Black-Eyed-Peas, the future of modern music?

Rap has rhythm but ignores melody and harmony. That would be alright if it was done in an interesting or sophisticated way, but to me it just comes off as an ignorant attempt at poetry done by someone with a low IQ. I would venture to guess the same about the audience, with notable exceptions of course.

Chasmal,
I couldn't have said it better myself.
BEP ( add Beyonce, Britney Spears, Kanye West (easily the worst out there)), falls strongly in the same category, with a little more diverse "musical" content, but still...
As to their live performances, I think all these costumes, dancing, visual effects, etc. just a cover up for the lack of quality and substance.
Imagine them doing the same, standing still and wearing casual clothes- that would be about 20% left, if that. IMHO.

Tupac's just an example, no sell out there and his melody and harmony underly the profanity and violence, it a shocking contrast. A black sex pistols maybe? A lot of rap or hip-hop which BEP purports to be ends up selling out. Most 'rap' I cant stand, but there are a lot of great artists in the genre that arent addressing your 14 year old (or in this genre a future gang banger), some of the more 'accessible' being RATM, the Beasties, Cyprus Hill, even emminem.

If you want to hear something interesting, try Super Furry Animals, Mogwai, Fruit Bats, Cat Power, MGMT, Mogwai, Dwight Yoakam (especially his earlu stuff), Mostly Other People do the Killing. How many genres is that?

But what do I know, I happen to think Norah Jones -The Fall may be the best album of 2009. ;-)

"Rap has rhythm but ignores melody and harmony. "

A lot of highly regarded 20th century classical music has none of the above.

I think what one considers art versus pap is largely just a matter of perspective and hubris. Some art can just be fun and even a bit off color and not taken too seriously.

My 30 month old daughters' favorite. She like the long keyboard note with wide off key bending on BOOM BOOM POW. Says it sounds like a doggie. Ya, that's some real fine music.....