text: No, they are not stupid.  They are victims of ignorant white people, whom automatically associate hip hop style and music with inner city black crime.  They have embraced the negative aspects of the "gangsta" counterculture and turned them into something positive- art.  Are a bunch of snowboarders any cooler than a bunch of homies on a half court?  Like the young lady said, each to their own.  Attitudes like yours keep tensions too high between races; you need to free your mind.