Does that also bother you about Depeche Mode, Beck, or any number of non-rap artists who use them? And what about rap artists who use ::gasp:: live bands?
I’ve yet to see a valid argument as to why a drum machine is not a musical instrument. If a Moog synth, or a monophonic Arp synth, which creates completely electronic, artifical sounds, is an instrument, then a drum machine pretty much has to be one. And if you’re going to say that synths create musical tones, then drums aren’t instruments either.
Do you people think these sounds just pop out of the drum machine unbidden? Where do you think they come from?
In your world, does “different” equal “inferior”? What about rap artists from the Caribbean who use Caribbean beats? How about rappers who have an amazing ability to engage in polyrhythm (as compared to the backbeat) while they rap?
How about the enormous variety of Top 40 bands who use live drummers, but essentially the same drum pattern, strum patterns and guitar chords?