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

I've been silent since early in this thread when I stated that I was listening to Rap in the early days. After seeing this thread going in circles, I have to say that I agree with calvinj's statements.
My earlier statement....

For me, it goes back to 1980ish with The Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight" and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. Anybody who's heard their song "The Message" knows what real Rap is about. These were a group of young Black men from the South Bronx with a social and political message about growing up on the mean streets.
For close to two decades, groups with a message such as Public Enemy, NWO, Run DMC (who were more tongue in cheek), Kool Moe Dee, Salt-n-Pepa, LL Cool J, Snoop Dogg, Tupac in the 90s and so many others produced rhythmic and lyrical music. Some were political/social statements and some were just fun.

This is what calvinj has been saying, that Rap was the only way these groups had to express themselves. And people took notice. Back then it wasn't about dissing women and who spent the most time in jail. I call it music and a good part of it is performance art. Today's Rap has morphed into some bad formula music that I do not like.
Tastes change and mature and I listen to Classical now, but I kept my old Rap CDs and 12 inches.

This discussion reminds me of when I was involved in the punk rock movement in the late 70s, NYC. People said that wasn't music. It's funny that the white kids who were into Punk and New Wave (post-punk) all welcomed the Rap movement of the 80s. But when we were that age, we were open-minded.

There's something to be said to be born at the right time. :-)

So true.

Just this past Sunday, the last story on 60 Minutes was a segment on a Broadway Musical that tells the story of Alexander Hamilton set to Rap/Hiphop. I understand completely if that sounds silly to you, but I'm here to tell you I dug it. Written by and starring a first generation Puerto Rican immigrant, it has had both Obama and Cheney as audience members!

@bdp24 @lowrider57 thanks. You are right the early Sugarhill gang "The message " was an important song that talked about social ills in America. Run DMC "Hard Times" was another song. Kurtis Blow "If I ruled the World" Too Short's"The Ghetto" all of these songs brought awareness to the social ills and problems in America at that time that were being ignored.  Like I said before I can tell when people actually know the music that's in the genre.  Yes rap has changed and we have fewer of the the socially conscious rappers that we had in the past. Rap at one time was a poor mans CNN.     It told real stories about what was happening in America.  It railed hard against censorship and over reaching powers of our government. People who know real rap history know that.  People who don't hate it just to hate it and have no social awareness of the earlier positive affects it had in American Culture. Small minded group think at its best. Anyway thanks for your input fellas. Enjoy your music. 

Extramusical associations have nothing whatsoever to do with intrinsic musical value. Musical value is not tied to historical or cultural value--they are separate things.   And people who don't know real rap history don't necessarily hate it just to hate it.  More sweeping and unfair blanket statements.  You and I are equally entitled to dislike any music, food, what-have-you.  I'm half Italian and I don't think you're anti-Italian if you don't like Rossini or lasagne.  It just means it doesn't appeal to you.  I am so sick of the social media "haters gonna hate" B.S. that gets trotted out anytime someone doesn't like something or somebody.  You don't have a clue as to what is in the hearts and minds of the people you are accusing of being haters.