Taters, it looks like you didn't take my point to heart from the other thread that led to this thread. I only suggested that you open your mind, and stop bashing stuff. To suggest that a fan of a particular style of music shouldn't bother with a hi-fi system is plain silly. Who only listens to one genre? And who's to say that a particular style of music isn't worthy of a good system? Do you think the recording studios set aside their $50,000 microphones & preamps and instead break out their smart phones to record hip hop?
I do appreciate what you said above:
"I will give the op credit by trying to have a civilized discussion about rap music or hip hop without without making me the bad guy. I do appreciate your effort in starting this thread."
I don't want you to be the bad guy, but your determination to bash and generalize is making you sound like a bad guy all on your own. I am not a hip hop devotee, I really have eclectic tastes and hip hop is only a small percentage of the music I love, but I do love a good chunk of hip hop.
Look, I wanted to do two things here. I wanted to stop hearing people bash and put things down, as that dumbs down the dialogue. We all can do much better when we talk about ideas, and look to find the positive, rather than trash talk. I wanted you to challenge your own notion that this music is garbage by trying to find one bit of it that you may be able to say, ok, that is not my go-to music, but that track or that album has merit.
If you decide this all is for naught, and we are all hip hop brain washees, and we don't know anything about music, that's fine, but I suggest you move on. Stop thinking about hip hop as it is only making you upset. Instead, I would hope you find more pleasure and positivity by exploring the genres that you do like, and perhaps looking deeper into the depths of those genres, and expand your music universe in a positive way. That won't happen bashing genres that you dislike.
In my post on your other thread, I mentioned that I do not like modern mass market country. Last year, my cousin invited me to go to the Tortuga Fest in Ft. Lauderdale. This is a festival style concert for none other than modern mass market country, and you know what, I went! I decided that it would be fun to see what it is all about, to see it in all of its glory, and not hearing it as background music at the stop light from someone else's car. In the end, my feelings have not changed, but you will never see me starting numerous threads to bash it, or to suggest that the artists have no talent, or that the fans should not disgrace their hi-fi systems with it.
Lastly, if you didn't take a listen to any of the hip hop recommendations, give this one a try:
Us 3
Hand On The Torch
It's Like That
Ask yourself it this is worth a listen, for you or for anyone. Maybe your son or nephew is into hip hop and never liked jazz. Us 3 can be a great way to expand his musical tastes (or at least musical appreciations), and your own. Its a fusion style hip hop that borrows quite a bit from jazz. Great stuff.
Trash talking is bane, boring, and bullshit!
Life is too short. Look for the good stuff!