No, they shouldn't be listening to that and for the life of me, I can't understand how some artists get away with saying things like that in "hit" singles. I don't even want to know WHY kids want to listen to that shit. But there will always be songs that push the limits and yes, it's all for money. Why do kids want to be 50, Iverson, or an actor?? Because they think it's easy.. and because they know they're rich! And with everything we see in tv, we're reminded how "great" the rich have it. What child is satisfied with middle-class when he sees the huge mansions on "MTV Cribz" or the great vacations on "VH1's The Fabulous Life of ." I grew up without watching much television and never really knew that some people would consider me 'poor.' I would see athletes on tv but never knew that they made more money than I could possibly imagine. These days we're always being told how GREAT it is to be rich and how fast some people earned their millions. They fail to tell us all the obstacles and lawsuits Bill Gates' went through before he got rich. Or the fact that he only left Harvard because he knew more about programming than his teachers. They just made it seem like he walked out of school and stepped into chance. A cd that ends up winning Grammys is released titled "College Dropout".. as if hearing about it in the songs weren't enough, by the title-you can clearly tell he didn't graduate college. And then my little brother thinks "even without school, he's RICH!" Yeah but HOW did he get rich? They are too young to understand that life isn't about money, that you don't need money to have a good life, and that those with money worked their asses off (most of them.. like those who weren't born into it or won the lottery). This society, in fact.. every society, revolves around money but that doesn't mean you have to teach your children that. How often do you hear parents say some shit like "stay in school so that you'll get a good job and earn lots of money".. yeaaaa and we wonder why kids want to be 50.. why go to school when we can make money like they did, on the streets.. or sit in our basements and fix our beats/rhymes? Not everyone gets lucky with the chance to get rich off music.. but then again, people will do anything for money. "Have a baby for you? How much will you give me for it?" "Putting all my savings into the stock market might just work!" "I sue anyone and everything because soon enough one will actually work and I'll get PAID!" Everyone is willing to drop money for something they don't need but want. No wonder pockets are getting tight these days, there's more to buy!! There are more luxeries, bigger tvs, faster computers, nicer cars, more stylish apparel, so many more athlete's shoes and other endorsements.. And why shouldn't people care about money? Everything is getting expensive these days, my fucking tuition is 21K a year.. but I grew up knowing money comes and goes, other things are more important. I have only one priority in life, and that is my family. So although the media will feed you one thing.. you can't shield your kids from it.. they'll go to school and hear/see it from their classmates. The best thing I can think of is to show your children they're not missing anything by not being 50 or Iverson..