Actor Joseph Phillips discusses his attempt to monitor the music in his kids’ iPods.
“This is the music young people are listening to; it is the language of “what’s happenin’ now.” And as much as I may dislike it, many of the movement’s ambassadors are characters like Mims grabbing his crotch and bragging, “This is why I’m hot. This is why you’re not!” And Soulja Boy imploring us to watch him “Superman dat #@” (What is happening now indeed! As opposed to what was happening then, you know, like singing, “Everybody join hands and start a love train.” Or sporting Afros and declaring, “Say it loud, I’m black and I’m proud!”). It is of little use to wonder about what should be. The reality is that as a parent, I must face head on the world as it is.
“Alas for me, either his mother or I must now approve all of the music that goes onto his device, which means we must listen to it first. It may be a sign of my old age, although I think of it as evidence of my good taste in music, but after a few minutes of listening to this stuff, I am ready to pull my hair out one gray strand at a time. Hip-hop has clearly been a boon to a lot of marginally talented people. In the spirit of keeping it real, stardom is no longer reserved for those that can sing, play an instrument, read and write music or those who have something interesting to say. Apparently, a penchant for shucking and jiving is the only requirement.
TheStateOf . . . Kids and Music. My (J) father never monitored the music I listened to as a kid, but he knew I liked rap. I think I’ll ask Ike what he’s listening to and even let him play it for me if he chooses. I wouldn’t want to invade his privacy, but I’d also like to have input into how the music shapes his thinking. “Approving” your kids’ music before they buy it is a little too much.
