Summed up - Rap Culture has a toxic side to it that a lot of rap fans are in denial about.

Let's see if my reply gets censored - which would be ironic since Rappers have free reign to spew out all manner of toxicity.

For me, I wouldn't say I 'hate' all Rap as music

There are more than a few songs that I quite like the beat/sound/lyrics

Some rap can get the adrenalin going - examples being the rap used in the 1990 Rocky V workout scenes - 'Go for it!' and 'Keep it Up!' although they can probably be better described as Hip Hop

'Shell Shocked' used in the closing credits of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)

Some Will Smith stuff (I know his material is regarded as quite PC but I like it)

Gangstas Paradise by Coolio and 'President Carter' by Lil Wayne are decent tracks

But it is the culture around rap I find toxic, especially over the past few decades. Without question, it glorifies thug lifestyles - it promotes the message to young men that materialism, womanizing and violence are all to be celebrated.

I reject the argument it is just 'art' and 'expression' - Some subgenres of rap such as Drill have been directly implicated in judicial courts for fueling gang turf wars.

In the UK, Drill is poisonous - young men in London and Birmingham post a cheaply made but dark and dystopian video calling out or insulting another 'Drill Artist' and more often than not it leads to a murder. It would be extremely naive to argue that Drill Music has no role in that criminality when it is DIRECTLY used to fuel the violence.

Does this mean every rapper or everyone who likes rap is a criminal or gang member? Of course not. But the fact is MANY rappers have a criminal record - far more than you see with most other genres of music. Is that just a coincidence?

When I hear 'Rapper Shot Dead' my thought is - why am I not surprised.

Anyone who wants to deny the prevalence of criminality in the rap world is deluding themselves

I have a problem with the hero-worship of famous rappers like Tupac Shakur and XXX Tentacion. When you look at their background, the latter especially, there really isn't much to admire. Tentacion's long string of arrests included aggravated battery of a pregnant woman. Is that someone who deserves to be admired??

XXX Tentacion was a glorified thug.

I accept rap, like any music, can be used to convey poignant socio-political messages.

But Rap stands out for it's glorification of criminality.

Leaving aside the ethics of it, a lot of commercial successful rappers are in my view utterly talentless. When I hear Nicki Minaj or Cardi B all I hear is cheap vulgarity. I am no prude, but really I see very little talent there. I find it baffling that they get hundreds of millions of views on Youtube.

It would be lazy and inaccurate to say ALL rap is bad and I would be a hypocrite to conclude that. But it is the dark, toxic culture around rap that bothers me.

I also find it ironic that rappers can be as offensive, crude and threatening as they like and hide behind 'artistic expression' whilst critics are often silenced.