Ray Charles - "Rap is not music"

The Clash were one of the first rock groups to crossover into rap for they predate Blondie by 6 months.  "The Magnificent Seven" was a hit on Black radio in NYC, particularly the "Dirty Harry" remix.  That was back in the day when you artists didn't get releases for original source material.

As envisioned by its founder, Berry Gordy, the whole point of the Motown Sound was to have black artist crossover to white record buying consumers.  He succeeded beyond his wildest dreams.

Rap music crossed over to white audiences in the mid to late 80s.  I'm thinking about the Beastie Boys, Aerosmith/Run DMC and Yo! MTV Raps.  At that point young white males were the biggest consumers of rap.  In many ways rap music has morphed and evolved well beyond its origins in the streets and clubs of the Bronx and Brooklyn to the point where its originating blackness is irrelevant.  The Indian sub continent has a decades old history of rap music that is unique to Indian/Pakistan.  The music was originally inspired by what came out of America, but its cultural significance is vastly different.