Ray Charles - "Rap is not music"

Who doesn’t love Rappers Delight from Sugar Hill Gang! Happy Friday ! 

Once again, if you think this definition defines rap, be my guest.

music

myoo͞′zĭk

noun

1. The art of arranging sounds in time so as to produce a continuous, unified, and evocative composition, as through melody, harmony, rhythm, and timbre.
2. Vocal or instrumental sounds possessing a degree of melody, harmony, or rhythm.
3. A musical composition.         

Honest Question. Why is it insulting to consider Rap poetry instesd of music? As others have posted, many non Rap artist have used spoken word, I considered most Dylan to be poetry.

Okay, so Ray got up one fine morning, took a peek out the window, then retrieved the current copy of Billboard magazine from the mailbox and returned to his most favorite chair with a nice cup of coffee. It was then he discovered the growing popularity of rap on the charts and the reality of his waining career.

Then ... what’s that?! Oooohhh ....

Nevermind.

@audiovideonirvana Wow. That really added to the sophistication level of the conversation. Sorry to be snarky, but adolescent quips like that don't strengthen your argument much 

@shutupuface Yes, rap does fit those criteria. It’s not just a voice and a background rhythm, as much as people might want to reduce it as such. It's like saying all of Dvorak is atonal, no-tune self indulgence or all of Paul Winter is cheesy wanna-be world music. 

@davedead Another grumpy old man railing against an art form he doesn’t understand. It’s also slightly hypocritical as many critics decried the Dead as aimless amateur noodling.