Vida

Hi everyone!

I need some views on hip-hop and 8 yo girls. My daughters want me to buy
some for them. I¹m thinking that¹s what I should do. They¹re not
interested in any particular group, they mostly want dance music (they love
the show ³so you think you can dance² ). Part of me wants to ³protect² them
from it.... gawd... even as I write this it feels so false and ridiculous.
I¹m thinking that the whole ³nasty hip-hop² theme is similar to gaming and
unlimited TV.... hmmm... I guess just placing the question on paper is
prompting all sorts of discussions in my mind. So with that I¹m guessing
that getting them what they want will at one point spark very interesting
conversations about misogyny, the use of swear words, perhaps a whole
digging into the hip-hop culture.....

perhaps true protection comes with knowledge and free choice.

Any views would be helpful though. Perhaps I¹m not seeing something I need
to be looking at.

Thanks for your time in advance!

Vida


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Sandra Dodd

-=-I¹m thinking that the whole ³nasty hip-hop² theme is similar to
gaming and
unlimited TV.... hmmm...-=-

You're composing mail in Word or something first, I think. I don't
know about others, but in my e-mail the apostrophes and quotation
marks are all turned to numbers. If you change to straight quotes in
your word processing or if you compose in the e-mail I think it will
be better for purposes of this list.


There was an article in a recent National Geographic about the
history of hip-hop that was really interesting. http://
www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0704/feature4/index.html

Marty listens to it but he's still asleep so I can't ask him for a
recommendation, but maybe Britney Spears? Boy groups from the 90's?

There's a movie they might enjoy, Josie and the Pussycats. Not
exactly hip hop, but might distract and amuse them and give them
something to dance to. And there's a Spice Girls movie.

Sandra

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Meredith

--- In [email protected], Sandra Dodd <Sandra@...> wrote:
> You're composing mail in Word or something first, I think. I don't
> know about others, but in my e-mail the apostrophes and quotation
> marks are all turned to numbers.

In mine they all come across as question marks - which is also the
case on some of the pages on your website Sandra. Do you want me to
let you know as I come across those pages? I use your site as a
resource pretty frequently, so I'm happy to let you know *if* that's
helpful.

---Meredith (Mo 5.5, Ray 13)

Vida

Sandra,

I¹ve seen this happen before. I do compose right in the email and I do use
straight quotes. See, like now... when I hit reply and your response sits
below what I¹m writing now the quotes are just fine. I¹ll bet if I send it
the quotes will turn to numbers again... I¹ll have to ask a mac geek for
help.

Thanks for the links and movies. I didn¹t know Britney Spears was hip-hop.
A friend of ours gave me a few CD¹s today, but I don¹t know who they are
except that they are male groups and pretty raunchy to my ears. As I shed
old convictions I still find myself confused on some things. The
unschooling lifestyle comes naturally to my girls. I¹m the one who needs
deschooling, not them. What a challenge it is and I must say enlightening
as well. This is one of the issues I¹m confused about. I listen to what
this friend gave me and I think..omg... should I let them listen to that?
Then I think about finding hip-hop that empowers women but isn¹t that like
sneaking spinach into brownies? Or am I going off the deep end??? I¹m not
asking anybody to answer for me, just stating what¹s going through my mind
as I try and clear the clutter away.

Vida









[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Sandra Dodd

-=-I didn¹t know Britney Spears was hip-hop.-=-

I don't think she is, but it might be dance music your kids will like.

Sandra




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Sandra Dodd

-=-In mine they all come across as question marks - which is also the
case on some of the pages on your website Sandra. Do you want me to
let you know as I come across those pages? I use your site as a
resource pretty frequently, so I'm happy to let you know *if* that's
helpful. -=-

Yes, please, because I can change them.

Sandra

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Schuyler

I don't know anything about hiphop. Really wasn't a music genre I explored
much, I have a few Beastie Boys cds and probably some other stuff, but it
was a very glancing blow. Anyhow, I went to youtube and put hiphop in and
found this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_MgxLLf7dA which has really fun
dancing. I really liked the group from Trinidad and Tobago, the music was
very different.

I went to CDbaby.com and clicked on hiphop/rap. I listened briefly to
Caveman Theory's song Cracker Box Living (maybe because of my childhood love
of Pete Seeger's Little Boxes?). But you and your girls could listen through
some of the songs over there and see which style of hiphop most appeals.

Just a couple of thoughts.

Schuyler
www.waynforth.blogspot.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Vida" <vidamel@...>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, June 02, 2007 11:35 AM
Subject: [AlwaysLearning] hip-hop


Hi everyone!

I need some views on hip-hop and 8 yo girls. My daughters want me to buy
some for them. I¹m thinking that¹s what I should do. They¹re not
interested in any particular group, they mostly want dance music (they love
the show ³so you think you can dance² ). Part of me wants to ³protect² them
from it.... gawd... even as I write this it feels so false and ridiculous.
I¹m thinking that the whole ³nasty hip-hop² theme is similar to gaming and
unlimited TV.... hmmm... I guess just placing the question on paper is
prompting all sorts of discussions in my mind. So with that I¹m guessing
that getting them what they want will at one point spark very interesting
conversations about misogyny, the use of swear words, perhaps a whole
digging into the hip-hop culture.....

perhaps true protection comes with knowledge and free choice.

Any views would be helpful though. Perhaps I¹m not seeing something I need
to be looking at.

Thanks for your time in advance!

Vida


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]




Yahoo! Groups Links

Schuyler

Actually, I've always liked Missy Elliott's videos. I found this one at
youtube.com (I like youtube) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cS8s0Af4x3w ,
and if you just sort of follow through the videos in the sidebar, maybe
you'll get to other things you and yours like.

Schuyler
www.waynforth.blogspot.com

Vicki Dennis

I think it important to remind people that Little Boxes is "really" Malvina
Reynolds. :-) :-)

vicki

On 6/2/07, Schuyler <s.waynforth@...> wrote:
>
>
> I went to CDbaby.com and clicked on hiphop/rap. I listened briefly to
> Caveman Theory's song Cracker Box Living (maybe because of my childhood
> love
> of Pete Seeger's Little Boxes?).
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Mary L Anderson

I think it's important to make a distinction between corporate-driven hip-hop (which does tend to be really offensive, cuz that's what the record companies think will sell) and the many hip-hop artists out there who rap with a social conscience. there are lots of them! And sure, there might be objectionable language, but it's not the sexist, woman-hating stuff that people think all hip-hop is about.

A google search for socially conscious hip hop or feminist hip hop brought up lots of artists you might be interested in. It is possible to rap and do hip hop without being racist and denigrating women.

There's A Tribe Called Quest, Common, Mos Def, The Coup, Nas, and many others.

Of course, if you also object to lots of swearing, then you might have a more difficult time. I never had a problem with strong language around my kids (I cuss like a sailor myself), but I understand that other parents do. I myself never censored my daughters' music--and when my oldest was a teenager she really stretched the limits of my tolerance! Honestly, I had more problem with the extreme death metal she listened to for a while than with any of the rap or hip hop.

I hope this helps.

Vida <vidamel@...> wrote:
Hi everyone!

I need some views on hip-hop and 8 yo girls. My daughters want me to buy
some for them. I¹m thinking that¹s what I should do. They¹re not
interested in any particular group, they mostly want dance music (they love
the show ³so you think you can dance² ). Part of me wants to ³protect² them
from it.... gawd... even as I write this it feels so false and ridiculous.
I¹m thinking that the whole ³nasty hip-hop² theme is similar to gaming and
unlimited TV.... hmmm... I guess just placing the question on paper is
prompting all sorts of discussions in my mind. So with that I¹m guessing
that getting them what they want will at one point spark very interesting
conversations about misogyny, the use of swear words, perhaps a whole
digging into the hip-hop culture.....

perhaps true protection comes with knowledge and free choice.

Any views would be helpful though. Perhaps I¹m not seeing something I need
to be looking at.

Thanks for your time in advance!

Vida

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]






[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Schuyler

Ah, but it was Pete Seeger's that I loved, having never heard Malvina
Reynolds singing it.

Schuyler
www.waynforth.blogspot.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Vicki Dennis" <vicki@...>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, June 02, 2007 6:01 PM
Subject: Re: [AlwaysLearning] hip-hop


>I think it important to remind people that Little Boxes is "really"
>Malvina
> Reynolds. :-) :-)
>
> vicki
>
> On 6/2/07, Schuyler <s.waynforth@...> wrote:
>>
>>
>> I went to CDbaby.com and clicked on hiphop/rap. I listened briefly to
>> Caveman Theory's song Cracker Box Living (maybe because of my childhood
>> love
>> of Pete Seeger's Little Boxes?).
>>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>

Schuyler

And now youtube made that a thing of the past for me as well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=go7qznkZOnU

It's sort of strange with the Final Fantasy stuff, but I like it.

Schuyler
www.waynforth.blogspot.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Schuyler" <s.waynforth@...>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, June 02, 2007 6:10 PM
Subject: Re: [AlwaysLearning] hip-hop


> Ah, but it was Pete Seeger's that I loved, having never heard Malvina
> Reynolds singing it.
>
> Schuyler
> www.waynforth.blogspot.com
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Vicki Dennis" <vicki@...>
> To: <[email protected]>
> Sent: Saturday, June 02, 2007 6:01 PM
> Subject: Re: [AlwaysLearning] hip-hop
>
>
>>I think it important to remind people that Little Boxes is "really"
>>Malvina
>> Reynolds. :-) :-)
>>
>> vicki
>>
>> On 6/2/07, Schuyler <s.waynforth@...> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>> I went to CDbaby.com and clicked on hiphop/rap. I listened briefly to
>>> Caveman Theory's song Cracker Box Living (maybe because of my childhood
>>> love
>>> of Pete Seeger's Little Boxes?).
>>>
>>
>>
>> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Yahoo! Groups Links
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>

Donna-Marie Cea-Dotson

Well my daughter is 8 and she listens to hiphop especially the Disney
hiphop as you have raven and several other of there are hip hop and
your cheetah girls and they usually have some good lirics and nothing
that is in appropriate for them to hear.

Donna

Vida

Thanks for the links but unfortunately where I live we don¹t have the luxury
of high speed internet access... takes forever to watch a video.... we still
have dialup and that stinks, but they¹re not bringing DSL to the island for
another few years :(

We¹ll have to go the Amazon.com route...

Vida





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Katy

Not all hip-hop is like that. I would start with Will Smith, his lyrics are always clean.
Katy

----- Original Message -----
From: Vida<mailto:vidamel@...>
To: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, June 02, 2007 4:35 AM
Subject: [AlwaysLearning] hip-hop


Hi everyone!

I need some views on hip-hop and 8 yo girls. My daughters want me to buy
some for them. I¹m thinking that¹s what I should do. They¹re not
interested in any particular group, they mostly want dance music (they love
the show ³so you think you can dance² ). Part of me wants to ³protect² them
from it.... gawd... even as I write this it feels so false and ridiculous.
I¹m thinking that the whole ³nasty hip-hop² theme is similar to gaming and
unlimited TV.... hmmm... I guess just placing the question on paper is
prompting all sorts of discussions in my mind. So with that I¹m guessing
that getting them what they want will at one point spark very interesting
conversations about misogyny, the use of swear words, perhaps a whole
digging into the hip-hop culture.....

perhaps true protection comes with knowledge and free choice.

Any views would be helpful though. Perhaps I¹m not seeing something I need
to be looking at.

Thanks for your time in advance!

Vida

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Vida

Katy,

thank you!! do you mean Will Smith actor??? My girls would love that!

I figured there was clean hip-hop as well as raunchy. I just didn¹t know
where to find it.

Vida
www.aegean-villas.com



On 6/2/07 9:26 PM, "Katy" <kjennings95@...> wrote:

>
>
>
>
> Not all hip-hop is like that. I would start with Will Smith, his lyrics are
> always clean.
> Katy
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Vida<mailto:vidamel@... <mailto:vidamel%40mac.com>
> <mailto:vidamel@... > >
> To: [email protected] <mailto:AlwaysLearning%40yahoogroups.com>
> <mailto:[email protected]
> <mailto:AlwaysLearning%40yahoogroups.com>
> <mailto:[email protected] > >
> Sent: Saturday, June 02, 2007 4:35 AM
> Subject: [AlwaysLearning] hip-hop
>
> Hi everyone!
>
> I need some views on hip-hop and 8 yo girls. My daughters want me to buy
> some for them. I¹m thinking that¹s what I should do. They¹re not
> interested in any particular group, they mostly want dance music (they love
> the show ³so you think you can dance² ). Part of me wants to ³protect² them
> from it.... gawd... even as I write this it feels so false and ridiculous.
> I¹m thinking that the whole ³nasty hip-hop² theme is similar to gaming and
> unlimited TV.... hmmm... I guess just placing the question on paper is
> prompting all sorts of discussions in my mind. So with that I¹m guessing
> that getting them what they want will at one point spark very interesting
> conversations about misogyny, the use of swear words, perhaps a whole
> digging into the hip-hop culture.....
>
> perhaps true protection comes with knowledge and free choice.
>
> Any views would be helpful though. Perhaps I¹m not seeing something I need
> to be looking at.
>
> Thanks for your time in advance!
>
> Vida
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Sandra Dodd

-=-But you and your girls could listen through
some of the songs over there and see which style of hiphop most appeals.
-=-

Another idea, instead of buying them, is maybe set up one of these:

http://sandradodd.com/history/songs

Holly found this through MySpace. You can click and sign up to get
and make your own.
I have another one on my MySpace page:
http://www.myspace.com/sandradodd

I just started playing with them yesterday.
http://www.projectplaylist.com/

Sandra

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Sandra Dodd

-=-I think it important to remind people that Little Boxes is
"really" Malvina
Reynolds. :-)-=-

Yes!
Who also wrote Morningtown Ride (lullaby famous variously, including
an old Sesame Street version.

There are the Sesame Street lyrics: http://members.tripod.com/
Tiny_Dancer/morning.html

(I didn't know the Seekers did this in the 60's. Something else for
me to find! )
Found it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZNWoAYYf_s&mode=related&search=

Sandra

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Katy

Yes the actor, he started out as a rapper, and has continued during his acting career. He did the main songs for both Men in Black movies and for Wild Wild West. In the beginning he was the Fresh Prince (and started acting doing The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, funny show if they like Will Smith, it is fun to see him as a much yournger guy) and he put out his first music as DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince. Some of his early music is pretty corny, but very kid friendly. One of his more popular songs back the was "Parents Just Don't Understand." Mainstream parenty, but funny for us to remember our parents! His newer stuff is good, I think.
My 11 year old listens to everything, from rap to rock. He listens to the harder stuff that probably isn't appropriate by most people's standards, but we talk a lot about the lyrics and the history and the artists themselves. One of our most recent discussions centered around Emenim and his relationship with his mother, and how bad parenting affects the kids even when they become adults.
Katy


----- Original Message -----
From: Vida<mailto:vidamel@...>
To: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, June 02, 2007 12:37 PM
Subject: Re: [AlwaysLearning] hip-hop


Katy,

thank you!! do you mean Will Smith actor??? My girls would love that!

I figured there was clean hip-hop as well as raunchy. I just didn¹t know
where to find it.

Vida
www.aegean-villas.com<http://www.aegean-villas.com/>


On 6/2/07 9:26 PM, "Katy" <kjennings95@...<mailto:kjennings95@...>> wrote:

>
>
>
>
> Not all hip-hop is like that. I would start with Will Smith, his lyrics are
> always clean.
> Katy
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Vida<mailto:vidamel@...<mailto:vidamel@...> <mailto:vidamel%40mac.com>
> <mailto:vidamel@...<mailto:vidamel@...> > >
> To: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> <mailto:AlwaysLearning%40yahoogroups.com>
> <mailto:[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>
> <mailto:AlwaysLearning%40yahoogroups.com>
> <mailto:[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> > >
> Sent: Saturday, June 02, 2007 4:35 AM
> Subject: [AlwaysLearning] hip-hop
>
> Hi everyone!
>
> I need some views on hip-hop and 8 yo girls. My daughters want me to buy
> some for them. I¹m thinking that¹s what I should do. They¹re not
> interested in any particular group, they mostly want dance music (they love
> the show ³so you think you can dance² ). Part of me wants to ³protect² them
> from it.... gawd... even as I write this it feels so false and ridiculous.
> I¹m thinking that the whole ³nasty hip-hop² theme is similar to gaming and
> unlimited TV.... hmmm... I guess just placing the question on paper is
> prompting all sorts of discussions in my mind. So with that I¹m guessing
> that getting them what they want will at one point spark very interesting
> conversations about misogyny, the use of swear words, perhaps a whole
> digging into the hip-hop culture.....
>
> perhaps true protection comes with knowledge and free choice.
>
> Any views would be helpful though. Perhaps I¹m not seeing something I need
> to be looking at.
>
> Thanks for your time in advance!
>
> Vida
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Gold Standard

>>I think it's important to make a distinction between corporate-driven
hip-hop (which does tend to be really offensive, cuz >>that's what the
record companies think will sell) and the many hip-hop artists out there who
rap with a social conscience. >>there are lots of them!<<

I was just typing a similar post when this came in. Not about
corporate-driven music, but about the meaning of this art form. What I find
interesting about Hip Hop is that it often seems an artistic response to
urban pain and suffering, and when I have really listened to the lyrics and
what the artist is saying, I have gained some tremendous insight to things
that I have had no real experience with. I think it can be the same for our
kids. Last week we were in the car and Andrew put a rap/hip-hop station on
the radio, and this piece came on with lots of tough talk, but within that
was the message that he felt useless, that his dad left when he was born and
his mom made him feel like "nothin'", and he just didn't see the point in
life. I know I was crying!!

It seems somewhat like a cultural thing to me, the language and talk of
violence and such...another way of life for some people. Not to say that
anyone who lives an urban life swears and is violent...not by a long shot.
But the reality is that there are some really rough parts of life, and some
really rough places to live, and singing or rapping or hip hopping about
that wouldn't look pretty if they're keeping it real. And I really
appreciate that.

Jacki

Gold Standard

Also, my daughter dances with a professional company.

She's been dancing since she was very little.

When hip hop came into the mix in dance years ago, we white middle-class
mommas were a little taken aback...

But in the end the same principles apply: trust, be open, discuss, listen
and allow freedom.

Hannah is turning 15 this month and is a pretty dang good hip hopper! But
she doesn't swear (too much) or show signs of violent behavior. And she
*gets* where it came from, and loves to act "bad ass" as she puts it...if
only for a dance or two. I would say hip hop has expanded her world.

Jacki

Kathleen Whitfield

I enjoy hip hop. Some of the time, you can get "radio versions" of songs,
which will be less profane. I second (or third) the recommendation for
"Radio Disney" hits, which will have fun, sanitized stuff. It's not my
favorite kind of hip-hop, but it can be a nice entry point.

A producer named Timbaland is pretty hot right now, and there are definitely
"radio versions" of songs he's produced.

Kathleen

jenstarc4

>
> There are the Sesame Street lyrics: http://members.tripod.com/
> Tiny_Dancer/morning.html


AND, Sesame Street has a hip hop cd of their own. I can't remember
what it's called, but they have all those musical guests and some are
hip hop or R&B artists who do Sesame Street renditions of their own
songs.

Bob Collier

--- In [email protected], "Katy" <kjennings95@...> wrote:
>
> > My 11 year old listens to everything, from rap to rock. He
listens to the harder stuff that probably isn't appropriate by most
people's standards, but we talk a lot about the lyrics and the
history and the artists themselves. One of our most recent
discussions centered around Emenim and his relationship with his
mother, and how bad parenting affects the kids even when they become
adults.
> Katy
>
>
>

Likewise with my son, who's also 11 and has had access to the songs
of Eminem and others since he was seven. He listens to pretty much
the same music as his ten years older sister. It's led to some very
interesting and positive conversations about the artists' lives and
attitudes and also about authenticity and the often sanitised
depiction of 'real life' in the media.

Bob

Vida

Mary,

Yes! this is most definitely helping! I also cuss like a sailor and so
it¹s not the swear words. I have been out of touch with music for so many
years that I just wasn¹t aware. Hardly knew what hip-hop was (but you could
ask me tons of questions on Greek music). So this is all very enlightening
and I feel so much more comfortable with it. I think I¹ll get a bunch of
different stuff and have it available and let them choose.

thanks again,
Vida





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Vida

A Big Thank you!!!!

Just finished reading the posts you all wrote and I wanted to thank you for
all your insights. What a wonderful place this is!!!

As soon as the girls wake up the hip-hop is going on the stereo and I¹m
dancin my house clean!

Vida


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Nancy Wooton

On Jun 2, 2007, at 9:37 PM, Vida wrote:

> Mary,
>
> Yes! this is most definitely helping! I also cuss like a sailor and
> so
> it’s not the swear words. I have been out of touch with music for so
> many
> years that I just wasn’t aware. Hardly knew what hip-hop was (but you
> could
> ask me tons of questions on Greek music). So this is all very
> enlightening
> and I feel so much more comfortable with it. I think I’ll get a bunch
> of
> different stuff and have it available and let them choose.
>
> thanks again,
> Vida
>

Vida, I wondered if hip-hop music, and the kind of dancing done to it,
is popular in Greece? Would your kids be subjected to other peoples'
opinions if they did it?

Nancy

Vida

Nancy,

Interesting question. Actually Greek hip-hop is taking off here as well and
the show So You Think You Can Dance is all Greek with all Greek dancers and
most of the dancing is hip-hop.

What they do get subjected to is our lifestyle. People freak because I let
them wear make-up and paint their nails. They only do it maybe 3 times per
year, but to the villagers it does seem to be a memorable occasion. People
here think we're "destroying" our girls by not sending them to school.
Unschooling here is as known and accepted as it was 40 years ago in the US.

We get lots of other peoples' opinions unsolicited.

Vida



>>
>
> Vida, I wondered if hip-hop music, and the kind of dancing done to it,
> is popular in Greece? Would your kids be subjected to other peoples'
> opinions if they did it?
>
> Nancy
>
>
>

Meghan Anderson-Coates

********Then I think about finding hip-hop that empowers women but isn¹t that like
sneaking spinach into brownies? Or am I going off the deep end??? I¹m not
asking anybody to answer for me, just stating what¹s going through my mind
as I try and clear the clutter away.

Vida**********


I don't see anything wrong with trying to seek out the best for your girls. That doesn't mean you have to forbid other rap music, but if socially conscience rap is available (and just as good, some of it better in some cases IMHO) then why not present it to them. They might prefer it as well. You won't know until you expose them to it. A lot of the rap of the 80's is much more socially aware and has less of the bump and grind element. A lot of it does have to do with drugs and appalling living conditions, but that could open up some interesting discussions.

Chuck D (formerly of Public Enemy) is a rapper with an environmental and political conscience. Although, he does swear a lot <g>.

Kanye West and Common also have positive messages.

Daara J is a rap group from Dakar in Senegal has a social conscience. Their album is called, "Global Hip Hop: Beats and Rhymes--The Nu World Culture". You'd probably find it in the world music section.

Afrika Bambaataa was one of the first rappers to put politics in his music (he sampled Dr Martin Luther King Jr and Malcom X in songs). He was around in the 80's. I don't know if he's done anything current.

It would also be worth checking out some of the female rap artists like Queen Latifah (most of her rap was from '88 to '98). I don't really know much about other female rap artists.

I would say, let this be an adventure and learning experience for all of you. Try it out, if something you listen to is offensive to you, tell your girls that and explain why it offends you. Again this could open doors to some amazing discussions and growth.

Have fun with it,

Meghan




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cyrusnmayasmama

We just watched a movie called "Rize" that chronicles the development
of a particular form of hip hop in east L.A. that was really
fascinating! The dancing was incredible. The stories were real and
the way that they showed how it all came to be in the context of
history was really well done. There was a particularly beautiful and
moving part that juxtaposed modern dancers with traditional tribal
dancers in various african cultures. We all enjoyed and recommend it.
- Alyse