On the question of "Today's Folk Music", whil;e I agree that rap etc probably has more to say these days than many feel folk does, do people actually 'cover' other rap tracks, do people sit around a piano in their local all having a merry rap-along to 'White Lines" or "Ice Ice Baby"?

I recall Dick Gaughan once saying something like the problem with writing about contemporary issues in a 'new' folk song is that it takes time for the song to become known and then the subject matter has moved on.

Perhaps one of the strengths of folk is in using old material, or material about the past as an 'everyman/woman/person' rather than making it specific to today. Doesn't mean we can't try, tho'.