Explicit Content Meaning (Parental Advisory)

Explicit content meaning

According to Merriam Webster dictionary, this is explicit content:

Explicit denotes being very clear and complete without vagueness, implication, or ambiguity.

When something is said to be explicit, there is no question as to what is being expressed or conveyed—nothing is implied or assumed.

It is denoted from the word explicit, in Latin: explicitus.

An explicit song is not suitable for children, just leaving the implicit meaning out.

Most public materials avoid explicit at all costs, to maintain broad appeal.

Here is the parental advisory explicit content logo:

The explicit logo is iconic, you can see it in all the tracks containing an explicit type of content.

Funny enough, discriminatory language like "faggot" or "retard" is neglected by parented advisory explicit content warnings at times.

You'd hear this discriminatory language in early Tyler the Creator songs all the time.

As a society, we change the definition and meaning of what is considered explicit often.

Whether your music is explicit or not, you shouldn't have to pay to distribute it! 

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What is parental advisory explicit content?

Parental advisory labels (or parental advisory stickers) are an American invention, created in 1985. They are intended to warn parents that a given album contains explicit lyrics.

But what does this really mean?

Every other country has its own way of warning adults about the content of their music.

In the United Kingdom, for example, the records industry uses a different system to identify releases with explicit content.

They assign a rating from 1-3 based on the level of expletives in the lyrics.

This is all done by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

In America, however, it’s up to other organizations such as RIAA or ASCAP (American Society of Composers Authors and Publishers) to decide if an album should have a parental advisory label.

These are basically organizations that manage strong language and how much can be expressed through media.

They sign the rights to the defined definition of explicitly worded content.

The Uzbekistan iTunes Territories have different statutes for sentences and references containing explicitly made content.

The dictionary definition is not always used.

How explicit lyrics changed rap

Funny enough diss tracks are not considered offensive for mental abuse.

Even if the song has implicit physical threats included, so long as the violence isn't mentioned with explicity then the artist is fine.

This has changed the slang used in rap songs.

Explicit doesn't necessarily mean "bad"

It should also be noted that not all albums with parental advisory labels are explicit by the above definition.

An album may have a parental advisory warning due to profanity and offensive language without containing any sexual content or nudity.

Moreover, an album may also have a parental advisory warning due to an abundance of sexually explicit content without any other violations (e.g., Too $hort's Short Dog's In The House).

The reason why there are various levels of advisory labels has to do with the lyrics.

The next level up on the scale is a “Warning Explicit Content” label, which is given to albums with explicit lyrics in at least half of the songs on it.

This isn't very common to see though (those types of records never sell nor see the light of day.)

Every university/school or physical government office only plays clean music.

which words make a song explicit?

What words make a song explicit?

There are a few songs you need to edit out of your tracks since they are considered "explicit" terms. 

Scared you’re accidentally going to have explicit words in your song? 

Here’s a full list of explicit words:

• Fuck
• Bitch
• Nigger
• Cunt
• Shit
• Dick
• Tits
• Pussy
• Motherfucker

Make sure you remember these words that are considered explicit. 

Once you avoid using these explicit terms then you’re all good!

PARENTAL ADVISORY LOGO ADDER

I’ve got good news!

I’ve built a parental advisory logo adder tool that can be automatically generated! 

You can use an app like Canva to create your own parental advisory or use an app like Picsart to do the same thing.

This is a state-of-the-art parental advisory maker with the tools you need to create your own logo in seconds. 

It’s included in my Free Graphic Design tool I made a while ago as an upgrade!

It’s kinda wild I’ll be real.

Explicit content is bad for business

Brands are increasingly interested in partnering with influencers who have a following.

But what if your content isn't appropriate for brands?

Think about it like this: Would you want your brand associated with explicit content?

Of course not!

Brands need to maintain their reputation and what their customers expect from them.

It's not just about protecting the company, either; it's also about protecting the product or service that the brand is selling, too.

Boost Collective is the #1 up-and-coming music distribution for artists, letting you put your music out there for free.

How to define "explicit" lyrics

The term "explicit content" is often mistaken as meaning pornographic, offensive, or obscene.

So how does one define explicit content?

Explicit content can also include profanity, violence, and other adult concepts. The key distinction is to understand that explicit content will not typically be appropriate for children.

The following criteria are some examples of when you might want to avoid using explicit content:

• When your profile is public-facing

• When it might scare someone (e.g., violence)

• When it might offend someone  (e.g., racism)

What is considered "offensive" can change depending on culture and society. One word and one track can be considered offensive one year, and a joke the next.

Every movie deemed controversial has gone through this.

Some scenes are marked unsuitable for children.

These can lead to the parental advisory explicit content label.

Alternate meaning: Explicit instructions

Don't get "explicit instructions" mixed with "explicit content."

(I doubt you're reading this subject about education LOL.)

Explicit instruction is the intentional and systematic preparation of students for learning tasks to maximize student achievement.

This allows them to become more self-sufficient and independent learners.

It has literally nothing to do with music.

It typically combines direct teaching, modeling, and scaffolding with a focus on explicit objectives that are broken down into concrete steps with success criteria.

Why don't radios play explicit content?

Radio stations have always been a place for people to come and hear new releases, and top-chart songs, and enjoy interviews with the hottest stars.

However, an aspect of radio that's become more prominent in recent years is a policy against swearing.

Radio stations can get fined for making an offensive statement.

This was such a common legal system people would abuse.

Now, the modern radio process bans any one word which makes them legally liable.

The reasoning behind this policy is that some people may be offended.

It's a general rule of thumb that you should always try to avoid offending people.

This rule may be flawed in the sense that there are other things more offensive than swearing on the airwaves...

Violence and sex are still implicit in the music.

The difference is the way they form the sentences.

The idea is that if you're not happy with hearing a station host curse, you can simply change the channel or turn off your radio.

Some DJs have taken to mocking this rule by speaking in gibberish, while others think it's unfair considering there are other things that are worse than swearing on the airwaves.

It's not a definite thing, so each person is entitled to their opinion of what is "unsuitable"

What do you think?

Should radio stations allow swearing?

Parental advisory explicit content serves any real purpose.

By separating content and making sure you're only posting what is appropriate, you can protect your brand from any negative attention.

You also won't have to worry about your family coming across posts and feeling uncomfortable or embarrassed.

This can cause major issues with your relationship with them and ultimately affect your business's success.

Should radios have uncensored explicit music?

This is a tough question because the language has always been an important part of the music.

The following criteria changes.

Music was once considered to be just vocals and lyrics but now it's much more - it's the sound of the artist as well.

The language they use or don't use can enhance an experience or change the mood entirely.

An entire release can have references to explicitly worded content.

When you listen to a song without words, you might not understand the feeling that is being conveyed in that song.

Rap is all about the deeper meaning, so every sentence/references matter.

And if we take away from them their ability to swear then we're depriving them of their freedom of expression..

Which is something we should never do as artists and listeners alike.

The track is not the same when censored.

However, there are some great points about no-swearing policies: They keep listeners from hearing words they may not want to hear over and over again.

It also protects younger listeners who are still developing their own understanding of what words mean.

Lastly, there are so many swear words in our society today so why would we want to increase exposure?

Racist statements can die, and nobody will miss them.

How to turn explicit lyrics into a radio edit

Using explicit song lyrics in your content is a great way to engage your audience...

But sometimes you need to remove it.

Explicit means you follow your heart, but censored means you follow your stomach.

Strong language is bad for business.

To remove the strong language, you will need:

1. The audio stems

2. A good DAW

3. Access to an engineer

Generally, you censor out strong language when recording all the tracks.

(The pain of censoring a mastered track... Is pretty much mental abuse to the engineer.)

This is sometimes not possible, so if this statement applies then you must add effects.

Otherwise, you can extract the vocals to one track and work that way.

You can either silence the strong language or add a warp effect.

It's up to you to determine how you write a song, but I think the warp censorship sounds better.

Here are examples of censoring a word/sentence in your song:

How to manage your explicit content

You might think that the first thing you should do is to stop posting parental advisory explicit content altogether...

But you can still make your content "brand-friendly."

It might seem like a no-brainer, but there are several ways to do this!

4 ways to make your content "brand-friendly."

1. Think about the content you post ahead of time and plan accordingly.

2. Consider posting more lifestyle or food content rather than explicit topics

3. Create different accounts for different types of content.

4. Archive or delete your parent advisory explicit content from your page

First and foremost, you should delete old or explicit posts from your account.

Brands want to work with influencers who have a clean reputation.

Your social media posts are an indication of what people can expect from your content.

For example, if you post content about sex, drugs, and guns...

Brands won't want to work with you.

Lil Wayne can get away because of his brand equity.

Otherwise, the parental advisory explicit content is where you belong.

But if you post pictures of the latest fashion trends, they will be more likely to reach out to you.

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