I remember when rap music became popular, hearing it booming from cars in the parking lot of the convenience store around the corner. I consoled myself with the notion that it was another trend that would pass.
Over 25 years later, it's still here. Unlike Motown, psychedelic rock, heavy metal and other sounds, which have been subsets of larger genres, rap seems to have developed into its own genre. Also unlike other musical trends, rap songs are almost fungible, distinguished only by their lyrics, which aren't all that distinctive to begin with.
Given its mediocrity as a form of music, I can't understand its longevity.
It seems as though I ask myself the same question every year: when will rap go away?