This reminds me of some of the discussions I have had recently with my 12 yr old son about music. He wonders why I don't care for his music and I have been honest in telling him that it is normal for older generations to not like the music of newer ones. However, in this case it isn't even about that for me. I actually do listen to rap (along with just about everything else). He listens to artists like Tech N9ne and Huice WRLD. I just happen to find much of their work to be choppy and crass. I like music that flows and often these songs stop and stutter or outright change tempo in the middle...and not in a way like Stairway to Heaven. To me it is jarring. And what they talk about in the songs, as a parent, I don't believe are the best. I acknowledge that for a long time songs have talked about drugs, sex, etc. but they used to use more metaphors or at least other wor for things. Some of this new stuff, is very direct about it. This includes artists that I do like such as Cardi B. I just wish they would tone that stuff down and I freely acknowledge that is my being an old fuddy duddy. We also need to accept there has always been what we consider good music produced and not so good. The good stuff stands the test of time and is popular 40 yrs later. The crap is mostly forgotten.
As for the medium, I think we are in a golden age for access. You can still use cd's or LP's if you like them. Heck, vinyl has had a huge resurgence and many of these new artists are releasing new work in that format. I have purchased several records for my son and some for myself from artists like Syml. And streaming is a complete game changer. Not only can I access amounts of music that I know depending on what strikes my fancy but have had opportunity to experience new artists like Dotan and Anette Askvik that I likely never would have before. This is great for the music business as well as us listeners.
Now, as for the hardware, that is just part of people's ages and what they had access to. My parents never had a hifi system really. So growing up I listened on clock radios, little transistor radios, and eventually little boom boxes. Eventually it transitioned to Walkmans and Discmans. I now have a fairly decent setup with preamp/dac, amp, and so forth. It has continued to get better through the years as my understanding of the music, and my expectations of it, have evolved. I have also gotten to a point where I can afford nicer equipment. Let's not come down on the 16 yr old listening to music on their phone or Echo device. They are using what they have. Instead, let's celebrate the fact they are listening to music. We should be helping cultivate that interest and open doors to them for what is possible.