Hip-hop for kids: one journalist's ideas for introducing young children to the music and culture--without the sex.(culture)

As a 35-year-old parent, I have seen many changes in rap music and hip-hop. When I first started listening, hip-hop was new and exciting. The music was intoxicating. Now as a father of a 7-year-old son and a 4-year-old daughter, I take a pro-active approach. I recognize the dangers of songs like "How Many Licks" by Lil' Kim, talking about men having "hurricane tongues." But I also see the beauty of Talib Kweli's "Africa Dream," where he warns young people to beware of stereotypes through these clever lines: "These cats drink champagne and toast to death and pain/Like slaves on a ship talking about who got the flyest chain."

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So here are the things I do with my kids to help them appreciate hip-hop.

1. Make sure the record came out before 1988. Arguably, the best rap came out between 1987 and 1993. But before 1988, there was hardly any cursing or violence. Most of the early rap was a lot about partying

and having a good time.

2. Play the old soul and funk records that are the roots of hip-hop. The first records DJs spun at hip-hop parties and the first records sampled by the early artists were the soul groups. James Brown, Lynn Collins and Bob James are some of the most sampled records ever in hip-hop.

3. Turn off the music video channel and play footage of B-boy battles instead of the dry-hump MTV action. What is commonly called "break dancing" in mainstream America is called "b-boying" or "b-girling." It is beautiful, athletic, fun to do and, most of all, there's no hyper-sexualization in the dance. You can find b-boy battle footage at tons of websites online, including www.b-boys.com and www.rocksteadycrew.com. An added bonus is that b-boy battles are all-age events where you can take your kids without fear of violence ...