

Give it some time man. Also, I wouldnt even bother buying edited versons of CDs. It disrupts the flow of the tracks.

[ash trey]

I grew up listening to Snoop,Eminem, Dr.Dre, Royce Da 5 9 (alongside positive MCs such as Will and Run DMC) and they wouldn't stop cussin' in their tracks. My dad is a musician and respects music as a form of expression but he hates rap because of the swearing. But although my parents may not like hearing me listening to da f word in a track they would only discretely exclaim their disapproval but never destroy my CDs or make me delete my mp3s since they know Im very passionate about my music (it runs in da family lol) and Im a mature dude for my age.

[bigted]

Even when foul language gets muted on edited CDs you still know what it is, it's like listening to the radio, you could still figure out the swears even when it's muted, editing is pointless, all of us knew that Will said f*** even though it was edited on "Tell Me Why", lol, in that case it was a loud beep but most of the times when something's edited now it's muted, edited CDs are cool though so that you could blast them anywhere without anyone getting offended about excessive cursing, they're good for parties...

Edited May 15, 2006 by bigted

[cristigolo]

it's funny y'all should say dis cuz i had the exact same arguement yesterday while i was downloadin jay-z' 99 problems. he kept on talkin about their message and stuff even tho he doesn't understand english almost at all. then i told him about will's message and that i ain't a baby no more and music won't influence me. what makes it even funnier is that this is the first time he said sumthin like dis all my life

There's no need to argue

Parents just don't understand

[bart5]

Thanks for all the advice and stories. It seems like a lot you can relate. I was going to hide PE from my dad, but I couldn't cause I had to show him the albums that I bought. I guess my solution to my problem is to just apologize to my dad, and let him know that I won't buy any albums with a PA sticker on it. I will just wait until I move out to start buying albums with the sticker on it. Until then, I can just download PA tracks that I like off itunes and stick to buying clean albums. But one thing that my dad said to me that really makes me mad is this:

"This is the reason why I didn't like you getting into rap. You are headed down the wrong path."

My dad said something like that. I don't listen to bad hip hop or anything either, which is why that comment is so far off. I knew atleast someone would reply "Parents just don't understand." hahaha Thats what I would have said too. I know that they are just trying to look out for me, but I wish they could let me make my own decisions and trust me not to listen to anything that I knew was wrong.

Edited May 15, 2006 by bart5