Censorship in music is a topic that has brought about much controversy in the past two decades. There have been many different arguments on the topic, however the question remains whether it should be censored or it should not be censored. .
Before one can form an opinion on this, you must hear both sides of the argument on this much-debated topic. Some people believe that music should be censored so all audiences can hear it without it containing any controversial lyrics. Others believe it should not be censored and musical artists should be able to speak, sing, rap, or rhyme freely without anyone censoring them. .
According to the author Bradley Stiffens, ". . . a person finds a work obscene depends largely on his or her moral or religious beliefs. These views change with each generation and further complicate the censorship dilemma." (Steffens 97) Religious or moral beliefs have a great influence on how a person feels about censorship, and as generations pass on the common beliefs on the topic may change. Right now, America is more uncensored than ever. However, things were very different a few generations ago. .
Some people believe music should be censored. They believe some of the language musical artists" use is vulgar, obscene, and crude. In addition, music is played on media such as radio and television, which are free to listen to by all audiences, and there are many parents that would not wish for their kids to hear foul language. So, on radio and television any controversial language is either silenced, edited out by a soft sound, or some artists make two versions of their songs; one that is made for the artist's album, which is uncensored, and one for television and radio with any controversial words changed to be acceptable for all audiences. This does not include cable television, which can be audited by parents since the parents must order and pay for the channel to be viewed.