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Melle Mel has addressed to criticism of his remarks on Lil Wayne, Kendrick Lamar, and Eminem.
In a recent Art of Dialogue interview, the legendary rapper from Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five stirred up controversy by asserting that Em isn’t among the top five rappers because he’s white, Weezy can’t be the best rapper because he uses Auto-Tune, and no one wants to rap like Kendrick or Em.
50 Cent called out Melle Mel for his remarks against Eminem, telling her to “fuck outta here,” while Fat Joe and Papoose also defended Slim Shady, albeit in a more polite manner.
In a new video for his Hip Hop Corner podcast, Melle Mel responded to all the commotion surrounding his take on Billboard’s list of the Top 50 Rappers of All Time.
“Melle Mel has nothing against nobody in Hop Hop,” he began while lifting weights in the gym. “I’ve been in Hip Hop for 40 years. Very competitive, really have nothing against nobody. I’m not jealous of nobody, I’m not intimidated by anybody or anything, and I’m not bitter. I just come across as I come across ’cause I’m a man and I say what I say, and when I say what I say, basically, I mean what I say.”
He continued: “Everything that I said, that I commented on, it was to comment on what he wrote and who he put on this said list. And I think Billboard is not known for Hip Hop, of course, they’re known for records. So obviously, Billboard is more leaning toward guys that made records, compared to guys like myself that put in all the time in Hip Hop.
“We’re responsible for the genre. We’re the biggest influences in the genre, and if you ask anybody that knows anything about true Hip Hop, they will tell you that. If you ask anybody that calls themselves an MC, they will be the first to tell you that there is no modern day rap or Hip Hop of that nature if it wasn’t for Grandmaster Flash, if it wasn’t for the Furious Five, if it wasn’t for Melle Mel, if it wasn’t for [Keef] Cowboy.”
He added: “Like I said, the word ‘Hip Hop’ came from my crew.”
Melle Mel addresses backlash over his comments about Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and Lil Wayne. pic.twitter.com/OQjnJ0sjOY
— The Art Of Dialogue (@ArtOfDialogue_) March 8, 2023
“Onto the white elephant in the room, ‘Melle Mel said that Eminem is only number five on the list because he was white,’” he said. “And I guess that started the uproar. Everybody’s just so angry that I would say that. I’ve even been branded a racist, which is neither here nor there because that’s almost impossible.
“I’ve been playing for all different kinds of people all my life. That is so far off-kilt that I don’t understand. But Eminem made a record, I guess the album was ‘White America’ or the record was ‘White in America,’ where he said he wouldn’t be as popular if he wasn’t white.”
Eminem positioned himself below Redman, JAY-Z, 2Pac, Biggie, André 3000, Jadakiss, Kurupt, and Nas, Melle Mel subsequently pointed out.
“Moving on from that fact, he also in another record, ‘Till I Collapse,’ named maybe five or six individuals and he put himself behind these five or six individuals. And I had said that he wouldn’t be in the top five other than the fact that he was white, but then he said that.
“So now my point, and it’s very simple, if he basically said what I said, we said very similar things, how could what he say not be racist but then what I said was racist? In other words, if he’s right for saying what he’s saying, then the only reason that I could be wrong is that I’m Black and I said it.”
Eminem positioned himself below Redman, JAY-Z, 2Pac, Biggie, André 3000, Jadakiss, Kurupt, and Nas, Melle Mel subsequently pointed out.
“I have nothing against nobody, I have nothing against Kendrick Lamar, I have nothing against Lil Wayne,” he said. “I have nothing against any rapper that ever lived because I know what I did for the culture, what my crew and era did for the culture, it eclipses what anybody could ever say they have done for the culture.”
