Teenagers expecting to be spiritually uplifted by the latest LDS music release may be in for a surprise when they hear beatbox ballads instead.

It appears some who attended Especially For Youth events, sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, this summer have received copies of "The Greatest Gift" CD with just such a mix-up.

Due to a manufacturing error, a small number of CDs now feature various rap singers like Eminem, Snoop Dog and 50 Cent instead of the catchy, religious pop music intended for the CD.

"The content on the erroneous CD does not reflect the standards of the church nor what we support at EFY. It is the furthest from the type of music we would support or condone," Gregory M. Tanner, CES Youth Programs director said in a letter sent to parents of all participants.

Tanner asked all parents to check the CDs their teens bring home from EFY events to ensure they don't contain "offensive content" that would "harm or negatively affect" participants.

Utah County-based Media Fast, hired by the Church Educational Systems program to oversee production of the CDs this year, is making efforts to correct the problem.

A similar mix-up happened when the LDS-themed movie "Sons of Provo" was released on DVD last October. In that case, a different company, based out of Los Angeles, brokered out the duplication work for HaleStorm Entertainment. Purchasers mistakenly received DVDs based on the diary of a porn star instead of "Sons of Provo," which tells the story of an LDS boy band on its way to stardom.

According to one of Media Fast's competitors, using a broker for CD and DVD replication can lead to problems for the company distributing the end product, since brokers use many different suppliers and often are not aware of all the types of content with which the suppliers are involved.

About 40,000 youths attend EFY events held at locations around the country each year and receive copies of the special EFY CD. It is one of many items participants at the religious week-long summer camps take home with them — the objective being to inspire them to live the gospel of Jesus Christ.

So far, very few CDs containing rap music have surfaced. Media Fast estimates that only one in every 100 CDs is affected. Tanner said EFY officials want to collect and destroy all problem copies that made it into the hands of any EFY-goers.

Media Fast could not be reached for comment Tuesday, but has acknowledged the problem on a Web site posting. The company has agreed to redistribute correct CDs to anyone who received the rap version. Information for returning the CDs may be obtained by e-mailing returns@mediafast.

biz or calling 1-877-257-0358. Problem CDs must be returned by Aug. 31.

The CD is scheduled to hit store shelves on Aug. 15. Each year, sales volume for the EFY CD pushes it onto the Top 10 list at Deseret Book. Deseret Book prints its own copies of the CD, which should eliminate any production problems for them.

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E-mail: wleonard@desnews.com