Is ‘crack’ a dirty word?

I can see why this video for the Chemical Brothers Salmon Dance would bleep ‘fuck’ and ‘bitches’. Also ‘nigger’ (but why only the once?).

But why is ‘crack’ garbled at 1:52? Are drug words swears now?

Kind of. Just as drug themes are considered dangerous in movies and rated accordingly, it seems that even the mention of drugs needs to be controlled.

I hate that kind of thinking. Hearing about crack in a song wasn’t enough to make me want to try it, but it might just drive those other poor weak-willed souls over the edge. There’s a kind of elitism in censorship.

My radio version of Everlast’s Ends went through an even more skittish committee; not only did they garble ‘crack’, they also munged the words in [brackets]:

• Shoppin’ sprees get her on her [knees]
• If you broke she’s spittin’ / If you’re rich she might [swallow]

Thank the stars that the ears of young listeners have been spared. The times I offended my mother by saying crack, knees, and swallow.

On Australian radio they just play it as is. We’re not as afraid of words.