I hate to sound like every old person ever, but the music of the 60s (which lasted into the early 70s) was the best. Outstanding creativity and musicianship, and it was really central to the culture, motivating the anti-war movement and later No Nukes. Maybe rap has been like that for a younger generation, as it seems to often address social issues, but I've never gotten into it. To me, rap has always been Ogden Nash with a beat: "Hark to the whimper of the SEAGULL, he cries because he ain't no EAGLE. Suppose you were you silly SEAGULL, how would you explain it to your SHE-GULL!"