50 slams critics who want to cut swearing

50 Cent has slammed critics who petition hip-hop stars to limit their language.

The rapper insists that most artists do not use expletives for the sake of it, and is annoyed by those who believe swearing is unnecessary.

"Music is a mirror, and hip-hop is a reflection of the environment that we grew up in," he argued. "It's the harsh realities that end up in the music. If I ask you to paint a picture of the American flag and not use the colour red, you're gonna have a difficult time.

"To capture what we try to capture in the art form, I'm sure some conservative Americans can't (identify) with it because of their lifestyle and the way they've actually been brought up, and they haven't been exposed to those realities."