same way you start listening to folk or heavy metal… get stoner friends. jk jk… i liked folk way before…
no, but the important thing to remember is that there is hip hop and rap for everyone you just need to find that one artist that grabs you and it will devour you, you will be searching for more, you wont be asking how so i start listening to hip hop, youll be asking how do i find more people with his style and why is it all computer these days? where can i find emenem before his daughter? those kinds of things. if youre into very serious story lines try immortal technique, early days.

all of a sudden when i was in third grade rap became the cool thing to listen to, so i started listening to it like all the the other kids even though i hated it (ya know, **** on the radio, from like ten yrs ago) but then got away from it when i got older and was like, **** it i’m gonna listen to music i like idc if its not cool. then a couple yrs ago my cousin got really into wu-tang and then so did i and realized what REAL hip hop was, and it just went from there.

2Mex and the Visionaries are awesome.
Back to the Q…
Well it was early 1990 and I was Eleven Years Old. Kids around my way were into Skateboarding and so they were playing tracks like Dead Kennedy’s, Public Enemy and Ice T. I hadn’t heard any of these bands/groups but I was into drawing. Then someone got those Uni Posca pens and we kinda all got tags and started poppin’ em just locally. In 1991 I started High School and kids there were into Hip Hop too. It was then I became aware of the correlation between Graffiti and Hip Hop and I’ve been in a Bizarre Love Triangle with them ever since.

my uncles started me listenin to tupac back when i was like 2 they were teenager, they arent much older than me
but my favorite rapper is juelz santana i first heard him in “oh boy” and i thought he was so fine so i went out and bought diplomatic immunity and stillmatic when i was like 12 or 13 that was my first rap cd

i started out listening to the pop rappers, like Nelly and Lil Wayne and whtever. my favorite song used to be Grillz.
then i found Y!A, and i started listening to better music.
right now, my fav is Rakim just a hair better than Nas

Murs is great.
Started listening to Hip Hop when i first heard Big Daddy Kane even though I had heard Hip Hop before.
Favorite rapper now is Rakim
Favorite album : Don’t Sweat The Technique (Let The Rhythm hit Emis second).

When I was little
Around the the time Changes -2pac R.I.P
came out
I liked it ,so I started watchin 106 and park,Rap City
I remember when AJ and Free was on there
I have alot of Fav Artists
One’s T.I.
=D

my uncles put me me on to it
my first album ur gonna laff at this
kris cross i used 2 try 2 dress backwards 2
right now im in to the people like little brother
skyzoo jean grey mos def and talib is with but i never really heard anything from him

Started during the breakdancing era as a kid in the 80’s and loving it through all it’s changes since!
Johnhttp://www.spotlighttees.com

I started listening 2 it as a little kid. the 1st rappers i REALLY started listening 2 were South Park Mexican(i grew up in H Town) & Eminem. ive loved it ever since..

i was introduced to it by a buddy (i listened to rock before)
my fave artist right now is chamillionaire and all time is tupac

In the womb, my father still has the Sugar Hill Gang record. I remember rapping to it when I was a little girl. Me and hip hop grew up together I guess.
Nas

the first hip hop album i ever owned was bone thugs n harmony east 1999 eternal..

I been listening ever since I was little. But I became a hip hop junky after I heard jay-z’s blue print

ive been listening to it since i was a little girl. . . idk

My mom and dad listen to hip hop so I grew up on it.

when i was little my ears heard that radio on that blessed day……:)
Edit: Lupe Fiasco

I WAS BORN AND RAISED IN THE GHETTO.

I started really hangin out with my cousin, and he got me into it.