Lets all worry about the music again

Growing up you only have access to the music your parents allow. I’ve heard countless arguments where parents try to say that the music their kids listen to influenced them to do something crazy, like smoke pot, have sex and be violent. You can’t blame a persons playlist for their actions. The problem is that parents let their children go insane (do whatever the hell they want to) and then when they try to take control back it doesn’t work so they blame it on the music. Of course we’re going to listen to music. Music is a way for us to express ourselves. We express what we feel through music, whether it’s writing it or listening to it. I believe that we choose the music that we listen to because it means something deeper to us than the song itself. One of my favorite songs is got yourself a gun by the rapper Nas. This is one my favorite songs because it reminds me of when I was growing up in NYC. In one of the Lyrics Nas says, “you got beef, I hope you got yourself a gun”. In this lines Nas is saying that if your have problems with him you better have a gun because he’s going to bring the heat. I would literally get into fights everyday while I was living my teen years in NYC, and I never once even thought about getting a gun to solve my problems. I really do believe that parents are the BIGGEST INFLUENCE in our lives. If parents believe that music can be a bigger influence then they are obviously leaving their parenting to music.


I understand that not everyone gets the same set of parents that go to church on Sunday and love their kids to death. Some parents are fucked up, some more than others. I’ve always thought fucked up parenting raises fucked up kids. I think the worse thing a parent can do is blame something their kids do on the media, it makes them look naïve, ignorant and not to mention an all-around bad parent. Everyone listens to music and they are free to make up their decisions on what type of music they like. Some may like a song for the rhythm, some for the lyrics, and some because others do. When we listen to a song we automatically try and make connections to what we are listening to, how are we the same? We relate music to the lives we live. What I’m saying is that we choose to listen to music that is like us, we are not trying to turn into the music we listen to. It is the parent’s responsibility to explain to their kids that not everything they see or hear on television or the radio is true.

People in the music industry are making songs about what they are seeing in society, what they are experiencing, and what they think sells. Can an artist really be held accountable for having a stronger connection to your child than you do? Is it reasonable to connect a kids behavior to someone he or she has most likely never met? In Eminem’s song, who knew, off of the Marshall Mathers LP Album, Eminem talks about how entertainers like him are being accused for the acts of other parents children. “Quit tryin to censor music, this is for your kid's amusement, But don't blame me when lil' Eric jumps off of the terrace you shoulda been watchin him. Apparently you ain't parents.’ This is my favorite line of the song because he is 100% correct. Everyone will be exposed to sex, drugs, and violence, after all this is life. Yet the parents job is to teach their kids right from wrong, and if their kids aren’t old enough yet then they should be monitoring their kids more.



The Beastie Boys, a rock/hip-hop group, released their album licensed to ill in 1986. This album contains the song fight for your right. The song talks about the average teenager standing up against their parent’s rules because they disagree. “Your pops caught you smoking and he said No way. That hypocrite smokes two packs a day. Man, living at home is such a drag, now your mom threw away your best porno mag.” The parents are trying to impose rules on their children that they themselves do not abide by. So in return the kids are tired of living home because of the bogus rules. Many parents believe that because they are the parent their children will listen to their every command. It is important for the parent to explain their reasoning to their children to help them mature. It is the parent’s responsibility to explain to their children that smoking cigarettes is not the worse thing that they can do, yet it is one of the hardest habits to quit. Maybe if the parents sat down and explained matters like these to their kids then the kids would not need to listen to music for advise.