I've never been a particular fan of rap and hip hop, but there was a time when it seemed to make sense to me that the most popular artists were genuinely creating art. Poetry set to a beat, with real meaning and passion.

I didn't like gangsta rap -- I thought the message was a terrible one. I'm a little older now, and I understand that the artists weren't trying to recruit people to that lifestyle. If anything, the oppoosite was probably true.

Before that it was artists like Run DMC and NWA at the top of the charts. I could never relate to it, but I understood that some people felt the same way about that as I did about Nirvana and Face to Face.

So I'm not really surprised that I still don't really get rap. But I have to wonder, where has the art gone? All I ever hear about in the lyrics of the most popular songs anymore is how awesome it is to be rich and waste money on toys, with the notable exception of Jay Z. Whats the story?

I do really like Jurassic 5, older Black Eyed Peas, and Deltron 3030. Roni Size is awesome, but he's more drum and bass than rap.