Tweens Have a Feeling

Posted on: 08/5/09 11:48 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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I was checking out iTunes today– I always like to see what kids are watching and listening to. I noticed that the Black Eyed Peas song “I Gotta Feeling” was still the #1 most downloaded song, and its video is at #5. I’ve blogged about this song and video before. The song is very catchy. And like most of their songs, it doesn’t contain explicit lyrics, so it’s deemed “clean.”

Then there’s the video.

Sigh.

This is also deemed clean. If you didn’t catch my last blog about it… you might want to take a look at it. Your kids can see this music video on YouTube, AOL, iTunes… anywhere. After all, most computers that have some sort of “Net Nanny” or “Cyber Patrol” parental controls don’t block iTunes. (I use a monitoring software on my kid’s computer, but it allows iTunes) 

After looking at iTunes, I searched YouTube to see what kind of traffic the video was getting and I found this homemade video from two little girls.

I’m a little torn when I watch this. On one hand I see two cute little tween girls (they look about my youngest daughter’s age- somewhere between 10 and 12) who really seem like they are really having fun making a fun music video. It’s cute- swinging on swings, jumping on couches and doing gymnastics. But then you see them doing what the music video world has taught them well– imitating the party scene, and mouthing words like “Losing control” and “Take it off.”

I’m not freaking out… I’m not judging anyone. To me it’s just sad to see the loss of innocence. The contrast between two little girls playing on swings one moment, then holding up a Martini glass, tossing money in the air like a rapper… pretty intriguing. And if that contrast isn’t enough. Click from the innocent image of a child doing cartwheels on the grass to the original video where women in bikini tops grope and kiss each other. What are the odds that these two girls did NOT see this official Black Eyed Peas video? Would you want your 11-year-old seeing that video? Would you want her remaking that video?

Hmmmmm.

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Set Your Recorders…

Posted on: 05/29/09 1:54 PM | by Jonathan McKee

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I don’t tell you to set your DVR’s (and VCR’s) very often. But this Sunday night is one of those times I think it’s worth it.

Three times a year a show comes on TV that gives you a glimpse of the role models (or lack thereof) that your kids are watching and emulating. One of those shows is this Sunday’s MTV Movie Awards. (the other two shows are the MTV VMAs, and the Teen Choice Awards)

David wrote this week’s Youth Culture Window to give us a glimpse of what to expect this year from this “typically- racy” show. Here’s a glimpse at David’s… er… glimpse:    

The Golden Popcorn Crowd
A Glimpse of Our Kid’s Role Models from the 2009 MTV MOVIE AWARDS

An article from David R. Smith

If only we could choose our kids’ role models…

This Sunday night, we’ll get a pretty accurate glimpse of our teens’ role models. Andy Samberg. Lil Wayne. Eminem. Put the kids to bed…it’s time for the annual MTV Movie Awards.

The 2009 MTV Movie Awards
Broadcasting live from Los Angeles on May 31st at 9:00pm (EST), the MTV Movie Awards will bring in millions of young viewers from all across the country (and world). Teenagers will not only tune in to see the on-stage antics of A-List celebrities and the live performances of today’s biggest stars, but also to see who wins the Golden Popcorn…the “award” given to winners for categories such as “Best Kiss,” “Best Villain,” and “Best Movie,” to name a few.

With all the movie stars and music icons that will hit the stage this year, along with the fact that viewers actually get to select the winners, teenagers will have tons of reasons to watch this year. And that means you probably have a good reason to watch, as well.

Big Names…As Usual
MTV is bringing out the big guns this year. Andy Samberg, one of Gen Y’s favorite personas from Saturday Night Live, will be hosting the event. Samberg is the guy who brought us those wonderful toe-tappin’ tunes like “D–k in a Box” and “J–z in My Pants,” (which was one of the top music videos on iTunes when it was released), and the most recent digital short featuring Justin Timberlake which has the chorus, “We should f*** each other’s mother.”

But Samberg won’t be the only star on stage. He’ll be surrounded by other big names who’ll function as presenters throughout the evening. Lil Wayne (winner of Best Hip Hop video from 2008 VMA’s), Will Ferrell (Talladega Nights), Denzel Washington, Cameron Diaz, Ryan Reynolds, Vanessa Hudgens, Jonah Hill, Sandra Bullock, Dwayne Johnson (a.k.a. The Rock), and Channing Tatum (Star Trek) are just a few of the celebs that will grab the mic to pass out the popcorn…

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Katy Perry Does It Again

Posted on: 05/15/09 6:52 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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Last week Katy Perry made a guest appearance on American Idol, elevating yet another one of her songs to the top of the charts, Waking Up in Vegas. Not a bad marketing move for Perry. Most people that appear on Idol are on the charts days to follow. No exception here, as of today the song is #5 most downloaded song on iTunes and the #10 most downloaded video. (Monday morning update- now #2 downloaded song on iTunes)

Maybe it’s just me, but it seems that Idol‘s content this year has been a little less “family friendly.” Not the contestants… but the guest stars. Just a few weeks ago Jamie Foxx sang the song, Blame It (you decide what you think of the lyrics). This week, Katy did her thing. Sure… these songs meet the standards of what is “acceptable” for T.V… but parents should probably make the decision of what is really acceptable for their kids’ ears.

Katy’s song started with these lyrics…

You gotta help me out
It’s all a blur last night
We need a taxi ’cause you’re
Hung over and I’m broke

I lost my fake ID
But you lost the motel key
Spare me your freaking
Dirty looks now don’t blame me

You wanna cash out
And get the hell outta town
Don’t be a baby
Remember what you told me

Shut up and put your money where your mouth is
That’s what you get for waking up in Vegas…

Nice. Huh?

Katy’s background is interesting, a flop as a Christian singer who adjusted her content to go mainstream. I blogged about her before when her I Kissed a Girl song first came out (and received heated responses from internet readers), she’s definitely one to keep your eyes on. Her journey as a young artist is reminding me of Madonna’s legacy– creative, controversial, and sexual… just what young people want to hear.

It would be nice to think that our kids are not hearing this music outside of our houses… but, think again. My son came home from school yesterday and announced, “Guess what song they (the school) were playing at lunch today. If You Seek Amy.” (If you’re not familiar with that song… you’ll want to read this article)  The song wasn’t edited. The school plays songs as long as they aren’t “explicit.” (and that song only ‘spells’ the F word… it doesn’t say it. Nice!) This isn’t my first experience with this kind of music slipping under the radar at my kids’ schools.

So how should we respond?

Unfortunately, a letter to your congressman will probably do very little. But David offers parents and youth workers some advice at the bottom of our past Youth Culture Window article on the subject– check it out for more about the lyrics our kids hear, how the lyrics affect them, and how we should respond.

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Adam in the Bottom Two?

Posted on: 04/30/09 5:30 PM | by Jonathan McKee

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Okay… I admit it. I watch American Idol (me and half the nation).

I guess I could admit to worse. I really enjoy the singing, I enjoy getting to know most of the top 10, I enjoy hearing Simon’s criticism (which is usually right on)… but I hate the “reality TV” drama! (i.e. Ryan playing mind-games with the contestants as he’s announcing the bottom three).

This year my prediction has been Adam or Danny as the winner, with Chris as number three.

I’ve correctly predicted who would leave the last 5 weeks, including last night, predicting that Allison will go next week (sad, she’s really good). But last night I was a little scared when Adam made the bottom three. I actually started having a Daughtry flashback when Adam was in the bottom two. (Interesting… some think that Adam was NOT actually the second lowest and that the whole thing is a PR scam)

This year the top 10 have probably impressed me more than any year past. Last night I literally thought, “None of these 5 deserve to be voted off.”

We’ll see what happens!

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You Can Have Whatever You Like… in Prison!

Posted on: 03/30/09 10:42 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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I can hear the rap song playing right now: “You can have whatever you like.”

Sorry T.I., I guess that doesn’t include guns. On Friday the young grammy winning rapper was just sentenced on gun charges.

Yes, on October 13, 2007, rapper T.I. was arrested by federal agents for having his bodyguard buy machine guns and silencers for him. Unfortunately for him, his 1998 crack cocaine conviction made it illegal for him to own guns.

Aw. Poor little T.I.

Rapper T.I. caught the attention of our young people last year with hits like “Whatever You Like” and “Live Your Life.” These songs, deemed clean by the world’s standards, got plenty of radio play, riding the top of the charts for weeks. The “clean versions” edited out lyrics like, “… late night sex, so wet, it’s so tight,” only leaving the clear message of materialism ringing in our kids ears. The music video shows him draping furs and diamonds on a girl, singing, “You can have whatever you like.”

Maybe T.I. wasn’t just selling woof tickets with those lyrics. Because he got a 20 year sentence reduced to just one year.

Maybe the judge liked his song???

Yahoo news reports:

ATLANTA (Reuters) – Grammy-winning rapper T.I. was sentenced to a year and a day in prison on Friday for illegally possessing machine guns and silencers, as prosecutors lauded his anti-violence advocacy since his arrest.

T.I., whose real name is Clifford Harris, originally faced up to 20 years in prison and the effective end of his career but performing community service as part of his plea agreement with prosecutors reduced his sentence.

T.I., 28, who was sentenced at a federal court in Atlanta, toured the United States in recent months speaking to tens of thousands of young people about the dangers of drugs and gangs, as he completed more than 1,000 hours of community service.

His anti-crime advocacy has been chronicled on cable channel MTV’s reality show “T.I.’s Road to Redemption.” He posted $3 million bail after his arrest.

The Atlanta-born rapper, whose hit songs include “Whatever You Like” and “Live Your Life,” could have his one year and one day sentence further reduced by 15 percent with good behavior.

Isn’t it nice to know that T. I. is doing school assemblies?

Hmmmmmmm.

(ht to YCW guru David for the article)

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Online Obstacles

Posted on: 03/26/09 8:37 PM | by Jonathan McKee

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I just got off the phone with David talking about next week’s article for our Youth Culture Window page (it will be on our site Sunday). The article is about what kids are doing online and their “online integrity” compared to “real life” integrity. Fascinating stuff.

Meanwhile, I’m putting my final touches on my parenting seminar I’ll be teaching in New Jersey on Saturday morning. In this particular seminar, Parenting the Texting Generation, I always include a lot of current information about youth culture, attitudes and trends. It’s been a few weeks since I’ve looked at iTunes, Billboard, MTV.com, etc. It’s amazing… these sites never cease to amaze me. I found myself dropping my jaw several times looking at the “most downloaded” and “most popular artists” that this generation is filling their heads with.

Check out iTunes Top 10 Downloaded Songs today:

(Does anyone wanna try tell me that Hip-hop isn’t dominating the charts?) If you want a real treat, go to iTunes and click on each of those songs and give them a listen. Or jump onto a lyrics site (just Google “Lil Wayne Hot Revolver Lyrics”) and check out the words.

And iTunes Top 10 Music Videos today:

This list includes even more sexually explicit words and images (note that “J**z In My Pants” is still on the list, along with “If U Seek Amy“).

Two of my three kids have iPods and can access iTunes on our family computer. I monitor what they download and we talk about music frequently. I’m just saddened by how difficult it’s getting to dodge the filth that’s being thrown at our kids. I don’t want to raise my kids in a shoebox… but there’s times I feel like yanking that cord out of the wall!

Well… back to my studies. I’ve gotta finish my presentation about not over-reacting and yanking the plug out of the wall, but teaching values and discernment so that our kids can be like Daniel, resolving on their own not to defile themselves as they encounter the outside world someday.

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Jonas Brothers Talk Hip Hop

Posted on: 03/4/09 11:41 PM | by Jonathan McKee

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MTV news seemed to mock the idea, but I don’t think it’s giving the Jonas Bros any credit. Look at the situation in context:

The article is titled, “Jonas Brothers Go Hip-Hop?”  Okay.. it does sound a little funny. But don’t worry. They aren’t doing a Jaoquin Phoenix. The article reports that the brothers simply have one song that might benefit from the influence of a hip hop artist like Common or Mos Def.

Featuring a Hip-Hop artist isn’t exactly a stupid marketing move in today’s culture. I actually recommended the same thing to several Christian bands in the last year. (Think about it. It happens all the time in the secular world. Consider last year’s number seven most downloaded song by OneRepublic AND Timbaland: “Apologize.” Or the number 10 song where Madonna joined Justin Timberlake and… again… Timbaland for “Four Minutes”)

It’s hard to deny Hip-Hop’s popularity.

The only question is… could they bring in someone clean? That will be the hard part.

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In the Midst of Trials… You Found Me

Posted on: 02/25/09 10:03 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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If you listen to secular radio, you probably are familiar with the popular new song from The Fray, You Found Me.

The Fray is an interesting band. Songs of their songs like How to Save a Life have not only been huge hits, but they ask big questions. The band’s frontman Isaac Slade claims to be a Christian (I say “claims” because we’ve all heard Kanye West, Beyonce, Usher, etc. make the same claim. Sadly many celebs claim it in word, but not in action). The Fray’s albums are not only intelligent and catchy, they are clean. Wow. The whole package! I just purchased their newest album on iTunes and have been listening to it on my iPod.

Their song You Found Me asks a question many have asked: Where can we find God in the midst of trials and tragedies?

I liked the song so much, I decided that we needed to write a MUSIC DISCUSSION STARTER with it on our web site. My buddy Lane Palmer wrote it up for us, using a passage from Job and including small group questions. It’s a great write up. I encourage you to check it out.

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Back in Cali

Posted on: 02/23/09 12:58 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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Well… it’s just past midnight here in Cali, which means that it’s 3-something in PA. Luckily, I don’t think my body ever switched to East Coast time. I just got done with my 13 hour journey home (including layovers and drive time). My weekend speaking went well… a couple quick things to share, then I’m OFF TO BED!

First… by God’s grace a dozen kids accepted Christ. I’m always jazzed when kids put their trust in Him. This was a much smaller camp that I was speaking at, but I’m excited when just one kid makes a decision for Christ.

It was cool hearing the different leaders tell me the stories of the kids that made decisions. One of the groups had four girls stand up and make a decision. Three of them were first time decisions. The other girl said that she had only been believing in “word,” not in “action.” (Hey… she listened! Cool!) She made a commitment to make some changes and get rid of some “junk” in her life.

So praise God for those kids.

Secondly, I want to brag on a band for a moment. This is my fourth time working with this band. They are an East Coast band. Not only are they talented musically, they are humble and team players. That’s huge for me.

I spoke another camp recently where the band was VERY talented… great musicians… but they were loose cannons. They didn’t listen to a word that the camp director or I said. (Funny, when a band leader asks me, “What can I do to make the transition to you smooth?” I assume that he really wants to know! 🙂  Funny… this guy asked me the question, pretended to listen, and then did exactly what the heck he wanted!)

The band I worked with this weekend was a joy to work with. They are called Saline and here’s their web site: www.SalineMusic.com

I’m tired. I’m going to bed!

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Hip Hop Livin’ Large

Posted on: 02/17/09 10:39 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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Eminem, Kanye West, T-Pain, Beyonce, Flo Rida, T.I., Lil Wayne… these artist all know what #1 tastes like, and they all continue to dominate the top of the charts.

In my youth culture section of my seminars some youth workers seem surprised when I report the fact that Hip Hop and R&B are the most popular music choice of today’s generation over all. In my Getting Students to Show Up book, I revealed the results of a 2005 Kaiser study (among 7th to 12th graders who listen to recorded music in a typical day) where Hip Hop/Rap was not only the #1 music category (65 %), but it attracted more than twice the number of the second place category, Alternative rock (32 percent)(Kaiser report, page 29).

I was looking at the music charts today and we still see that trend, despite the speckles of rock and alternative that have maintained a strong second (with country hanging in there, thanks especially to youngins like Taylor Swift who often have a song in the top 10).

Today the #1 downloaded iTunes song is from Flo Rida, the rapper who had the number one dowloaded song of last year, also Billboard’s Hot 100 #1 song of last year. His new #1 song is Right Round (with a chorus that many of us who grew up in the 80’s will recognize).

Seven of the ten top 10 songs on iTunes right now would be in the Hip Hop/rap/R&B category.

Billboard’s Top 100 tells a similar story, with Eminem, Dr. Dre & 50 Cent riding #1 with their explicit song Crack a Bottle (#2 on iTunes right now). Sadly, when kids go to download this one on iTunes they’ll be downloading not only curse words, but the typical foul raunch that Eminem usually offers (along with some of the greatest beats ever made- thank you Dr. Dre. If we could only get this guy to lay down some beats for some clean music).

Billboard’s Hot 100 only has five of their top 10 songs in the in the Hip Hop/rap/R&B category (granted, it’s the #1, 2, 3, 5 and 9 slot), with the other five divided from different genres, from pop (Kelly Clarkson’s My Life Would Suck Without You), Alternative (The All-American Rejects’ song Gives You Hell), Country’s Taylor Swift, as well as the very melodic sound of Jason Mraz and The Fray.

A click at Billboard’s entire Hot 100 list reveals a majority of the top 11-50 in the in the Hip Hop/rap/R&B category.

The grammys gave us a glimpse of this, with Lil Wayne not only nominated for the most awards, but taking home four awards for his “art.” (sigh)

A lot of us might be concerned about the explicit and highly sexualized content in most of Hip Hop/rap/R&B music (we’ve talked about this in past Youth Culture Window articles). I agree. But that doesn’t mean denying the facts. I’ve literally had youth workers angry at me for reporting these facts. “My kids listen to rock! I don’t care what those stats say!”

Sigh.

Yes, classic rock is definitely coming back thanks to the number one video game at the moment, Guitar Hero. But rock, alternative and country are still just riding the coat tails of the hip hop industry. Like it or not… the genre is still dominating.

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