Yah Cat, rap certainly can qualify as folk, as long as your definition is even somewhat broad. I know the implicit violence is there in a lot of it, but that in itself shouldn't have anything to do with it's being "folk" or not. A question though. If you don't see rap as folk music, what IS contemporary black folk music, or traditional for that matter? I know that Bill questions Bo Diddly's mention on Mudcat (I assume for not being folk OR blues) but I can't for the life of me see how Bo was not a VERY important transitional figure. Now Carly Simon? Oops that's another thread!

By the way Cat, I think thosp, may just have been making a joke (pretty good one too) about "Urbane" Urban black music.

Rick