"Instead of kids listening to shock-jock type programming with inappropriate songs and advertising, we decided that we’d give schools the choice of playing programming that is appropriate for students."
Steve Shulman, BusRadio president, in eSchool News.
From Jim Metrock:
Earlier this year when I first visited BusRadio’s website, I was startled to see the sample web page that BusRadio said would be typical of its planned teen website. On this proposed teen website was a large picture of Trent Reznor the lead singer for Nine Inch Nails a group known for their explicit lyrics.
This didn’t square with BusRadio’s claims that they want to bring age-appropriate music to young people riding the school bus. Evidently BusRadio employees thought that young people would appreciate knowing more about this edgy rock group.
I’m a 56-year-old oldtimer and to me the lyrics of many of Nine Inch Nail songs are vulgar. (Type "Nine Inch Nails lyrics" in a search engine and see for yourself.) Most of their CDs have a parental warning label.
BusRadio has a lot of young people working for the company. They will bring their ideas of what is art and what is important to the firm. It appears the Trent Reznor picture was just a hint of the type of musical groups BusRadio will be promoting to young people visiting their site.
Currently on BusRadio’s youth website is a list of top songs they say are popular on the iTunes site. BusRadio says the number one iTunes song is "Smack That" by Akon. They even post a picture of the CD by the artist called Akon. The web writers for BusRadio hold themselves out as experts on pop culture. They write reviews of music acts, movies and TV shows. They surely know the offensive content that is in the "Smack That" song.
BusRadio would surely never play a song like this and they probably would never play a song that had no offensive lyrics but was by an artist known for such. They are too smart to do that. BusRadio is sending a message that this song is "cool". It is what other young people are listening to. The message is "If you are not listening to Akon and ‘Smack That’, you are ‘out of the loop.’"
If you look at the top of the picture above you will see that I captured the BusRadio web address. It is not the BusRadio "teen" site, but rather the BusRadio "tween" site meant for those under 13. Why did BusRadio employees think it was important for children to know about this singer and his vulgar CD?
A young person who sees BusRadio’s website with Akon’s "Smack That" as the most popular song on iTunes, would be inclined to download the song or get it from a friend. This is a sample of the song:
(feat. Eminem)
[Akon:]
Shady
Convict
Upfront
Akon
Slim Shady
I see the one, because she be that lady! Hey!
I feel you creeping, I can see it from my shadow
Wanna jump up in my Lamborghini Gallardo
Maybe go to my place and just kick it like taboo
and possibly bend you over look back and watch me
[Chorus (2X)]
Smack that all on the floor
Smack that give me some more
Smack that ’till you get sore
Smack that oh-oooh!
Many kids will only learn of Akon and his music from BusRadio. Below are the lyrics from another song on Akon’s Trouble CD. This one is called "Gangsta."
Oooooooooo
[Chorus in the background]
Alert, alert this is an upfront street bulletin
Coming live from FA
(You gangstas, you playas, you hustlas you pimps)
If you are a gangster and you confessing you kill a nigger on record
(You gangstas, you playas, you hustlas you pimps)
You a stupid matcher f***er
(Gangster, gangster, gangster)
This goes out to you fake gangsters
(You gangstas, you playas, you hustlas you pimps)
I see you nigger
(You gangstas, you playas, you hustlas you pimps)
Nigger we all se you
(You gangstas, you playas, you hustlas you pimps)
We working you mother f***ar
Gangster, gangster, gangster
[Verse 1]
[Akon]
Yo don’t make me oohh
(Gangster, gangster, gangster)
Nigger don’t make me have to step up in the club
Whit my dogs show all you mater f***ers how we ball (yeah)
Nigger don’t make me show how I can violet the law
Get your woman go up in the bar (oh)
Dog how love me
Why don’t you show me?
(Look bitch you just a punk)
And that how she be
But niggers wanna hand of l.o.v.e (yeah)
Steady claming like the are pimp
But will never go free (se you)
Say that ain’t gangster (Na nigger)
Niggers fronting like they hard
But I know their p**** from the start
Man that ain’t gangster (Na)
Still in the projects
But I spend hundred tausuend a car (yeah)
I rather have a crib in Miami whit a boat (whit a boat nigger)
Full of all mi niggers on so we don’t go broke
Yeah show them the ropes
Sticking together niggers try to cope
Any one steep in the way will get chock
(Soo)
[Chorus]
[Daddy T]
You gangstas, you playas, you hustlas you pimps
(Aha)
You gangstas, you playas, you hustlas you pimps
(Aha)
Gangster, gangster, gangster
(Aha) (Aha)
Aha)
Don’t make mee
Bring out the other side in mee
So I her you think your gangster (heeh)
Don’t you wane be
Gangster, gangster, gangster
[Verse 2]
[Pickelh]
Yeah f*** nigger
I see you peeking eyes when I strolle
I see you just by flashing
Pulling them hoe’s (yeah man)
Cuss I’m a player like I’m suppose to be
Hoe’s on a nigger like it’s suppose to be (yeah)
You a sucker so you hate like hoe’s to me
And next change get your head crackt to the white man (oohh) (Aha)
I try to keep it fly but this p**** nigger tempt me (don’t tempt me)
Breaking the sweet
Swear this brother ain’t classy (no)
Noo that’s really killing my pimping (yeah nigger)
I mean really, really killing my pimping (really, really)
Look what you gone made Iceberg do
(yeah, yeah, yeah)
Call my boys and start down crew (ooh)
And we will kick that ass nigger (yeah we will)
And we will I say kick that ass nigger (o yeah we will)
And tell you hore she can come to my place (yeah)
After she burn it up fore f***ing up you face
[Chorus]
[Verse 3]
[Pickelh]
Now it’s a got dame shame Pickelh
What you did too that man (watch out)
I guess that p**** nigger though I was playing (yeah)
I try to tell him but he like f*** what you say (f*** you man)
Watch you mouth, you understanding
He like f*** what you say (f*** you man)
Oh this p**** nigger flicks me in front this hoe’s and s*** (kick his ass nigger)
So I spun on this nigger they notis it (Ooh) (kick his ass nigger)
Oh you think I give a f*** what your focus is (Step up nigger)
So I look at the next man like step up bitch
Cuss if it’s going down
It’s been around
Spiting from my chamber (POW)
Like David Banner you don’t like me when I’m anger (whaah)
Destruct to your whole ville don’t make me have to change you (ahe)
In too a stranger and damage your soul
[Chorus]
[Talking in the background]
[Daddy T]
Yeah I see you gangsters,
All you fake ass gangsters
You don’t have the hart nigger
Survive in the streets
Ask my nigger down in Right Street niggers
Ask my niggers in Re ville
Ask my niggers down at wilks
Ask my nigger at Hart feel nigger
Ask my nigger in Altoes
All my reel niggers Aha
Living life fore this s***
And you just want scream it out on a record nigger
You want respect you got too urn respect nigger
Work hard for what you get in life nigger
F***you punk nigger
Eat a d*** and die slow
Now get the f*** out of my house
You gangstas, you playas, you hustlas you pimps
(Aha)
You gangstas, you playas, you hustlas you pimps
(Aha)
Gangster, gangster, gangster
One last note: The cover of the Akon CD has a parental warning label. The Akon cover on the BusRadio website has none. What’s going on? There is a "clean" version of the Akon CD and that is the one BusRadio has on their website. This is a trick played on the children and parents. A child is led to believe that Akon may be a very wholesome singer. By featuring the "clean" Akon, BusRadio will get children to become interested in the singer and his music. One could expect young people to move from the "clean" to the extremely dirty version of this singer’s music. Thanks, BusRadio.
