On Tuesday there was a hearing in Congress of the House Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Protection. They met with David Banner, Master P, and several prominent African American Studies professors and commentators. They discussed the ol' story: rap music, lyrics and videos.

Are they discussing current culture anymore? ...

-We could look at the singles and albums charts and find a few rappers who still rely on negative imagery in their lyrics. But one of today's hottest and most toddler-ready rap videos, "Crank That (Soulja Boy)", is a mix of misogynistic lyrics with what is the current zeitgeist: as Doug noted, goofy dances and nursery rhyme raps.

-Where is hyper-masculinity? It's currently, as with "Crank That" and "A Bay Bay," spouting childish rhymes. Even the king of hyper-masculinity, 50 Cent, is starting to look less like 90's-era Dr. Dre and more like T.I., whose latest album is a struggle between being a street-loving thug and a white-collar businessman.

-Where are the "bitches" and "ho"'s? They're no longer backing that thang up as much, as Juvenile once enjoyed. Today they're more likely to learn a dance like how to "pop, lock, and drop it" - in tasteful clothes. And they're learning how to wear their lip gloss.

Final thought: Is rap music becoming increasingly kid-appropriate? I remember learning fun dances when I was 9 or 10. So is this onslaught of silly dances (most of which my adult ears can't stand, and most of which is actually aimed at kids/teens) a sign that rap music is actually more kid- and parent-friendly than ever before?

I think it is a business decision. Junior high kids will actually BUY the CD where as older teens and college students will, um, find the music another way. Rap (like most genres of music) is aiming younger because that is where the money is.

I posted on this marketplace movement last year and it is even more true today.