If you are a parent/if you were a parent would you let your child listen to Eminem?

[whynotchris]

No age restriction, no swear filter. For the sake of the poll let's say age 5-15? Is that fair?

[Independent voter]

Five is too young but maybe I would at fifteen. I'd have to talk it over with the wife.

[Everwake]

Yes, and I would listen to him with my child, that way we could discuss the lyrics afterward.

[whynotchris]

Five is too young but maybe I would at fifteen. I'd have to talk it over with the wife.

respectable stance. If they're in public school, they'll know it much sooner. Would that bother you?

[Doctor Amadeus]

Being someone who listened to Eminem, NWA going all the way back to Public Enemy, Run DMC, NO!

However being kids they may find a way and if they defied me, there would be consequences up to a point, but eventually they are going to make their own choices on what they want to like, but I would let them know my feelings, and keep them from it for as long as I felt possible before they were exposed to it or anything else.

That in and of itself saying specifically nothing about Eminem or any other form of music, but I think as a parent you role has to be a bit different than that of a general audience and not.


In the end it isn't the words as much as the context that is important for them to understand and their brains to be being able to identify.

[Gibblewink]

I'd be inclined to agree with a rapper - I think it was 50 cent - who said: "yes, but not alone" when asked a similar question. Sit down with your kid, listen to the music and explain the obviously controversial bits and be there if they have questions.

[Linri]

i remember eminem coming out in like 1998 or 1999 when i was still in middle school, and people really liked his music.... as for me i never liked his stuff, and still dont to this day

at the time i wasnt allowed to have parental advisory content albums, so i would probably adhere to that rule if i had children, chances are they will find the other versions anyway

[Dark-Zarupia]

I will not allow it

I will force it!!

[Jtbrig7390]

Yes when they are like 12+ or so, By the time they finish middle school they have heard far worse.

[Aitch]

Hopefully I will have raised my kid in a way that makes him uninterested in Eminem’s music. I wouldn’t stop him from listening to it if he wanted to though.

[Cosmic Janitor]

That's difficult. I mean sure he/she can listen to it, but I doubt they would have fun doing it with their heads under water, after all these devil spawn wouldn't be mine and I gotta drown them quick.

Jokes aside there is no point in enforcing anything here. Most music that makes it over here to Germany is just taken as music, as in just melodic audio, anyway. The majority of these kind of songs are stitched together from made up words anyway, so comprehention of the lyrics is accidental at best. I doubt the content would be an issue and no matter what, chances are that they will just listen to the popular garbage anway, that would drive me way easier up the wall than the rubbish eminem released like 1 or 2 decades ago. Urgh just thinking about all that house and R&B stuff.. I think the only thing worse would be techno/trance tbh.

[ItsRainingMetal]

Dont see why not, they can go ahead.

[Elba]

No. Eminem is terrible.

[Spiffums]

Sure as a moral to the story of "don't listen to crap music when there are much better music being made".

Of course "Shake that" gets a pass because well strip clubs and shit.

[fooliuscaesar13]

Taught my kid to swear at age 5 just so that I didn't have to watch my language around him. In retrospect, probably not my best parenting move but long-term it worked out well. He was pretty well behaved with his words around people that weren't his mother and I...until about 14 or 15. At that point, I didn't care anymore if he swore or not.

That said - I'd let him listen to anything that I'd listen to. I'm not a big Eminem fan, but if he wanted to listen to it back then, I wouldn't have cared.

[Rustedsaint]

Depends on the song,i wouldn’t let my child listen to some of his more edgy songs before they at least 11 if I had the power to stop it,
But some of his songs aren’t that terrible (monster, that new one with Beyoncé,etc)

[Radaney]

They'll listen to it when they find it, the fuck could I do about it? xD

[VyersReaver]

I mean, there was no control over what I was listening, soooo...

[Swalload]

No age restriction, no swear filter. For the sake of the poll let's say age 5-15? Is that fair?

5 and 15 are way too different to put together.

Also eminem is really not that bad, kids find much more unfit music before the age of 15. Hell, they don't find it, it is given to them by TV and radio.

[ParanoiD84]

Sure, Eminem is pretty damn tame compared to many others who only rap about gangs, selling crack and killing people.