*yawn*

"Hip-hop" is a commercial buying class that has co-opted its listeners into think they're apart of some unique culture and indentity which allows them to accept the fact that they're clued into to some aspect of society that everyone else isn't.
Listen to yourself.
"you're supposed to take this lifestyle serious"
Is it merely a lifestyle? or entertainment?
You tell me.
At the end of the day, all these guys are is actors in the booth. None of them are making music solely to tell stories..otherwise, they'd be authors. They're not out here doing 95% of the shyt they rap about and they damn sure never did it.
Real gangsters...don't rap.
Remember that. They're too busy doing OTHER shyt.
And yes, selling records is what THE MUSIC INDUSTRY does. Its a business. Its a profit seeking industry.
If you want to listen to "real rap"...go ahead...but hating on "pop" music (short for POPULAR) only makes you sound like someone without much of an identity yourself, yet you seem to think you're showing everyone else how "cultured" and "aware" you are.
Please tell me what rap is "supposed" to be about. I'd love to hear your spin on essentially speaking melodically over an instrumental.
I get it.
You claim to want "substance" or something in your music. Fine. Go seek it. But don't act like you hold claim to the entirety of music. If you want to nikkas who don't make any money in their craft, go patronize them.
This is how the market works.
Deal with it.