Includes bibliographical references (p. 127-129) and index.

Lyrics with violence and exploitation harm young people / Lloyd Eby -- Censoring and restricting music lyrics harm society / Paul D. Fischer -- Youths from dysfunctional families identify with violence and exploitation in music lyrics / Mary Eberstadt -- Lyrics with violence and exploitation should not be protected by the First Amendment / John F. Borowski -- The recording industry should take responsibility for violence in lyrics / Michael Rich -- Hip-hop and rap lyrics contain gratuitous violence and cause harm / John H. McWhorter -- Hip-hop and rap lyrics are unfairly criticized for violence / Edward Rhymes -- Hip-hop and rap lyrics offer positive messages / Sara Libby -- Banning words from hip-hop and rap music would be beneficial / John H. McWhorter -- Banning words from hip-hop and rap music would not be beneficial / Alexander Billet -- Advisory labels and recording industry self-regulation are effective / Hilary Rosen -- Advisory labels and recording industry self-regulation may not be effective / Mike Osegueda.