Music or No?

I have thought long on this topic, and have sought much counsel from other musicians, "G's", random people, and the other voices in my head, about whether or not Rap can be considered music. And assuming that it is, can it grow past its current stage, or is it bound to mix with other genres and styles of music and then die out? The latter of the two queries we will all have to wait and see, but in the mean time, I would say, "Fo.Sho." Generally rap uses one or more set beats, lyrics(obviously), and a melody and possibly a harmony. The melody and harmony, as well as the rhythm, may be taken from songs of other styles. Funk and Soul are generally the ones chosen but this is not always the case. Back to the point, Rap has the three major elements of music a melody(lyrical and/or instrumental), a harmony(generally instrumental), and a set rhythm. I guess this is only technicality and some would argue that music needs to have more qualifiers than that but I'll leave that to another post; and another day.

Goodnight, and Godspeed.