Can Gangsta Rap Go Highbrow?

Ross pivots off of Cosby into a discussion about whether gangsta rap will become high-brow like jazz. I highly doubt it, if we mean that in the strictest sense.  I would add, though, that plenty of hip-hop already is high-brow--Tribe, De la, Common, The Roots etc. Also, I'm no so sure that some of the more quasi-gangsta cats won't make it. What about Jay-Z? He's pretty profane but he's managed to style himself as the thinking man's gangsta rapper.

What about Wu-Tang? The Rza's music has earned a certain amount of respectability beyond hip-hop circles--I almost flipped out when I heard him and then 3000 on Fresh Air.  Which brings me to Outkast, who basically started out as Southern gangsta rap? Now they're considered by some experts (meaning me) to be the greatest hip-hop group ever. I could easily see them being considered high-brow. Anyway, it's a pretty lively discussion. Feel free to chime in--or start your own over here.