Def Jam Rapstar

Review

Common Sense Media says

Rap music experience has iffy lyrics and videos.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

Find out more

Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

Find out more

Parents say

AGE
12
QUALITY
 

Kids say

Not yet rated

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that Def Jam Rapstar is a music-based game, which sounds innocent enough, but be forewarded the videos that play in the background, and the lyrics heard, can be offensive as it has references to violence, sex, drug use and in some cases, sensititve topics such as police brutality and slavery. The life of a rapster portrayed in this game shows a glamorized lifestyle which includes lots of women moving their body sexually, and drug references.

 

  • Positive messages0
    Many of these rap videos that play in the background show women dancing very suggestively, many of rappers flaunt money or power and there are visual and lyrical references to taking drugs, drinking alcohol, and smoking cigars.
  • Positive role models0
    The game doesn't have a protagonist as it's a karaoke-like singing/rapping game, but to the extent that these rappers are role models, they exhibit or sing about behaviors that don't make them good role models including smoking, drinking, doing drugs, demeaning women and other races, and being violent.
  • Ease of play3
    If you can read and rap, the game is easy to pick up. Similar to other karaoke games, you simply sing/rap along with familiar songs, with the video playing in the background, and are graded on your performance.  
  • Violence2
    Some of the music videos playing in the background depict scenes of violence and some blood. For example, in T.I.'s (featuring Rihanna) "Live Your Life," you can see T.I. getting beat up with blood on his face. In Public Enemy's "Can't Truss It," there is a scene that implies rape as shirtless white men are dragging a black woman back into a home and later the baby is born white.
  • Sex3
    Many of these music videos show sexual scenes, including women dancing in bikinis, gyrating their hips or buttocks, and showing ample cleavage and thong-like bottoms that reveal most of their buttocks. In some instances the rappers are staring at their breasts and groping their bodies. In 2Pac's "I Get Around," the rapper is in bed with three women. Many of the lyrics also refer to sexual interaction and refer to women in ways that could be insulting, such as calling them "bitches" and "ho's" (e.g. Snoop Dogg: "I got bitches in the living room getting it on"). Another example: Big Pun's "Still Not A Player" ("Rubbin' your spot love got you screamin'").
  • Language3
    Most of the swear words are bleeped out (a Konami rep confirmed radio edits of songs were used) but there are plenty of other potentially offensive words and phrases about violence, sex, drug or alcohol use, race, and police brutality. Some words can be heard, such as the "N" word, "d--k," "ass" and "smokin' weed." Profanity is also implied with the bleeped out word, such as Snoop Dogg's "Gin n' Juice" ("Aiy baby get some bubblegum in this motherf---").
  • Consumerism2
    Some of these videos show consumerism, such as images of popular clothing companies, jewelry brands, and familiar alcohol labels.  
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking4
    Many of these music videos show images of smoking or drinking, or allude to it in the lyrics. Examples include Ja Rule's (featuring Ashanti) "Always on Time" ("Drugged up off that ecstasy") and Lil' Wayne's "Milli" ("Wit' coke in the derriere). In 2Pac's "I Get Around" you see the rapper smoking a cigar in a hot tub. In Notorious B.I.G.'s "Juicy," you hear him sing "Smokin' weed and bamboo, sippin' on private stock."  
CloseExpand to see more details

What's it about?

DEF JAM RAPSTAR is the first game that delivers a comprehensive rap experience for fans of the genre. The core gameplay lets you test your skills by rapping into a microphone to more than 45 of today's (and yesterday's) hip-hop hits; your rhythm, pitch and timing is measured against the real track and at the end of the song you're given a score based on your performance. The real music video plays in the background as you follow along with the lyrics. Gamers can also "freestyle" by making up their own rhymes -- to ten exclusive beats provided by Def Jam record producers -- and if desired, use your console's camera (sold seperately) to upload the video to defjamrapstar.com for others to see. More songs can be downloaded over time, similar to other music games.

Is it any good?

 

Def Jam Rapstar is a good music game IF you are a fan of this kind of music. Songs range from classics like Beastie Boy's "Brass Monkey" and Run D.M.C.'s "Run's House" to 2Pac's "I Get Around" and Public Enemy's "Fight the Power" to today's hits, such as Drake's "Best I Ever Had" and T.I. (featuring Rihanna)'s "Live Your Life." Some major artists are missing, of course, such as Eminem and Jay Z. The core game is fun, with or without a friend, but the addition of an upload option, custom rap, and battle mode (compete for highest score) adds more bang for the buck. If parents are OK with the potentially offensive lyrics and imagery in the music videos, they will likely find this game an entertaining diversion for the teens in the home.

Online interaction: There is no online multiplayer mode but X360 and PS3 players can upload their own video creation using the console's cameras. This video creation option isn't available on the Wii version.

Sign Up Message
Sign up for our weekly newsletter
Each week we send a customized newsletter to our parent and teen subscribers. Parents can customize their settings to receive recommendations and parent tips based on their kids’ ages. Teens receive a version just for them with the latest reviews and top picks for movies, video games, apps, music, books, and more.
Please enter an email address.
Please check your email address for possible typos.
Sorry, you must be 13 or older to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Sign me up!

What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about the appeal of this game. Should there be a rap and hip-hop equivalent if there's Guitar Hero and Rock Band for rock music, Sing It! for pop hits, and DJ Hero for techno and house tunes?

  • What about the controversial imagery and lyrics in many (but not all) of these songs? Accept it as part of rap culture and take heed to the "Teen" rating or should Konami pick less graphic examples of rap and hip-hop hits so it has a more univeral appeal?

This review was written by Marc Saltzman
Adult
May 26, 2011
AGE
10
 
DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY unless you old as hell
I think this game is FUN (for the first 15 minutes of it) I mean come on! This is rap there for it should be 17+ but they have it all bleep out and all stupid like. I mean come on, where is more 2pac, EMINEM (he isnt on there at all) WHAT! The best rapper since 2pac isnt on a rapstar video game! You have GOT to be kidding me! This game would have been the PERFECT video rap game if they had more now and days raps on there. I mean its fun if your like 40-50 years old maybe even in your 30's but people like me (22) its pretty boring. They have a FEW and I mean FEW good songs on there. Dont waste your money or your time playing this game. It was a HUGE let down...I mean come on some of these guys I have never even heard of, next time they make a game like these they should put 40+ on it! Run dmc? Real now? Get out of here with that they were big back in the 1980's
Was this review useful?
Helped me decide (8) | Had useful details (7) | Read my mind (7)
Flag as inappropriate 
Teen, 16 years old
November 25, 2010
AGE
17
 
Teen DJ RapStar
It's Like a Music Video with Player Singing On it.
Was this review useful?
Helped me decide (7) | Had useful details (5) | Read my mind (7)
Flag as inappropriate 
Adult
October 9, 2010
AGE
14
 
awesome
a boring game
Was this review useful?
Helped me decide (6) | Had useful details (4) | Read my mind (9)
Flag as inappropriate 
Adult
November 14, 2010
AGE
12
 
COME ON ITS ONLY RAPPING
COME ON ITS ONLY RAPPING
Was this review useful?
Helped me decide (5) | Had useful details (6) | Read my mind (5)
Flag as inappropriate 
Parent of 14 year old
October 12, 2010
AGE
12
 
perfect for 13 year olds
the best
Was this review useful?
Helped me decide (5) | Had useful details (5) | Read my mind (6)
Flag as inappropriate 
See all user reviews
This review was written by Marc Saltzman
Platforms:Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Available online?Available online
Genre:Music
Developer:Konami
Release date:October 5, 2010
Price:$59.99 ($69.99 with microphone)
ESRB rating:T for Drug Reference, Mild Blood, Mild Violence, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Lyrics, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco
This review was written by Marc Saltzman

Contact us to give us more feedback on our learning ratings.

 

Review It

Share your review with others

Hang on! You need to be a member to post your review.
A safe community is important to us. Please observe our guidelines.

Screenshots

  • 1 of 3
  • 2 of 3
  • 3 of 3

Tell us what you think about our new Learning Ratings. We value your feedback.

About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.
Our child development rating guidelines

Great alternatives handpicked by our editors

Other good singing games include:
For kids who love music and rhythm games
Browse more games
 

vote now

Will you play Def Jam Rapstar ?

Game on
Press pause
Game over

Already played it? What do you think?

I recommend it
It's a pass
 
More from Common Sense Media
Age-appropriate reviews
Top advice and articles

Been There? Tell us about it