Music can be a very useful tool in getting valuable moral points across to troubled teens. Not only is it stimulating and interesting to teenagers, but the lyrics of the songs can share beneficial meanings. Just try and name a teenager who doesn’t have his own band favorites. Music is definitely a language of today’s adolescents. Among music’s different genres, rap is one of the most popular among teens. If you decide on using rap as a means to reach your teen, then you can be sure that he will listen.
 Stephen Darden, a Budding Bay Area hip-hot artist as well as a Vallejo police artist, has been utilizing rap music in order to get to the troubled teens. Darden, 39, has actually had his own musical experience in opera and believes that music can be an effective way to reach adolescents.
“I can lecture until I’m blue in the face,” said Darden. “But it goes in one ear and out the other. I had to find a vehicle that would act as a common ground between the two of us.” Darden wanted to meet the teens halfway and in order to do this he knew he had to find a musical genre that would reach the teenagers. This is where rap came in.
What do parents consider the best part about Darden as a teen rapping sensation? His rap music lacks the heavy profanity which much of modern rap contains.
Here’s just a sample of his words:
I’m sorry/ For all the family left behind/ From someone who decides to lead a life of crime. Do they think about that family when they do these things/ What will it take to change the hearts/ How do we break these chains?
When asked about his inspiration for the lyrics, he valiantly replied, “I’m a police officer, but I’m also a father. I don’t want to put anything out there that I can’t share with my own kids.”
Coming September 17, Darden will actually be releasing his own hip-hop disc entitled “It’s Ruff Out Here.” Hopefully, with the right exposure, Darden’s CD can reach even a larger crowd of teenagers and affect them in a positive light. Even the title of his album shows empathy for the troubled teens out there in rough neighborhoods. The meanings of the songs shed light on how these teens can deal with harsh situations.
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