[quote=@GarlandDaHero]
Could someone please explain to me why rap and hip-hop are so popular? The former I am especially dumbfounded by; it's all almost the exact same thing over and over again, what with all the talk about drugs, sex, profanity out the ass, and the frequent use of a certain 'n' word.

So why in God's name is it as popular as it is?
[/quote]

Actually rap has a lot of good variety, (it's no metal, but it does have stuff that breaks the mold.) With genuinely good lyrical content. You just need to look for it and avoid the mainstream that plagues the genre. There's a ton of rap that doesn't have to do with drugs and sex and doesn't abuse profanity at all. Also can have quite different instrumentals, including rock and folk stuff. Alt-Rap has a ton of good stuff in it. I will try to expose you to a bunch of stuff and maybe you'll find something you might actually like. :D 

Here's 12 rap songs from artists. Minimal language provided. :3 If you're really interested in trying to like rap, as I was when I was in your position, maybe I can convert you to a fan. xP

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMra4U0J6wA[/youtube] Dude that got me into rap.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiksNkqJpBA[/youtube] Rock Beat/Emotional
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FdUdvajOp0[/youtube] Rap/Blues
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9-eKhCukW8[/youtube] Emotional Song
[youtube]ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDGJGSc_iLE[/youtube] Break Up Song/guy never curses in any song he writes.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypjtniqCQ5E[/youtube] "Reflects his failure as a visual artist, and some of the regret I’ve experienced in regards to not pursuing it"- Quoted
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTYhj8thgTk[/youtube] A fast lyrical rap, one thing I always appreciated over mainstream artists.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2q9W4aARDKg[/youtube] Folk Beat/Grim and about death. (its 4 min long)
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4_5g30pXFM[/youtube] Electronic beat.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffrdpBACctg[/youtube] A song about the periodic table. 
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sxks3Z6QByc[/youtube] An angry rap talking about current events and the death of the rappers mother.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44BFUPZTfU4[/youtube] Story Rap. Mostly Harmonica.

Now my rap related question, ironically enough. Please humor me and explain why vs everything I could listen to...

[b]Why Kendrick Lamar is so enjoyable and rated so highly[/b]? He does practically nothing new...He's not overly fast rapper, he's not lyrically complicated, (in fact he is pretty awful.) he uses the n-word and curses like it goes out of style. Some of his stuff is mildly depressing/self loathing...which is apparently like why some people apparently like Drake...But holy hell, there are better artists that do that. I think I like a single song I've heard from him called I, but he does some weird vocal pitch changes that are unnecessary. Tried to listen to his second album and I couldn't even finish it, I hated it that badly. Am I missing something here?