What's Your Favorite Art Work? - University of Chicago Prompt

Art is something new, sparks ideas, sensual, pleasing, and intellectual. I personally couldn't agree more, as art should be pleasing--any other purpose is automatically secondary. I enjoy socially conscious rap music, created by such people as A Tribe Called Quest, Jurassic 5, and Chicago Native, Common. I automatically enjoy the catchiness of rap--it's audibly delightful. But I love it even more when it has such great ideas and messages crammed into it. I also enjoy this kind of rap because of the many allusions rappers use in their work. Biblical, mythological, and pop-cultural references add to the many layers the song has, and it also allows me to begin thinking about some bigger ideals. My favorite rap songs have such references that spark amazing trains of thought that often last longer than the song. What really draws me to rap music is the popular misconception that all rap music is about violence, sex, and drugs. Rap music has (sorry for the pun) gotten an awfully bad rap in the past. But I've found music that few people can understand, and artists that most people haven't even heard of, which makes my relationship with "underground hip-hop" even more intimate. Most people wouldn't expect it, but I believe rap music is a very high form of art, when done correctly.