Has hip-hop made a comeback in terms of uniqueness, or is it declining? Also, is bling being more emphasized than it should, and is hip-hop lacking much of important stuff such as social and political messages that the earlier artists of the genre were trying to emphasize.

Depends on what you're referring to. Hip-hop never left. RAP and Hip-hop are two separate genres. Rap continues its downward spiral. So the answer is: hell to the naw. I'm tired of people confusing the two.

I think there's a cross-over. I mean, Kanye West clearly raps in his songs

I agree Tungsten, there are a few artists that ping-pong back and forth, but for the most part, there are few artists who blur the line.

He's not very well-known, but Edan's Beauty and the Beat is one of the best rap albums I've heard in years.

It's also one of the best psychedelic albums I've heard in years (think De La Soul but trippier). And any hip-hop artist who references The Small Faces, Zombies, Blue Oyster Cult, The Pretty Things, and Black Sabbath in a song is alright with me!

love that, sonofsamiam,
edan resurrected the forces that kept me widely awake back in 2001 when i'd been listening to 2 extraordinary bastards from cannibal ox and clouddead and indispensably felt somewhat different toward that whole rap thing that otherwisely's seemed temper temper, precise and smart in his best moments but soberly, merely referring to phil collins' dumbest drumstick effects in the end.

He's not very well-known, but Edan's Beauty and the Beat is one of the best rap albums I've heard in years.

i supose your right, but i really enjoy quasimoto and mf doom stuff. especially ol dirty bastard. fantastic stuff. the album "mm..food?" by mf doom is something you should definitely check out, and madvillain's "madvillainy" is bery great as well. I would also check out quasimoto's "the further adventures of lord quaz". those are some great records.