Some people might disagree with the fact that I consider Rap a genre of music, and that's cool. To tell you the truth, I actually understand where they're coming from. Let's face it, the vast majority of rappers and some producers don't even know the very basics of music theory. Although Soulja Boy can Superman that ho with the best of 'em, I'm pretty sure he'd get that deer-in-the-headlights look on his face if handed a sheet of music and asked to identify its key. But since Rap is widely accepted as a legitimate form of music, I continue to label it as such.
My love for Rap (yes, I love that [censored]) stems from my respect and admiration for some rappers' lyrical ability. And when I refer to lyrical ability, please don't assume that that is restricted solely to content. I fully concede that the content of most mainstream Rap lyrics can be summed up by the following list: bitches and/or hos, money, jewelry, guns, drugs, and braggadocio (forgive me if I've left anything out). I measure lyrical ability by things like the creative brilliance some rappers exhibit when referencing the aforementioned staples of the genre's content. For example:
I was the n*gga with the mask on
That would yak dudes for jewels.
Ain't gotta say it.
That dude's the truth.
Make me put that tool to use,
And these n*ggas'll be in the game shakin
Like Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf.
-Joe Budden, "6 Minutes of Death"
I also take storytelling prowess, flow (defined by Wikipedia as "rap delivery... defined by prosody, cadence, and speed"), and content (when offered) into account when I try to gauge a rapper's lyrical ability.
Now don't get me wrong, I like a lot of Rap songs that have absolutely terrible lyrics. Cuz a hot beat and a decent hook make it pretty easy to ignore [censored] lyrics imo.
Sorry for writing an essay, but I felt like I needed a damn good explanation for why I like Rap considering I'm only the second person in this thread to mention it.