Pop Music: Is It Only Entertainment?

This article from RapRehab.com is by far one of the best commentaries I’ve read on pop music and its influence on our daughters. The author and I share the same sentiments with good Ol' pop music (i.e Anita Baker, Whitney Houston, Gladys Knight, etc.) and my angst with the current crop of pop starlets (i.e Rihanna, Chris Brown, Nicki Minaj, etc.). We rant about pop music’s use of over-sexualized lyrics, self-hating labels on women, raunchy publicity stunts and the blatant hypocrisy of the music industry for turning a blind eye to its own and the callousness of the listening public to give these artists a pass and regard them as role models - all because "its only entertainment,"... yeah right!

The article hits the mark and concluded:

This fight against the oversexualization of our children, the acceptance of misogyny towards our women, and the degradation of our women in music and society as whole cannot be fought overnight. It takes each one of us stepping up and simply saying NO. No, I will not accept this bull that networks like BET and VH1 shove down our throats, urban radio has on repeat every 15 minutes, or magazines like XXL promote with the clear conscious that they’re poisoning your kids’ minds. You must refuse to allow the images portrayed in the media to set the standard for your children. You can’t guard everything they see and hear, but you can lead by example. Stop giving the media the power to influence and raise your kids—especially your daughters. NO, their only ambition in life does not have to be becoming the next Barbie or the baddest bitch. NO, physical and mental abuse is NEVER okay no matter how hard the beat is to the song. Tell them that they are queens, their body is a temple, and that their mind is a goldmine—rich and full of wisdom and power. No matter how much the media portrays artists like Nicki Minaj and Rihanna as the rule, your daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, or friend can be the exception.


Click here to read entire article.