Hip-Hop at a Crossroads
What the Fuck Happened to Clean Rap Versions?
There’s no better time for young ones to dive into hip-hop — but where have the edited versions gone?
Update 6/7/22: Level has a new home. You can read this article and other new articles by visiting LEVELMAN.com.
When I imagined myself growing old, I thought I’d become one of those parents who listened to rap music with his kids. I envisioned road trips where Aquemini, Black on Both Sides, and crunk-era hits blasted from the speakers while I told the youths about my favorite memories and what the music meant to me. I thought I’d be the cool dad, the one who listened to the same contemporary rap my kids were into, sharing in the experience and being along for the ride as they developed their own musical tastes.
Of course, in my mind, my family would be riding out to edited versions of the music, at least until they were old enough to hear all the F-words they wanted to in my presence. But there’s a problem: It’s hard to listen to rap with my kids. Unlike when I was coming up, edited rap music is much harder to come by.
When I was a kid, I had all sorts of options for cultivating my rap palate in a way that fell under the rules my parents had. This was crucial…
