R. Kelly and The Culture Of Sex

By: April D. Byrd

The controversy surrounding singer R. Kelly is crazy. The internet has blown up with the concept, to support or not to support his career. The discussion can't be considered too late, because it's far from unwarranted. It's not shocking that he's under fire again for his background and the nature of his music. Even if we by-pass all the official allegations and charges, his mostly sexual discography speaks for itself. Seriously, this is Mr. My-Minds-Telling-Me-No-But-My-Body-Is-Telling-Me-Yes, because I want to Feel-On-Your-Booty and Ride-You-Like-My-Jeep. We can see how he thinks for the most part. Are we really surprised at the backlash or the allegations?

It doesn't help that his latest album is also explicit in nature, but again it shouldn't be too surprising. Since the discourse is now open. How do we let other artists with sexual and derogatory lyrics off the hook? Bumping along with beats and partly ignoring lyrics may be cosigning the use of women as tools or property to some extent. Incidentally Beyonce has also been catching hell  and making women question the true meaning of feminism and girl power around the world. In one of her most recent songs her husband Jay-Z actually compares himself to Ike Turner.


All this talk about the culture of sex in the music industry just takes us back to the question. Should artists with a platform be considered role models or not? Perhaps, its just up to us to censor what we ourselves listen to and which artists/media we support. The nature and inspiration of R.Kelly's perversion is openly exposed. How much more media are we being fed and eating up without question, or concern? How much does it affect our perception? or future generations?

What do you think of the whole ordeal? Do you support R. Kelly? or his demise? Listen to Sexually offensive content, because of the nice beat? or Do you think more Artists Should be held accountable and called out for their lyrics and lifestyle? Is freedom of speech truly freedom from responsibility?  Leave Your Comments Below.

Birds & The Bees: Is Kindergarten Too Early To Speak To Our Kids About Sex Ed?

Kids these days know more than you and I know about almost any given topic because of the media, social media and the Internet. They seem much more advanced than previous generations. But when concerning sex,  is there an age when it is simply too early to teach children about it? Chicago Public schools believe that Kindergarten is an appropriate age to introduce sex education as an attempt to keep up with the advancement of kids of this generation.

The curriculum will teach the children appropriate and inappropriate touching and feelings, anatomy, reproduction and healthy relationships. Right off the bat, I think Kindergarten and sex ed?? I initially want to say that's too early. My mind goes back to the 5th or 6th grade when they introduced sex ed and everyone squirmed in their seats uncomfortably and laughed at the mention of words like penis and vagina. But, at the same time I truly believe that knowledge leads to empowerment. I don't think there is any harm in teaching our children in an age-appropriate tone about their bodies and what is appropriate and not in regards to touching. Perhaps, not in kindergarten but for sure at an earlier age.

Alot of people will argue that we should not cloud kids at a young age with the complexities of sex and rob them of their innocence but I think that if it is taught in a simplistic yet factual tone that does not get too deep into the topic than it can be a good starter conversation for them. A lot of the time as adults, we put our own thoughts / histories and attitudes onto things that can be quite simplistic to children. We counsel from a place of fear or hurt.

But hopefully with the right kind of knowledge at an early age, it will prompt this new generation in the direction to be able to understand their bodies in a way that honours and respects themselves without the complexities we learn as adults.

What are your thoughts? Too early or a new step in the right direction?