I never really took an interest in rap, too much vulgarity and strange words I don't care to learn about.  If I was going to learn a new language it would probably be Latin or Greek. The repeated name calling and the meaningless insults are more for shock value rather than comedy, satire or enlightenment. 

There have been a few rappers I have listened to, who did have some  good poetry or ideas they expressed through Rap, but the genre just doesn't appeal to me. To those who enjoy it, I hope the stuff you really like has something interesting or funny to say, otherwise I just don't get it.

BFP wrote about one of his favorite musicians and embedded a vid showing a Rap -off, I guess you'd call it. I would agree it takes certain qualities, now called "Skills", to do that free style insulting battle babble, but it tends to hover pretty low on the intelligence scale. Maybe that's the idea, to take people to a low standard? Would be, easier to push crap on them once they have no interest or ability to look at a more developed genre. Perhaps it all for fun and who gives a fuck? 

In the past other entertainers did a similar thing known as celebrity roasts. Basically, a well known comedian would take to the podium and poke fun at the host that evening. Don Rickles was one of the best. He would not only insult one person, like in Rap, he would insult a dozen entertainers all at once and the whole audience was easy pickings. No one could up stage this guy and if you tried, well, it wouldn't be pretty. Funny as hell, but not pretty.

These guys had "Skills". I remember laughing so hard some nights, I'd be crying my eyes out and totally exhausted afterwards. Anyways here is a vid of the master doin' his thing old school, nigga!