I heard somewhere that the guys that make it big in rap music are really geeky types that are just imatating the thug thing.
I don't know however don't watch music videos or listen to hardcore rap.
If they have to be phony by imitation, that makes it even harder for me to accept. Even musicians, no matter what genre we talk about, can exercise a modicum of self-control even if they are pinned down by the thumb of record labels and agents.