Hip-Hop Fridays: Akon Says 'Hip-Hop Doesn't Need Offensive Words'

R+B singer Akon has echoed music mogul Russell Simmons' call for hip-hop to be censored for broadcast, declaring the urban scene is "talented enough to write lyrics" without curse words.

Simmons believes recording and broadcasting authorities shoulder censor the words n**ger, bitches and 'hos from hip-hop, which has caused controversy within the urban music industry.

Akon agrees the words are negative and there's no need for their placing in hit songs.

He says, "I think words like that are not necessarily needed in the song to make it a hit.

"Me personally, I would have no problem getting rid of it, words on any record for anybody, I think we are talented enough to write lyrics for songs without using that type of language. I think it's a good thing for the positivity of hip-hop in general.

"And at the same time, I look at it like, words in general, stuff like that, words are only what you make it. At the end of the day, it's just a word - it wouldn't mean anything if we didn't react on it, so it's more of a mindstate, people just have to be willing to change."


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Friday, July 27, 2007