In getting a degree in music, or even a degree, you have to take some form of "Cultural" education such as Art Appreciation or Music Appreciation. In both of these, you learn to look for what the artist is trying to tell you. "Feel" the emotion that they are trying to get into you. Each of you do that each time you strum those strings when you create or play a song from someone else. You want that emotion to get into your audience.
Rap is no different in that aspect than any other form of music. The only difference is, it has what none of that which people that are not from the inner cities, ghettos, slum and yes, even gangs, want to know or experience. It has hate, racial attitudes, love of crime, love of sex, lust and all of that. Most everything that people that aren't from those areas are taught from early parts of life to dislike.
Just like when Punk started to make it big in the 70s, like the Sex Pistols, people outside of Punk despised that style of music and their lifestyles as well. Same for Rock when it started. Look at Elvis and how they thought that he was pervert with his hip swing.
Rap is NOTHING new. Bing Crosby and others, Hell even George Burns and Bob Hope did a few rap songs waaaaay back in the early 1950s!! The Hip Hop and Gangsta stuff started coming out in the public as protests and such. And that is why people "Hate" it so much. The negative stuff in it.
Do I hate rap? No. Do I listen to rap... not really. I do like some of the "Fun" stuff, like The Beasty Boyz, Run DMC, Aerosmith's rap and so on.. the Fun Stuff. The late 70s and early 80s had a LOT of rap that wasn't so bad.
Look at this for example:
Have you ever gawn to a friens haws where da food ain no good?
Potato Salad is nasty
Peas are musty
And da chicken tastes like wood!
This is one of those "Fun" raps. I heard this rap WAY back in the late 70s when I was in the 6th grade.. There is a POSITIVE and NEGATIVE to all aspects of music.. we just can't "Hate" automatically what an artist puts out there because of a "Style" we can "Hate" the messages that they send.. but we as artists should respect what the artists have created... just as they should respect what you create...
And I do "Hate" those negative messages like abusing women, killing cops, promoting racism, and even promoting illegal activities in general. But I still respect the artists work in being creative in the forming of the music.. EVERYONE will find a following from people that have some common interests in them.. Rap has the inner cities, slums and ghettos..
Hope that you all find your inner creativity! Peace.
Howard
