> The omission of Hip Hop is rather startling from today's perspective (and even for the time).

That's a really good point, and well spotted. I'm amazed I hadn't noticed that being a fan of NWA et-al from that era.

[edit]

Upon further thought, I'm also wondering if there may have been objections from certain artists and/or they couldn't get contractual releases for this purpose - up until then I guess the rights were for CD/Tape/Vinyl/SACD etc, digital music may have been viewed with suspicion by some bands - e.g. Metallica. Just a thought.

As the article says, Apple bought 1 physical copy of these CDs for each iPod they pre-loaded to be on somewhat more solid legal footing. Digital rights would have had to be negotiated on a case by case basis, and at least for the Beatles records, Apple had a bad relationship with the copyright holder at the time.

Or maybe rap/hiphop just wasn't Job's bag.

But it's not beyond the possibility that given the new format (yeah I know), there were possibly contracts explicitly for certain mediums (CD/vinyl) and some artists either didn't respond to contractual updates, or just plain said "no way".

How many big caliber trend setting high society "journalists" invited to this shindig would be hiphop/rap connoisseurs you think?

   Fuck the police! Comin' straight from the underground
   A young nigga got it bad ‘cause I'm brown

might not go down well with NYTimes, publishers of "N.W.A.is deliberately provocative, and the songs on ''Straight Outta Compton'' are vicious, sexist and stupid;"

While those journalists surely would be delighted to hear their profession depicted on the Dylan CD:

   You try so hard
   But you don’t understand
   Just what you’ll say
   When you get home
 
   Because something is happening here
   But you don’t know what it is
   Do you, Mister Jones?

https://www.bobdylan.com/songs/ballad-thin-man/

That was written in 1989, but fair point; I don't think they'd started propitiating Jay-Z just yet.

Difficult to find hip-hop devoid of profanity, violence, lewdness, misogyny, or drug use (primarily marijuana, which was actively prosecuted back then).

(a) Not THAT difficult; there were always alternatives and (b) what exactly do you think "Mr. Tambourine Man" on the Dylan CD was about?