And of course, there aren't many differing opinions about artists, are there... 8~)
I would agree that they are “artists”, but of the “con” variety. There are differing opinions in all kinds of fields. Some differences are defensible, and others aren’t. If someone wanted to claim that Mozart was a better composer than Bach, it could be reasonably argued, although I would take the Bach side. If, on the other hand, someone were to argue that Bach didn’t understand how to use counterpoint effectively in his composing, the opinion is indefensible. “Rappers” aren’t “artists” or musicians. It’s astonishing what slick marketing into a rotting culture can get people to swallow. If a rapper stood in front of you practicing his “art” it wouldn’t be all that different from the noises emanating from the primate house at the zoo.