Due to the heavy repetition of rap music as a result of the genre's use of sampling techniques, Rap is often used as a good form of music for dancing (high repetition in music makes the music well suited for modern dance techniques).
Since the Rap genre has such heavy origins in freestyle performance (much in the style of Jazz improvisation), Rap music often encourages live performances as a means to display the artist's "freestyling" capabilities.
Rap's lyrical content has been known to shed light on poverty stricken ghettos. Tupac and Notorious BIG were both well known for orienting their lyrics around the poverty of the societies they grew up in.
Particularly of late, the content of Rap music has been highly debated because of its excessive use of expletives, high sexual content, and allusion to violent actions.
As the Rap and Hip Hop genres grow more alike, the music's influence on popular culture grows exponentially as well. Rap's place in American culture is undeniable today, particularly amplifying both the positive and negative affects of the music's content on America's youth.