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The above genres aren't my usual cup of tea, but from time to time I'll hear something I like or I'll pull out an old CD I haven't heard in a while and give it another listen.

I do listen to rap/hip-hop, but I am very selective. Compared to other styles, I listen to rap/hiphop very rarely. The last rap album I listened to was The Eminem Show.

Antipop Consortium, DJ Shadow, Dr Dre, and Missy Elliot are all great music-makers!

Frankly, I prefer music with balanced tones. That means no chest-thumping bass, no ear-bleeding highs—not too much of anything. And I also prefer to listen to music that is created with instruments, without digital assistance at the time of recording.

I never listen to it, although I have tried. So much of it is stale and predictable. These days it almost sounds like there are just one or two bands that record everything. The beats, the vocals—I swear I've heard it all before.

Sorry, I just can't get my head wrapped around the "machismo" and misogyny that form the basis of rap music.

I would have checked off the "Never" answer, but to be honest when you are out driving and stopped at a stoplight you are sometimes forced to listen to it played at high dB by the jerk in the next vehicle. I have to assume that at least a few other drivers listen to some actual music while they out on the road but at reasonable sound levels so it is not obvious. But on the bright side, aficionados of this so called music will soon have the option of listening to that great hip hop artist River Phoenix belting out some classics. Last thought. David I assume you have no plans to enter either of these music genre. Well at least you have had a good run distributing actual music.

Only for as long as it takes me to get away or turn it off!

it's not "music," it's spoken rhythm.

Sorry, I didn't understand the question—you used the words hip-hop, rap, and music together! Music?

Never. I've heard a tiny amount of hip-hop over ten years ago that was listenable. Other than that all I've heard is unbelievably annoying modern slow hip-hop.

I cannot make an emotional connection with this music. I wish that Chesky would find more singers like Sara K. and Rebecca Pidgeon from the releases he made several years ago. Those were the good old days!

Twenty years from now there will be absolutely zero rap or hip-hop albums that are considered classics.

It's an interesting point, but I think one of the main ways in which audiophiles are unfair to hip-hop is by lumping it all together as one genre and assuming all hip-hop sounds like the stuff they hear on the TV. It's a diverse genre with many truly gifted producers active.

And your point is?

The older stuff can be pretty engaging, but once "gangsta" took over, the genre seems to glorify scum.

Absolutely not! I actually listen to music.

Yes, some, because I like to hear new music. Artistry isn't confined to approved genres. There is nothing worse than seeing a room full of 50-year-old men all listening to classic rock and telling themselves, "it was all about the music back then!" Yeah, right.

MC 900 Foot Jesus is the only one that's worthy of the effort to put on my table.

Well, my first response is to take offense to the question; that rap or hip-hop could be called the same word as Bach or Mozart: music. However, there are times when I am somehow in the mood pump up the volume, shake the rafters, and jive to rhythmic, senseless repetition.

Like every other genre of music, there are good examples and bad examples. If you are not into rap and all you hear is whatever is played the loudest from someone's car stereo, you are bound to hate it. If all you ever heard of rock was the commercial top 40 you might have a similar distaste for that as well.

I play rap or hip-hop "music" to break in new speakers, usually when I'm not home to hear it. It's an old CD I picked up for free at a record store years ago. I don't even know who it is by, I never bothered to read it nor have I listened to more than 30 seconds of it. Stanley Crouch explained what rap or hip-hop is about.

i'll listen to anything that i think is good3irrespective of genre.

Some of it has real musical value, I just wish they applied better standards in mastering. They're generally horribly compressed.

Never! "Rap music" and "hip-hop music" are what are known as "oxymorons."

Beasties, N.W.A., De La Soul, Public Enemy, Run DMC, Kanye West, Dizzee Rascal, Hilltop Hoods...There's a lot of good rap and hip-hop out there. It's just not always easy to find what you like.

It's not music, it's ranting.

Only the short moment when it pops out of the radio before I switch channels.

My musical tastes are elsewhere.

High-end audio is for music, there are too few good recordings of fundamental stuff like J.S. Bach and Mozart!