Very serious. It's a serious matter - this persistent worrying over music by people who can neither understand, hear or appreciate it, but nevertheless feel themselves qualified to hate. Hip-hop has been the most vital, inspirational & energising idiom of popular music for the last 30 years & more - subjectively speaking that is - I first started hearing it around 1980 and have been constantly startled & delighted by it ever since. I tune into Tim Westwood and I'm amazed afresh each time. The Celebrities come and go, but that's in the nature of a collective Tradition of a music, and its people, which rolls on regardless, innovatively, inspirationally and internationally.

Judging the beauty, craft, genius, virtuosity and vibrancy of a music by such evidently limited musical standards only hints at deeper cultural prejudices. So stick to what to know - which judging by your posts here isn't so very much, eh?

Meanwhile, back in 1994, Digable Planets were grooving with Wah-Wah Watson and Lester Bowie as part of Red Hot & Cool.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkqDmuEmqmo