I want to pose and answer the longtime question which has probably persisted in the minds of many people ever since the spawning of rap music CDs and rap music videos in the early 1980’s: why do people listen to rap music? Well it is rather a simple answer to be quite direct. People listen to rap music for the same reasons that they may listen to any other kinds of music—it is appealing to them. Rap music emanated from an oppressed culture that has spawned other forms of similar music that preceded rap—such as blues, R & B and, Soul and Jazz. People listen to rap music because they associate with the rapper, the lyrics and the overall message. Most rap music is like any other kind of music that you will ever listen to. It preaches a message of love, loss, gains, happiness, sadness oppression and others. Rap music is a culturally rich source of inspiration that has derived from years of oppression and freedom—all intermingled and coexisting to the point where the birthing of such musical endeavors has changed the lives of millions of people around the world.