Many believe that song lyrics may promote youth violence due to the profound impact the music industry has on today's children. Proof of just how influential these musicians are is blatantly obvious by just looking at the children dressing and mimicking the actions of these idols. There have been numerous stories flooding the news about teenagers committing suicide or hate crimes due to certain song lyrics among the rap and rock genres. .
Many rappers do not serve as good role models for the children that listen to their music. For example, Tupac Shakur, who was sentenced to jail for 30 days for the failed attempt of hitting a man with a baseball bat during a concert, or Ice Cube, who killed a man at a bowling alley, these two men are very popular among the rap community and countless children look up to them as idols. Are these the type of men who you would want your children looking up to? Rappers such as these write songs focusing on the murdering of policemen and the raping of women for fun, and many children can sing-a-long with these hateful lyrics without fully comprehending the intensity of the situation.
Bands like Insane Clown Posse encourage kids to take drugs, drink alcohol, kill people, and have pre-marital sex. Songs such as "It's my way or the highway" encourage kids to run away from home, they emphasize too heavily on the wrongfulness of parents and independence for teenagers. The two boys who were behind the Columbine shootings were said to be avid fans of industrial-rock banks like Rammstein, KMFDM, and Marilyn Manson. .
Marilyn Manson created his name by combining the names of Marilyn Monroe and Charles Manson. Members of his band, including himself, dress up in bizarre costumes and display shocking behavior while on stage performing for the masses. His lyrics have frequently been called offensive and linked to many troubled teen violence. Dozens of cities across the United States banded together to censor Manson from the radios and ban the distribution of his CDs, this is how strongly many parents felt that Manson was having a detrimental affect on their children.