My response at the time was, I haven't got a clue.
Being some guy on the internet, I have absolutely no interest in it. A lot of white people do, however, have an interest of some kind in not only that musical genre, but in the culture. I think they see themselves as some kind of anthropologists. They are attempting to immerse themselves in a culture that is not their own, in order to better understand "those people". Whatever that means.
A lot of so-called musical taste is exactly that. People are often afraid of what others might think of them, so they delve into some obscure musical genre in order to give themselves an air of authenticity among their peers. It's a shame, really. Certainly, they come to appreciate at least some aspects of the music, and a very small handful of them may actually enjoy the music on a deeper emotional level.
It is important to note, however, that must people are full of themselves on this.
A southern bred male of above average intelligence doesn't want to be seen as "just another hick". Maybe he's a doctor or computer programmer or whatever. Obviously smart. But deep down, he emotionally responds to Skynyrd and Def Leppard. If, however, he was to admit that, he is afraid ( and rightly so ) that his peers would see him as uncultured, maybe even slightly dumb. People are like that.
Also, don't judge people for what is a completely rational self-deception. Said example above may be "really into Tupac". Sure, whatever. I understand why you do that, and you have made some kind of choice about how to defuse the idiots around you. I may not be fooled, but I'll play along with the idea that you actually like that music.
Just don't expect me to nod and agree with your musical tastes or have any kind of conversation about their music. "HipHop" is naturally occurring Some Guy On the Internet repellant.
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