Rappers Adopt Stricter Warning Labels

N E W   Y O R K, June 15 -- They may not clean up their language, but top-name rappers say they'll make it easier for parents to know what their kids are listening to.

An initiative to display parental advisory labels more clearly is among the commitments announced at the conclusion of the first-ever hip-hop summit in New York. The high-profile event was attended by politicians and rap giants such as Sean Combs, Queen Latifah, Will Smith and veterans 2 Live Crew and Naughty By Nature. (Check out a slideshow of some of the participants.)

The new, voluntary labeling system will employ tags that cannot be removed to alert listeners that an album contains sexually explicit or violent lyrics.

Such recordings will also get a cautionary marketing campaign. The warnings will be visible in all ads and promotional posters, an issue that has become a priority with politicians, including Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., who have accused the music industry of advertising explicit content to young adults.

Crafting a New Image

The three-day event saw one of the biggest names in the industry attending private meetings with politicians and religious leaders to evaluate hip-hop's controversial reputation.

"One of the things we discussed at the summit was to uplift the image of rap," organizer Russell Simmons said at the conclusion of the conference. "There are a lot of stories about rappers and their cars, but not so many about rappers and their charities."

As founder of Def Jam Records, Simmons announced he will sponsor a mentoring program to provide financial planning and guidance for rappers, who often find themselves earning huge sums of cash at a young age. He also announced the formation of a political action committee and think tank to discuss issues such as racial profiling and censorship.

Hip-hop is among the most profitable arms of the music industry, with its stars repeatedly finding their lyrics discussed and questioned by those in Washington.

Just last week, the Federal Communications Commission fined a Colorado radio station $7,000 for playing Eminem's "The Real Slim Shady." The station said it thought it was a clean version of the track, but the FCC still deemed it indecent.