Good news for people who prefer their hip hop without "niggas", "hos" and "motherfuckers". Well, providing you do your record shopping in New Zealand, that is. New Zealand's biggest specialist record store chain, Sounds, has started selling edited versions of current and famous hip hop albums meaning that consumers who object to naughty, racist or sexist language can buy those albums with that content removed.
While clean versions of hip hop single releases are sometimes available, it is less common to be able to buy edited versions of album releases. But Sounds is now stocking such edits of Kanye West's 'Graduation' and 50 Cents' 'Curtis', and of classic albums by the likes of Dr Dre, Tupac and the Notorious BIG.
The chain's Music Buyer, Matt Ruys, told Billboard that the chain would still stock the original versions of the albums, but that they recognised some of their customers would prefer the edits. Ruys: "This is not about replacing unedited versions with clean ones. Personally, I would rather listen to the unedited version, but there are parents out there who are concerned about what their kids listen to and we should provide them with an alternative".
Sounds will buy the edited versions of the albums directly off US suppliers, who distribute such edits, but say that if the edited albums take off that they might encourage local suppliers to release them too.