Although R&B, and Rap are my favorite genre, I enjoy all music with a good beat, and with some heart. Anything I can relate to. With that said, give me a cd with Brian McKnight, Joe, Jodeci, Silk, Shai, R. Kelly or just about any of the members from New Edition (yes, that includes Bobby, haters@#!) and I will be happy. If I am having a bad day or just feeling froggy I would probably prefer some gangsta gangsta shit. Oops, can I say shit? Tupac always had the sprit to make me feel better about life. A true poet. My love for hip hop has grown from the old school people some of you still need to do your homework on like Warren G, Dogg Pound, NWA, Ghetto Boys, Tribe Called Quest, DOC, Slick Rick, NAS etc. Then I moved on with the Miami booty bass 2 live Crew, Duice, 69 Boys. Notorious Big dropped telling our friends to get together so we could all be friends, and even asked for one more chance. Jay-Z, DMX, The Lox, and MA$E gave me a new love for East Coast rap, and in my opinion smoothed it out while still keeping it in your face. Then the south started blowing up as soon as the Ice Cream Man and the rest of the No Limit squad dropped album after album and set a new precedent in marketing of hip hop. The Cash Money millionaires brought us the bling bling, while Trick Daddy told us to shut up. The down south was officially a force to be reckoned with. Then Nelly brought one of the last regions on the map the Midwest Baby! Not as far as Kansas yet toto, but getting closer. Hip hop has grown and become more mainstream, but to keep it underground would have been a tragedy. Not to mention the A&R's knew they could get rich, which many people think watered hip hop down. I disagree in the sense that the artist you see on mtv, and even BET has many songs on their CD's that you won't see or hear on the radio or tv. These tracks are usually my favorite, because they seem truer to the art and seem to convey the message the artist wants and not the record company. Like I said, I love all music. I listen to country, rock, alternative, heavy metal, and just about any genre you can think of. One thing I have realized is they are all talking about the same things. Things like love, respect, money, and everyday life to the artist. So, if you can't understand one genre of music that's fine move on to the next, but please don't judge based on your lack of understanding. Rap is deeper than shooting people, and commiting crimes. Country is deeper than rednecks and pickup trucks. Metal is deeper than screaming and killing. The list goes on so be passionate about your choice but respect others choices.