July's almost over, and as we enter the dog days of summer, it's time to pack up the kids and head on that great family road trip. As wonderful as it is to bond with one another over hours spent in the car, it's should be noted how more and more adults have been diagnosed as being Kidz Bop-intolerant. Yes, sometimes the kiddies aren't ready for the sexually explicit and horrifyingly violent music that gets most of us through the day, but we at the Weekly feel you should have more options than just your standard kiddie fare. That's why we've assembled these family-friendly jams that you can put on repeat for hours without fearing any foul language scarring your child for life. Here are the five greatest clean versions of all time.
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5) Xzibit – “Paparazzi”
Yo dawg, we heard you like Xzibit. Years before he was hosting “Pimp My Ride” or starring alongside Nicolas Cage, Mr. X-to-the-Z was making some classic west coast hip-hop. His breakout single “Paparazzi” is a masterpiece without a doubt, but the clean version sounds like it was possibly recorded weeks after the original when Xzibit had an even stronger mastery of his flow, making for an even smoother slice at rappers only in the game for the money and the fame.
4) Ying Yang Twins – “Wait (The Whisper Song)”
Hey, how you doing little momma let me whisper in your ear, tell you something that you might like to hear that contains no foul language. The unedited version of “Wait (The Whisper Song)” is so absurdly filthy, even by Ying Yang Twins standards, that there's actually two clean edits of the song, one with sound effects and this squeaky clean one with the lyrics almost completely rewritten and re-performed. The sinister purring here of members Kaine and D-Roc suggests innuendo so vague (“Wait til I show you this”) that it almost sounds dirtier than the original.
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3) Nelly – “Country Grammar (Hot S***)”
We don't think we're telling any tales out of school when we say that the hook on the clean version of Nelly's “Country Grammar” is far superior. The St. Louis superstar's original breakout summer jam, “Country Grammar (Hot S***)” just had a more memorable radio hook which made the song more fun. Think about it, in the summer of 2000 as you watch the “Survivor” finale, do you recall having more fun saying “boom boom baby” or “street-sweeper baby?”
2) Wu-Tang Clan – “Shame On a Nuh”
It's one of the most galvanizing beats that Rza ever produced, boasting some of the most quotable lines that arguably the greatest group in rap ever recorded, so what better way to crank up the absurd fun meter than making a radio edit of a song that would otherwise never get mainstream play by replacing the offensive language with guttural outbursts? “Shame on a Nuh” is a great group grunt-along that everybody in the car can get down with!
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1) Jay-Z featuring Amil and Ja Rule – “Can I Get A…”
Looking back on the stand-out cut from the Rush Hour soundtrack 15 years later, Jay-Z has to know that the clean version of “Can I Get A…” will always be head and shoulders about its source material. Perhaps its the lightning quick fades of the video that made the “what what” echoes seem so slick (or the cameo of the late Chris Penn as the bartender, either one) but the phrase “Can I Get A What What?” will far-and-away be the more memorable Jigga calling card in pop culture. Plus, wouldn't you rather tell somebody “what what” than the explicit alternative anyway? Keep positive, you guys. Now let's have some summer fun. Bounce with me with me with me.
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