For the last 10 years, I lived joyfully unexposed to mainstream radio garbage, guided to be blissfully ignorant by the hipster culture of my hometown.

Yet before I came to Chico, I was far more aware of good hip-hop and rap. I was raised by Tech N9ne, and although you and I could debate for hours on who the throne belongs to, I’m fairly certain he’s the most skilled rapper to ever exist.

I listened to a lot of Jurassic 5, Non Phixion, N.W.A, some Wu Tang, 2Pac, Biggie, De La Soul and the lot growing up, so I know good hip-hop.

So when I got to Chico, I had to ask what in God’s name is a YG? People actually listen to “My Nigga” unironically, the song a few buddies and I covered as “My Nipple” (with a hundred Soundcloud downloads)?

It was astonishing to discover that people exist that enjoy Drake as an actual artist. Drake made a sappy romantic album a couple years ago. Everyone was saying he was soft, and now that he’s acting hard, everybody is bumping him. The dude is softer than a Dairy Queen cone.

When did listeners, as fans of hip-hop, begin accepting thug-ass bars from artists who grew up wealthy?

It’s not that these artists can’t make party music — that’s all they’re good for. It’s when people actually believe they’re good artists that the delusions begin.

Travi$ Scott is making great, unique music, but he’s a weak rapper. And how are people hyped about Young Thug’s new irrelevant album? Auto-tune used to be criticized exhaustingly, except when Yeezy would expressively channel it, and now it’s the accepted norm.

On a related note, Flo Rida’s “double entendre, double entendre” is the worst rap line in the history of the universe. Ever.

Also, Waka Flocka for president 2016.

William Rein can be reached at [email protected] or @toeshd on Twitter.