Who said pop isn't hip-hop? It's just a matter of crossing that boundary from underground to mainstream. If you're writing your own lyrics and have a message to pass on, a story to tell, that is hip-hop. If you live what you rap, that's hip-hop.
And what I meant as they're the closest thing to 'hip-hop' nowadays is their style and delivery. In the states, I could show you artists you've never heard who's lyrical content and deliveries would blow your mind and question what the genre has become.
- Actualy Morbyd what is it the the Yanks and Chelsea, i deal with loads of them and they all seem to follow that plastic SW London team ?
