The Mix Tape: "Family Business"

Kanye softens up in a rap about his relatives

Kanye West does family values. This is a touching song about those bittersweet bonds we canʼt shake off. Kanyeʼs earnest nature shines as he raps about petty arguments, crazy aunts and sharing the bed with his cousins. Imagine a fading photo album, funny and nostalgic. Your kids will especially love the intro and the end, when a chorus of children sings a popular nursery rhyme: Rain, rain, rain, go away/ Let the sun come up and all the children play. —Anna Pellicioli

About The Mix TapeThink you have to wait until your kids are twelve to share your favorite tunes with them? Think again. Kids' music, you may have noticed, can become a bit of a recurring nightmare when you are stuck in traffic with no more snacks. Sooner or later, songs about brushing your teeth or the reasons you should eat broccoli will seep into your head, and you'll catch yourself humming one in the elevator. There is no reason to succumb to this. Leave that to pre-school. Our music often has enough sing-along choruses, alliterative catchiness, and even teachable moments to hold your little ones' attention during grocery runs, traffic jams or unruly birthday parties. I give you a song a week guaranteed to leave you sane and better for it, even after 5,000 listens. Parental Discretion Encouraged.

Photo courtesy of: Karl Walter/Getty Images