Talking of G-unit, R&B star Akon is taking a different line to G-unit chief 50 Cent when it comes to the current campaign to clean up rap music. As previously reported, Fiddy recently told Spin magazine: "I can write around the curses if I want to, but you can't tell me to write around the curses". But Akon says he supports moves by the likes of Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons to encourage hip hop stars and media to cut down on "curse words", and especially those that are racially insensitive or misogynistic (ie 'nigga' and 'ho'), saying this week that leading players in the urban scene were "talented enough to write lyrics" without the curse words. Though he adds that it is the "mindstate" behind the offending words that is probably more important.
He told reporters: "I think words like that are not necessarily needed in the song to make it a hit. Me personally, I would have no problem getting rid of it, words on any record for anybody, I think we are talented enough to write lyrics for songs without using that type of language. I think it's a good thing for the positivity of hip-hop in general. And at the same time, I look at it like, words in general, stuff like that, words are only what you make it. At the end of the day, it's just a word - it wouldn't mean anything if we didn't react on it, so it's more of a mindstate, people just have to be willing to change".