I love Hip-Hop.  It has framed my life as it has and does for so many.  I was cutting class in high school and The Notorious B.I.G. walked into the pizza shop where I had stopped to grab a bite.  His red Land Cruiser gleaming in the bright Brooklyn sun.  I’ll never forget that moment because when he walked in I was listening to “Ready to Die” on a walkman.

Jay-Z walked into a movie theater where me and my dudes were catching a flick.  He was with this gorgeous girl and was looking for a seat.  He didn’t stay long because people started harassing him.  We just hoped he’d sit next to us.  In My Lifetime Vol. 1 had just dropped.  We almost crapped ourselves. 

I was a fan of Big and Jay long before they were legends.  And I still am.  Nas is my all-time favorite though.

I want to share hip hop with my son.  Edited, radio ready hip-hop.  I know I can’t play “Illmatic” for a three year old, but I should be able to listen to the regular radio with him in the car.  But it is becoming increasingly difficult to do that.  Since the FCC has not crackd down on the “B” word or “ass,” I can’t seem to turn on the radio without hearing the two in heavy rotation.  Why do I have to be called a “B” by a DJ?  I don’t think that it’s a very nice greeting.  Why can’t I listen to the radio anymore without being cursed out?

I wish hip-hop radio would tone it down so that the future generation of fans don’t have to feel like they have to be vulgar to be cool.  I already stopped listening to morning shows on the radio for the sake of my son’s vocabulary.  Please don’t make me turn off the radio for the rest of the day, or worse – go to pop music radio.  NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!Â