Why is it so hard to accept music from any source, regardless of sex, creed, color, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, and dare we say—race? It’s the 21^st century and yet there is a still a divide in several genres: J-pop isn’t quite respected in Western pop music, French rap artists aren’t making any benchmarks either and while it has its fan base, tribal music still isn’t wildly popular. So, why would white rappers have it easy? While we may laugh at some of their work (Vanilla Ice), or read tabloid rags to catch up on their latest controversies (Eminem), we don’t think of them as influential in hip-hop.

Well, here are 12 acts who make us want to put our hands in the air and wave ‘em like we just don’t care.

1.

The Beastie Boys

If you’ve listened to their landmarks Licensed to Ill and Paul’s Boutique, or their standouts Check Your Head, Ill Communication and Hello Nasty, then it’s a no-brainer why these legendary Brooklynites are the first white rap group of any significance. When they first arrived on the scene as hardcore punk-rockers in 1979, they were laughed at on principal because of their flamboyant flagrant decorum and frat-boy shtick. Their debut wasn’t much help but catapulted them to the hip-hop hall of fame. They keep switching genres and finding new sounds, and… that’s what real artists are so supposed to do.

2.

Aesop Rock

Askmen.com compared the hip-hop guru to underground icons Kool Keith and Del tha Funkee Homosapien, but we can all agree that this lovely emcee with the sweet beats and the hot-to-def rhymes is a magisterial force in the land of rap. Labyrinthine and oracular all at once, with a sleazy perversion, he set the standard for the future of hip-hop with his four-star Labor Days which spun a yarn that made pop culture and mythology references.

3.

Cage

Horrorcore rap emcee Chris Palko, better known as Cage, knows what it’s like to have a hard-knock life. Raised with an vituperate and physically-abusive stepfather, he was destined for ills. He was a part of a drug-dependent teenage wasteland and turned to crime, eventually landing in a mental institution after his mom convinced the court he was mentally unstable, became an early test patient for Prozac, and became a candidate for suicide watch after trying to hang himself with his shoelaces. So, its no wonder why his introspective lyrics are like salsa night at an abattoir.

4.

Brother Ali

Brother Ali, the Midwest-bullied, nigh-blind, Muslim born albino was blackballed for his appearance and hence, his strong ties to the African-American struggle! Funny thing: He’s as Anglo-Saxon as it gets. No matter, the hypnotizing music on his spellbinding The Undisputed Truth was a seminal, provocative hodgepodge of bureaucratic and introspective promulgations of American life. A firebrand rapper, he is one catchy S.O.B.

5.

Shawn Lov

The New Jersey turntable raconteur feared “the Vanilla Ice stigma” and honed his skills rapping in black nightclubs from the age of 12 and inspired by a bevy of Trenton, New Jersey crews. He upped the ante and decided it was time to drop outrageous content when he got his stage feet. His latest effort, The S.O.N. LP is a critically-acclaimed underground staple.

6.

Slug (of Atmosphere)

Slug, the godfather of the Minnesota indie rap scene with the God-awful moniker is one of the most debatable race-related rappers: being half-white, and a quarter black and a quarter Native American. But then again, who isn’t a quarter Native American? (we’re kidding.) The self-financing DIY mojo wordsmith has an easily identifiable flow and diverse production, making him a force to be reckoned with.

7.

Lil’ Wyte

The machine gun barrage of Tennessee izzle-chic rapper Lil’ Wyte came out at a time where Southern rap was on the rise once more but  he went largely ignored by the pop music game. Regardless, his dynamic bounce on the beat rhymes are instant party-starters!

8.

Yelawolf

Okay, so there are comparisons to a certain 8 Mile hip-hop icon, but there’s no use denying that this white rapper has a lot of star power, so much that Slim Shady asked producer Jim Jonsin for a meet-and-greet with the the Alabama rapper. Expected to see explosions on his debut album Trunk Muzik: 0-60 in September, we’re on the edge of our seats.

9.

MC Serch

It’s 1989, 3^rd Bass have released their platinum selling debut after signing to the legendary Def Jam and their best-known single “Pop Goes the Weasel” established their bombastic stereophonic sound and feel-good club chatter as emblems of hip-hop royalty. And that’s why he’s here. That, and the fact that he was the host of The (White) Rapper Show.

10.

Vinnie Paz

Hailing from the underground Philadelphia supergroup Jedi Mind Tricks, once Muslim Italian-American emcee Vinnie Paz hits the mic with his powerhouse grandiloquent rap speak and drumbeat flow—in two seconds flat—we’re dehydrated from all of the sweat on the dance floor.

11.

Asher Roth

His landmark breakthrough Asleep in the Bread Aisle, and its kitsch alternative rap album sensibilities mixed with Roth’s happy-go-lucky palaver was fun and allowed us to just relax and dance on fumes when he dropped it last spring. Noted as being the prototype for Levittown cosmopolitan nerdcore rap types, he dropped his subterranean dweeb self-depreciation and got a life… and if you’ve heard “I Love College,” you know it ain’t half bad.

12.

El-P

El-P is simply the one-man band producer that nearly matches Kanye West in production and busting out sweet rhymes. For over a decade, his repugnance to fat cat corporate music has bought him a legion of fans with his avant-garde backbeats and spitting head-spinning long-winded, passionate and loquacious rant-rhymes. Starting Definitive Jux for conscious rap, he is noted for his use of sci-fi word play that’s referenced Phillip K. Dick, George Orwell and even Gene Roddenberry.

Rapper J.Cole Responds To HBCU Cheerleader Controversy [VIDEO]

Forbes Top Hip Hop Earners

Run-DMC Inducted Into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Rock & Roll is a tradition that thrives in the American music psyche because of its iconic figures and imagery. Now it seems that rap has taken over the torch.

The rock movement marked the birth of the rockstar. These unique individuals became the face of rock music, easily identified by their incomparable look, sound and attitude. Figures like Keith Richards and Slash personify Rock & Roll, in all of its metal-music, wild-child infamy. Today though, the nouveau rockstar apparently has dreads and spits rhymes. It seems that the rock movement has been replaced by the rap movement, which currently dominates the music industry. Accordingly, the iconic rockstar figure has been replaced by the rap star. It is the Jay-Zs, Lil Wayne’s and Kanyes of the world who are leaving the legacies in music that are comparable to that of the heavy-0metal originals who helped coin the term rockstar. Here are GIANT’s top 5 pics for the new age rockers, most of whom, surprisingly come from a culture as far away from Rock & Roll as possible. With rappers taking three of the top 5 spots we are left wondering…is the rapper the new rockstar?

1.

Jay Z

2.

Lil Wayne

3.

Lady Gaga

4.
Kanye West

5.
Rihanna

While these guys didn’t invent rock, you simply can’t deny that they are currently the reigning industry rockstars. What do you think? Who is the nouveau rockstar?

They are true street goons and bosses, but they also know how to clean up and get their grown man on! Mixing urban trends with high fashion pieces, these trendsetters  know how to get fly.   Zania Black

Ever seen a red carpet where being a “hot mess” is the common trend? Where they do that at?!? Well, on October 10 BET taped their 4th annual BET Hip Hop Awards show to honor popular names in hip hop. Artists came showcasing their swag, but what happened to their fashion sense.      Zania Black

Christina Millian and The Dream

Why is there a wild animal chilling on her shoulder?!

Pretty Ricky

The hair baby blue, the hair!!

Rick Ross

White tees are not for all occasions!

Toya and Tiny

Too much going on ladies!

Young Scrappy and Diamond

Did Diamond forget to put her shirt on?

Jim Jones

Straight out the bed and to the red carpet!

Rapper T.I. has requested to remain free while searching for a minimum security prison closer to his home to serve his sentence, reports Allhiphop.com.

T.I. was originally sentenced to serve 366 days in Arkansas’ Forrest City Federal Correctional Complex starting on May 26 for his conviction stemming from trying to purchase illegal fire arms.

Having already detailed the headshaking moments to come with this list, we thought we’d take a look back at past hip-hop artists whose acting has sullied what could have been otherwise solid flicks.

10. Busta Rhymes in Shaft

I can see why Sam Jackson hates working with rappers in movies. Busta screamed in his ear in damn near every scene. Bless you, Sam. You also worked with 50 in Home Of The Brave.

9. 50 Cent in Home of the Brave

Fiddy + Iraq war drama + human emotion – Tony Yayo = confusion. That’s all.

8. Snoop Dogg in Starsky & Hutch

Granted, everyone in this movie version of a popular ’70s TV show was bad, but Huggie Bear was the role that Snoop was born to play. He does it every waking moment of his life. How could he not do it on camera?

7. Method Man in The Wackness

How are you the ONLY rapper-turned-actor in a movie about an era in which you were a star and still manage to fuck it up? Come on, Meth!

The Jamaican accent? You were on The Wire, for God’s sake.

(Not that I ever watched that show.)

6. Fat Joe in Empire

I love Joey Crack as an emcee. He’s so menacing that I hesitated to include him on this list. That said, anyone who makes John Leguizamo look like a young Bobby DeNiro in comparison is a terrible actor.

5. Dr. Dre in Training Day

Mind you, this is the film that earned Denzel Washington an Oscar for Best Actor. Dr. Dre’s performance in Training Day wasn’t especially bad. It was that he was just playing himself instead of a crooked cop. So rather than seeing Andre Young on screen echoing the sentiments renegade cops like the ones seen in Serpico, Infernal Affairs, or L.A. Confidential, he simply came off as the guy who slapped Dee Barnes.

4. LL Cool J in S.W.A.T.

LL in In The House was dope. It was like Charles in Charge, but with LL Cool J. LL Cool J as an member of a tactical police unit? That’s like trying to convince us that “Headsprung” was going to the next big slang word.

3. The RZA in Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai

No wait, The RZA’s seven second cameo in Jim Jarmuch’s tripped out film about an urban samurai was actually one of the best parts.

Speaking of the The RZA, he also held his own in the Clive Owen/Jennifer Aniston flick Derailed, unlike fellow rapper ternt actor, Xzibit.

Mr. X to the Z was the most non-threatening villain to grace the screen simply for that fact that he pulled that annoying Jimmy Fallon thing where he looks at the camera like when he was pimpin’ rides for MTV.

2. Ja Rule in The Fast and the Furious

Raise your hand if you remember Ja Rule. Ok, all six of you can put your hands down.

If you take The Fast and Furious for what it was, an endorsement for Honda then it’s actually not a bad movie. Unless of course, you take Rule’s cameo as an illegal street racer into account. Ja Rule fronting like he was a legit racer was almost has bad as him posing like he was a legit R&B singer rapper.

1. DMX in every movie that DMX has ever appeared in.

Aside from being unintentionally hilarious, do you know what Belly, Romeo Must Die, Exit Wounds Cradle 2 the Grave, and Never Die Alone all have in common?

That’s right, DMX’s “Oscar worthy” performances.

Much like Dr. Dre in Training Day, Earl Simmons’s range as an actor only goes as far as his range as his rapper alter-ego. So while his character may have had the potential to show some depth, they always ending up looking like he’s waiting for the opportunity to bark at the camera times or rail on Nas.

But if you’re worried that X’s recent legal problems will take him away from the screen, rest easy as he’s got a few more projects in the works, including the release of the straight to video flick Lockjaw: Rise of the Kulev Serpent.

Yeah, that’ll be good.

Check back soon for GIANT’s list of rappers that actually made movies worth watching.