Hope I didn’t miss a thread already…
Need a list of Rap songs with “acceptable” lyrics for FIRST-type events.
Suggestions?
I doubt to the highest degree you will find any popular rap songs devoid of problematic lyrics or implied sexual/criminal themes, in fact the only ones I would imagine that don’t have those would be gag ones, like raps concerning computers, religion, ect.
Search for lyrics of the “radio edit” versions of popular rap songs.
Hey, what’s so bad about nerdcore? (Yes, that is an actual subgenre of hip-hop.)
I found this thread with some options, although I have to question some of those songs (including Beastie Boys’ “Fight For Your Right To Party”–read the lyrics sometime–and DMX’s “Party Up”, whose lyrics are past the line for a FIRST event, even when edited). Any way you slice it, someone’s going to have to put 'em all on the iPod (or Walkman, if you’re old-school) and give them a listen before using them.
Paging through my collection, a few that come to mind:
-Virtually any Will Smith (try “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It” and “Miami” from Big Willie Style–avoid Willennium at all costs)
-Black Eyed Peas, on occasion (suggested: “Let’s Get It Started” from Elephunk–note that the original edit was called “Let’s Get Retarded”, so check the label)
-Any Linkin Park (but listen first on Reanimation–it doesn’t have a PA sticker, but I know there’s a few choice words on there).
If I think of more, I’ll edit.
Public Enemy- Bring Tha Noise.
Almost everything by Will Smith
Mama Said Knock You Out by LL Cool J
Rap songs with acceptable lyrics… Isn’t that some sort of oxymoron? 
Anyways, if you look in the official FIRST event music playlist, you can see a list of some rap songs that are allowed at FIRST events. You will definitely want to search for the “Radio Edit” or “clean” versions of these songs, as they will be more FIRST appropiate. Here are some of the rap / hip-hop songs from the FIRST playlist:
50 Cent - Disco Inferno
50 Cent - In Da Club (Radio Edit)
50 Cent - Wanksta (Radio Edit)
Ashanti - Happy Feat
Ashanti - Rock Wit U (Aww Baby)
Ashanti - Wonderful Feat
Ashanti - Foolish Clean Feat (Murda Inc.)
Baha Men - Who Let the Dogs Out
Beastie Boys - (You Gotta) Fight for your to party
Beastie Boys - Brass Monkey
Beastie Boys - Ch-Check It Out
Beyonce - Me, Myself Aand I
Beyonce - Check on it
Black Eyed Peas - Don’t Phunk With My Heart
Black Eyed Peas - Let’s Get it Started (Spike Mix)
Black Eyed Peas - My Humps
Black Eyed Peas - Hey Mama
Black Eyed Peas - Where is the love?
Ciara - Goodies
Ciara - Oh
Ciara - One Two Step
Destiny’s Child - Independent Women
Destiny’s Child - Soldier
Destiny’s Child - Jumpin Jumpin
Destiny’s Child - Survivor
Destiny’s Child - Bootylicious
Eminem - Lose Yourself (Edited)
Eminem - Sing for the Moment
Eve - Let Me Blow Your Mind
Gorillaz - Feel Good Inc.
Gwen Stefari - Hollaback Girl (Clean)
Gwen Stefari - Rich Girl
Ja Rule - Living it Up (Edited)
Jay Z and Linkin Park - Numb / Encore
Juelz Santana - Here It Go (The Whistle Song) (Edited)
Kid Rock - Bawitaba
Ludacris - Stand Up
Mariah Carey - You’ll Always Be My Baby
Mariah Carey - Don’t Forgot About Us
Mariah Carey - It’s Like That
Mariah Carey - Hero
Mary J Blige - Family Affair (Edited)
Missy Elliott - Lose Control
Missy Elliott - Work It
Missy Elliott - Aall N My Grill
Missy Elliott - Hot Boyz
Missy Elliott - Sock It 2 Me
Missy Elliott - The Rain (Supa Supe Fly)
Missy Elliott - She’s a @#@#@#@#$@# (Clean Version) [ChiefDelphi censured the five letter B-word…]
Nelly - Dilemma
Nelly - Number 1 (Edited)
Nelly - Hot In Herre (Edited)
Nelly - E.I. (Clean)
Outkast - The Way Your Move Featuring Sleepy Brown
Outkast - Hey Ya
R Kelly - Ignition (Remix)
Reel 2 Reel - I Like To Move It
Snoop Dogg - What’s My Name
Usher - Burn (Radio Mix)
Usher - Caught Up
Usher - My Boo
Usher - Nice and Slow (Remix)
Usher Feat Ludacris & Lil’ Jon - Yeah
Vanilla Ice - Ice Ice Baby
Will Smith - Switch
Will Smith - Miami
I’m not a rap fan in anyway, how ever I have two songs that are just tooo good to not mention, on top of being a good song, they are clean too!
** U Can’t Touch This - M.C. Hammer
Push it - Salt 'n Peppa** (who can’t listen to this song and not think of someone breaking out their dance moves)
There is some discussion that some of these songs are not appropriate so I was casting the net again. “Who let the dogs out” is considered rap? Boy am I confused.
Billfred, I forgot what a great resource you are. For those of you who are not aware, Billfred assembled something like 200 hours of “free” music for me last summer. Now it was mostly French techno-pop but … 
I thought Who Let The Dogs Out was classic? 
<memo to self: don’t let Jenny know that it was closer to 12 hours>
Also, you might want to look into RJD2’s Since We Last Spoke. It’s borderline electronica, but WUSC classifies it as hip-hop. The whole album is worth buying, and there’s a few gems inside that I could stand to see (err, hear) at a FIRST event. (Try the title track, “1976,” and “Iced Lightning” for starters.)
Rap, Dance, Hip Hop, Regea… it’s all joined together.
There is no such word as a Genre anymore.
It’s mostly clean except for the sexual inuendo’s in that song (and a heck of a lot on Art’s “acceptable FIRST music” list too),
And, as for Who Let The Dogs Out, don’t play it backwards if ya don’t wanna hear the F bomb a few times!
I don’t really agree with most of the songs on that list either, but the powers that be must think they’re acceptable (or at least they did at some point). I still stick by my previous advice.
Actually the powers that be don’t think they are acceptable and there were quite a few complaints this year, thus the reason for this thread. I would hate to see rap/hiphop/whatever thrown out because of a perception. I’m a product of the 60’s and react accordingly. Personally, the closest to rap that my tastes run are Jason Mraz, and I have an entire portion of my brain filled with song lyrics from the 60’s and 70’s which causes me to not have room for important stuff like motors, pneumatics, electrical system and green lights…
Billfred-I see I misplaced a zero. Now back to that French techno…You owe me 8 more hours of music.
Elgin-back in my day, it was easy to play songs backwards because of the thing we were playing them on. I spent many formidable hours doing this with the “White Album”. How does one now play a song backwards?
Digital sound editing software does wonders. No unsteady pattern, just a nice smooth perfect 1-1 reverse sound of what you would hear if you had a really steady hand on a record to turn it backwards at a perfect rotational pace.
It’s fun! 
One of the kids on my team does it to random songs, and we have found some weird stuff.
There is plenty of rap and hip hop that has a positive, engaging message that most people will immediately dismiss because of its language.
From my own music:
Beastie Boys - Triple Trouble – This is old school and so the language is pretty clean, though the rap is about, well, rapping.
Fatboy Slim - That Old Pairs of Jeans – It’s a mix between “rap” and dance and is also pretty clean. It’s brand-spankin’ new, though, so I’m not too familiar with it.
Jurassic 5 - What’s Golden? – Much of Jurassic 5 is old-school-inspired sorts of rap that has a pretty positive message, all things considered. There’s ‘improper’ language once in a while, but it’s not bad, generally. If there’re are radio edit versions of these songs, you’d still be able to discern what they’re saying – a small miracle.
Rehab - So Dizzy – This is from the movie, “The New Guy” and is generally pretty easy on the ears. It simples “Dizzy” by Tommy Roe, so really, how bad could it possibly be?
Talib Kweli - Get By – This is a fantastically positive song and there’s a clean version (which I have, apparently) that leaves the message intact. “The TV got us reachin’ for parts; not the ones between Venus and Mars, the ones that be readin’ for parts.”
Wyclef Jean - Oh, What A Night – Samples Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons’ ‘December, 1963’ and is as nonoffensive as they come. It’s a bit slow, though.
Wyclef Jean - We Just Trying to Stay Alive – Samples “Stayin’ Alive” and is a nice dance song, says I.
Wyclef Jean - Another One Bites the Dust – Another Wyclef sample-fest. This is fun.
Wyclef Jean - Pharaohe Monch Dub Plate – Kenny Rogers’ ‘The Gambler,’ Wyclef-style.
Latyrx - Lady Don’t Tek No – This is probably pushing it a bit because I don’t think you’ll ever find this song, let alone a clean version of it. It’s an amazing song and represents the best of rap by far. Amazing.
Missy Elliott - We Run This (Stick It Edit) – There are a few edits of this song. This is my favorite. It’s good, fun party music. Missy Elliott’s bigger hits are all pretty saccharine.
Run-DMC - It’s Tricky – Run-DMC predate ‘gangsta rap’ and so it’s all clean, good stuff.
Sugarhill Gang - Rapper’s Delight – This is my karaoke masterpiece, so I’d be remiss to go further without mentioning it. Everyone knows this song.
Grandmaster Flash - The Message – So good and very old-school, so it’s squeaky clean, too.
Ini Kamoze - Here Homes the Hotstepper – This was popular at the roller rink. It’s pretty ineffectual at being anything other than bubble-gum hip-hop.
Tupac - Changes – If you can find a clean version, there’s a great message here as well.
Vanilla Ice - Ice, Ice Baby – This has loads of kitsch factor. Others may groan, but only because they’re bitter.
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince - Parents Just Don’t Understand – Bubblegum rap is defined by this single piece of music.
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince - He’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper – Technical prowess, but maybe not everyone’s taste.
Will Smith - Men in Black – Will Smith, all grown up and as sweet as ever.
Will Smith - Wild, Wild West – See above.
For what it’s worth, whoever assembled the list of music acceptable for FIRST events doesn’t really seem to know what they’re talking about. The list is absurd, out of touch, out of date and is probably an effort best made by an actual DJ.
I agree. It seems sort of random and none too clean. For example, Follow Me by Uncle Kracker may not have lots of foul language, but it certainly doesn’t seem like a FIRSTish song. And, although I may like Rob Zombie, I realize that his songs are not really FIRST appropriate. Some of the songs seem alright, but I don’t see how they can have Aerosmith songs and not have Dream On.
One song that comes to mind, that hasn’t been mention yet is “Ride Wit Me” by Nelly.
There’s always the substitution of Who Let The Frog Out by the Crazy Frog - I’d doubt that you would be able to get anything out of that if you played it backwards. :rolleyes: rolls eyes
Ice Ice Baby - Vanilla ice (only if you are truly despret)
There is a concerted effort to revamp the song list and RoboMom is trying to help the cause for **not ** eliminating rap alltogether, since in many cases it does appeal to students and the energy of an event.
Songs that have a radio edit or radio “clean” versions are not necessarily considered “clean” by the powers that be, or even general public. Many of those songs just mute the word, and that doesn’t really make it clean. There are plenty of songs with no language but a lot of inuendos… again, not “appropriate”.
So, continue suggestions - try to avoid giving radio edit versions of songs, cuz if it needs a radio edit, it may not really be all that acceptable to begin with.
Repeated for emphasis. Consider the second half of the second verse of Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby” for example (source):
Girls were hot wearing less than bikinis
Rockman lovers driving Lamborghinis
Jealous 'cause I’m out getting mine
Shay with a guage and Vanilla with a nine
Reading for the chumps on the wall
The chumps acting ill because they’re so full of eight balls
Gunshots rang out like a bell
I grabbed my nine all I heard were shells
Falling on the concrete real fast
Jumped in my car slammed on the gas
Bumpet to bumper the avenue’s packed
I’m trying to get away before the jackers jack
Police on the scene you know what I mean
They passed me up confronted all the dope fiends
If there was a problem yo I’ll solve it
Check out the hook while my DJ revolves it
As a DJ, there’s only one way to be absolutely sure it’s clean enough to air under your watch: listen to that edit of that song the whole way through.