Ray Charles - "Rap is not music"

Perhaps. But what percentage of people actually listened to SOUL music back in the days of Motown and Philadelphia Soul back in the day? A very small percentage I’d imagine. So why hide behind Ray Charles words when you didn’t listen to soul when you had the chance?

I still listen to soul from the 60’s and 70’s. I doubt many here do. 

I've been listening to Wilson Pickett, Sam Cooke, Ruth Brown, LaVerne Baker, Etta James, Aretha, Solomon Burke, Marvin Gaye, The Platters (who are arguably more Pop than Soul), The Four Tops, The Drifters ("On Broadway"---written by Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil---is as good as songwriting, singing, and production gets), The Shirelles, Stevie Wonder, Lloyd Price, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Hank Ballard & The Midnighters, Jackie Wilson (his "Baby Workout" is KILLER!), Percy Sledge, Clyde McPhatter (I bought his "Lover Please" when it was released on a 45 in 1962), James Carr (everyone has covered his "The Dark End Of The Street", including Ry Cooder), Otis Redding, Booker T & The MG's (one of my very favorite bands), Sam & Dave, Jr. Walker & The All-Stars, Martha & The Vandellas, Ruby & The Romantics (their "Our Day Will Come" is SO dreamy), and a few dozen others since the 60's. Oh yeah, and Ray Charles. Many, many white guys have spent their entire lives trying to sound as much like Ray as possible.

I've played the above music in numerous bands, but when the bassist of the somewhat-hippie-esque band I had just joined in 1971 looked through my record collection his response was "You like weird music". He didn't yet know that James Jamerson---a genius musician---played bass on many of them. I'll bet he does now. 

@coltrane1 What does that music have to do with rap?  
Why would you assume you’re “one the few people” to listen to some of the most popular music of the last 60 years?

@tylermunns Easy. What percentage of Whites bought those records? A very few, otherwise Motown and Philly would have sold many many more records. Rock ruled the day. Some of that was great. Some not so. Nothing to do with rap. But why agree with Ray Charles when most weren’t buying his records either. That’s hypocrisy. Calling a spade a spade. Now call me racist for calling out the obvious.

'Back in the day', soul music was probably the most popular music outside of the Beatles and such, and before the Beatles, soul music totally dominated the pop charts.

Rap/hip-hop is hugely popular among all kinds of people, largely in their teens and 20's, but certainly expanding beyond that.

Anybody who thinks 'whites' are not into soul and hip-hop this obviously knows not of what they speak.