I guess it's easy to criticize any form of music. I don't like Rap but I also don't like Opera, Big Band, Punk (with a few exceptions), Pop, Avant Garde or experimental Jazz, Middle Eastern, Country.....the list goes on. While my tastes gravitate more toward rock and roll, I own and enjoy many different genres of music including Rock, Folk, World, Jazz, Blues and Electronic. For me, I don't look (that's an interesting term because we can't actually see it can we?) at music in terms of its category but rather how it's constructed, the presentation by the artist, its creativity, the feeling that it comes from the artists soul and overall sound. I'm not a big Jazz fan but I think Patricia Barber is one of the most talented artists on the planet. I really enjoy her music and respect the musicianship of her band members. At the same time I do not like certain instruments such as trumpet (sorry Miles Davis fans) it just comes across as too "blarry" to me. Give me a smooth sax any day.
So the point here is that while there are many different genres of music there are just as many individual tastes and it's not for me to judge others tastes. Just as I don't understand how people like Rap, I equally don't get how people can enjoy Country or Opera. (Interestingly, I saw Phantom of the Opera and really enjoyed it. It is not classical Opera however.) So in regards to Rap, while my thoughts mostly align with other comments made here, it does have its audience. It just doesn't have mine.
So the point here is that while there are many different genres of music there are just as many individual tastes and it's not for me to judge others tastes. Just as I don't understand how people like Rap, I equally don't get how people can enjoy Country or Opera. (Interestingly, I saw Phantom of the Opera and really enjoyed it. It is not classical Opera however.) So in regards to Rap, while my thoughts mostly align with other comments made here, it does have its audience. It just doesn't have mine.