I tend to have a habit of judging those who say the phrase, 'if it sounds good to you, then that's all it matters.'
Those who like music: If it sounds good, that's all that matters.
Those who love music: If it sounds good and makes you feel something, that's all that matters.
The average music listener doesn't care for deep interpretation or why a chord progression sounds pleasant. That's probably why they love Pop. They don't care for what's behind it. It's not about the art. Same thing about the Gangsta/Hardcore Rap genre (I would distance this from Hip Hop a bit, as the culture rose up out of a need for unity and peace, not as a means of promoting shitty themes such as hypermasculinity, oversexualing women, etc). It's not about the camaraderie amongst your fellow brothers and sisters, its just a bunch of noise screaming "Fuck bitches, get money, I'm the best, I'll kill you if I see you on the street, etc". The words crafted to spew this nonsense take away from the actual beat that are in some cases really good. Any potential artistry is lost due to the violent, fucked up nature of the genre.
However, I find a lot of the offspring from most genres are where the artistry and musicianship can. Because they aren't consumed by the masses, there's more room to be you, tell your story, and let people feel who you are.