Hi Taike,
If we are not copying some one and we feel we are just playing our own thing then we need to take another look. I bet if we never ever listen to a note of music, we would be making some kind of mumbling sounds with not much meaning.

As a studying working guitarist I love Johnny Smith playing. His Moonlight in Vermont was out-of-site. Never studies any of his arrangements. Years later I found that I playing guitar with his flavor. The same for guitarist Tony Mattola. I listened for hours and never studied their playing.

So who did the Rap people listen to??

John C.