What happened to hip-hop?

First of all, I gotta say, "Amen, Chuck!" I'm totally with you. The advent of West Coast rap in the late 80s/early 90s brought about a much more laid back style and while it seemed cool for awhile, the long term effects are abundantly evident now that the same tired R&B and funk samples have been rehashed over and over by "artists" who've pobably never even heard the originals. Now, it's clear that most rappers can't rap anymore. They talk rather than using the cadence of their voice as an instument. Anyone can talk, but is that really rap? It seems these days that hip-hop is too long on the hip and too short on the hop.