When rap came out 30 years ago I thought it was just a fad

If you ask the roots themselves they have the completely opposite opinion.  The are the intelligent side of hip hop.

I can see that. My comments about the Roots pertain to their influences and musicianship. But Rappers today don't need or have any musical ability and wouldn't even know the names of the music legends that came before them.

I guess the Roots would label themselves a Hip-Hop group. Sometimes the rapping is very musical as in the following clip;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojC0mg2hJCc
 
sometimes it is just bad Rap with a very good musical accompaniment. 

When I was growing up it was typical for comedians and comic writers to make fun of the beatniks. One tried-and-true method was to do a parody of the beat poet accompanied by a bongo player. I ask all of you: is such a performance (the real thing, not the parody)  "music" or is it "performance art?" For me, it’s definitely the latter. I didn’t consider it a musical performance when my age was in the single digits and did not at any age, so it has nothing to do with being an "old fart." I can’t think of anything closer to rap than the beat poet with bongos, can you? It is performance art--it is not music of any kind, much less rock and roll. However, if it’s music to you that should be all that matters to you, your opinion is as good as mine or anyone else’s. Till someone makes a better case than I’ve seen or heard (and no one on this thread has addressed it yet, just pointing fingers and calling names) I’ll continue to believe as I do. Please, show me where I’m wrong on this.

Tostadosunidos, what's your definition of music and what's your definition of rock and roll?

I must admit that most the stuff nowadays I don't even consider it rap to me it is the follow the bouncing ball sing a long cartoon that we watched as kids. Some people don't like rap and I understand that but this yodeling and auto tune 2000 is not rap to me it's nursery rhymes 2015

Tostadosunidos,

I have never heard anyone make that analogy before but it makes sense to me. Nice work.