My Nephew is a handful, he’s currently attending a special needs school 3 days a week, he’s been diagnosed with severe ADHD. He is very bright if you can keep his intrest long enough and picks things up really fast. I taught him how to service his bike, draw and were building a bird table, he likes hands on things like that. He’s going to MMA classes to control his temper and he’s improving lots, which is good as he is a big strong lad for a 9 year old.

He is into rap music and makes up his own rhymes, he’s good at it and has been on local radio and won some talent shows. I’m looking to burn some cd’s to slowly replace the gangsta rap he keeps getting his hands on. Im looking for suggestions by ‘proper’ rappers old or new that are non sweary, I’ve got a few radio edits and things downloaded but I’d like more.

If anyone has any suggestions please post them, names and titles rather than YouTube links please.

Thankyou 🙂

Ugly Duckling!

NWA

Beastie Boys, not very sweary but still good.

Dilated people,
Jurassic 5,
Run DMC,
maybe go a little spoken word (with hip hop beats) and try Sage Francis and dan le sac V’s Scroobius pip?

Also, crazy as it sounds, email tim westwood from radio 1, he has a reputation for being a “good guy” and often helps out with local projects and “good things” without attaching his name to stuff and turning into a PR opportunity. He’ll certainly know some good tunes!

Dream Warriors FTW

+1 Ugly Duckling

Jurassic 5 are quite old school and fairly clean I think* – check out early tracks like Concrete Schoolyard for starters.

*Disclaimer – once you’re old enough not to smirk every time you hear a rude word, you tend not to notice them so much, but even so it’s definitely not NWA level swearing.

+3 Jurassic 5

DJ Format/MC Abdominal

yep – Beastie Boys (2nd album onwards) and Public Enemy are “safe” around kids- although PE use the N word from time to time, which might need explaining and contextualising

DJ Format ft Abdominal
Ugly Duckling
Jurassic 5
K’naan
De La Soul
The Nextmen Ft Dynamite MC
Roots Manuva (mostly)
Def Tex
MC Solaar
Q Tip (mostly)
Aspects
Jungle Brothers
Eric B & Rakim
Showbiz & AG
Braintax
Kano
Mr B The Gentleman Rhymer
Public Enemy
Beastie Boys
Run DMC
Arrested Development
Latryx / Lyrics Born
The Herbaliser
Marcus Explains
Ozomatli
Quannum project
2 Hungry Bros – My Crew all thinner (not PG but very very good & not gangsta)

Not 100% if everything they’ve ever done is 100% safe BUT they’re all far from Gangsta (& very very good)

+1 Beastie Boys, they’re my favourite rap artists.

Scroobius Pip – excellent lyricist, plus no guns, bitches and bling type stuff..

Will Smith don’t gotta cuss in his raps to sell his records;
well I do, so **** him and **** you too

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQjDSlVyGiU&feature=related[/video]

Whilst De La Soul are very good, it’s worth noting that the album “3 Feet High & Rising” contains a song called “De La Orgee” which isn’t suitable for a 9 year old. There’s some good stuff listed above though.

check out Brother Ali.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooarT3cn8_o[/video]

Sweatshop Union, quite humourous to boot.

Tricky one, cause all the artists I can think of have *some* swearing and stuff, even if it’s not full of it, NWA style.

Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Common, De La (as said above, avoid De La Orgee), maybe some Pharcyde? Q-Tip, Beasties, Slick Rick, possibly The Cool Kids?

Some of those may be unsuitable too to be honest, but might be worth having a listen to see.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rx5aVI2zsFE[/video]

Pharoahe monche. Awesome rapper. One of the lyrical poets.

Thankyou!! Lots to go on. I’m sure with this list we can find something suitable.

another recommend for Ugly Duckling, just get the album – journey to anywhere. New album – Moving at breakneck speed is pretty good too.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hZR1Ye6xg0[/video]