I am very dissapointed that DUB/REGGAE/CUT N PASTE is not mentioned more in this genre-it is virtually the catalyst for rap/hip hop-bar none!

Haha, I was just talking about Afrika Bambaata with a friend.

There's alot of stuf about the history of hip-hop that has been axed in Wikipedia. Thanks for that beginning post, HWMG.

Over-rated... :/

something about d.i.t.c. (showbiz & a.g., big l, lord finesse, o.c., etc)
dipset (cam'ron, juelz, j.r., rell, jones, etc) and d-block (styles, jada, hood) on the modern side. lil wayne as a solo artist too
london **** SLICK RICK. and current grime and dubstep stuff
i dunno, maybe some of that, i could go on but for what it is, that write up covers most of it. nice

Can anyone tell me why you like rap? ( with the exception of N.W.A. becuase they're hardcore)

You forgot LL Cool J. Definitely an important part of the early sound, at least in the 'New School' Def Jam stage of the movement.

You Left Off Alot Of The Early Pioneers Like
West Coast
Ice T Was The First To Come Out In The West.

Also Some Of The Early East Coast Artists Were Kool Moe Dee
Treacherous Three,sequence,funky Four Plus One More,utfo,

Ll Cool J First Rap Slow Song To Go Number 1.

because its f*cking great?
lyrically, musically. the raw emotion and social consciousness in rap music is what draws me to it.

political rock/folk is eh. some of it is really good, but most of it is cheesy and overdone.
political/socially conscious rap music is a match made in heaven.

Also,
A Tribe Called Quest

Also,
"West Coast" and Ice T were not pioneers. They were just the first to get popular. And Ice T was more famous for his hardocre punk band than his rapping.