I'm italian.
Never listened to Andrea Bocelli.
I grew up on Gang Starr and UGK tho.
I studied Hip Hop through records, live shows, books, magazines and websites.
I LIVED it, in a country where most people doesn't even understand it.
You feel like Hip Hop it's more yours than ours, and it's only right. But you should at least respect our opinion, being a foreigner might mean even more dedication to the subject.