Rap is great, unfortuneately the only people that make it to TV are the people with connections or fat loads of cash, which narrows the music played immensely. 50Cent and Eminem are big because Dr. Dre gave them the means to promote themselfs. P.Diddy through B.I.G., Ginuwine through P.Diddy, Lil Wayne through Master P., the list goes on. That's not to say that people don't actually like any of the music, but the fact is that there is far better music to choose from out there, and it's also hard to find.
The only thing you can do to expose rap is collect, I've got 300+ rap albums and I know there's a crap load more of it floating around. I have a somewhat outdated list of my music collection on my site below, it's a good way to get yourself familiar with what's out there that you've never heard before.
Rap is almost all I listen to, but I don't enjoy any of the rap that promotes ignorance in any form other than comedy. Statements such as "Money Hoe's'n'cloths" or "Your not gettin nothing but'a blunt and'a mouth fulla ding'a'lang" are hillarious when they mix in with a song, and ment to be. I like bands like Days Of the New, Collective Soul, Incubus, Evesance(sp), Creed and other music like that as well. Saying rap is just "idiots trying to write poetry" is a completely false statement though, music is entertainment and if rap dosen't entertain you then it simply isen't for you.
Slandering an art form becuase you don't like it meaningless crap, rude and childish.