Hip Hop Music: Spinning Controversial Music 

Face it, hip hop music IS controversial. As a disc jockey, it is your responsibility to spin the type of music that your clients want to hear. Whether you have been commissioned for a particular party or event or you are just working on an event in particular, it is important to make sure that you are spinning the type of music that is going to get your clients in gear for the event that they are attending. Spinning hip hop music can go a long way with the right crowd and let them have the time of their lives, sure to recommend you to someone else down the line and talk about what a great time they had.

Be as Non-Offensive as Possible

Disc jockeying hip hop music can be a tough thing to do, especially if you are in a mixed crowd (like young and old). While it is widely accepted that hip hop music is a way of life for some, lyrics and content that is contained in this music is not for the ears of everyone; both the young and the easily offended are probably best kept away from the curse words and sometimes violent lyrics that this music can contain.

Some forms of underground music, rap music, and electronica can have offensive lyrics too, even though they can make great dance music mixes. If you know the tunes in advance, and know what the crowd will like, you can't go wrong.




Know Your Audience

At the same time, keeping the content of such music under wraps for people who would like to hear it may be equally detrimental to the purpose of playing the music in the first place. This is why it is so very important to know your audience. Knowing your audience is not the easiest thing to do as a DJ, but if you are able to obtain the demographics of the audience you're playing for, spinning hip hop music can be that much easier.

Obtain Target Age Groups for Appropriateness

For example, find out if there will be children at the event. If you are disc jockeying for a wedding reception, chances are that there are not going to be as many kids as there are at the main event. Many times the kids go home with the sitter or the older siblings, leaving the adults to have their fun in the later hours. The closer it gets to midnight, the less you should have to censor your music and the more freedom you may have; at this point, it is easier to take specific requests.
 




Next, find out the main age groups for the adults who are going to be there. That lets you know whether or not you should be playing Earth Wind and Fire, or Jodeci, or perhaps something more along the lines of Tupac or 50 Cent. While all age groups should be able to appreciate all levels of hip-hop music and R&B, it is best to cater to the people who are there. What requests you receive should give you a pretty good idea of what to expect as well, so the more requests you get of a certain genre of hip hop music the more of that music you should play.

Spinning hip-hop music isn't always the easiest thing to do as a disc-jockey. It can be controversial, borderline music that is not always the type of thing that people want to expose their children to so keep it as clean as possible. At the same time, cater to the requests of the people at the event; after all, they'll call you back for more parties or recommend you to other people who will hire you in the future. 






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