Eminem ‘Got Away’ With Dissing Other Artists Because He’s White, Says Kurupt
Tha Dogg Pound rapper sat down for an interview with The Art of Dialogue, where he was asked about Melle Mel’s recent controversial comments about Slim Shady, who he said is only considered a top rapper because he’s white.
The Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five pioneer’s remarks came after Em was ranked No. 5 on Billboard’s Top 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time list, ahead of The Notorious B.I.G., Lil Wayne, André 3000 and others.
Kurupt initially responded by disagreeing with Melle Mel, arguing Eminem’s skills on the mic are undisputed, regardless of his race.
That’s his opinion. That’s not our opinion,” he said. “The way Dr. Dre took Eminem subject matter-wise is one thing; the way Eminem rocked — he’s a battle rapper, so he’s Hip Hop, no matter what color he is. Dr. Dre took him in this way, so that has no bearing on his skill. His skills are renowned.”
He added: “But that’s Melle Mel’s feel on it. Melle Mel is an icon of Hip Hop … Remember, he’s the original Hip Hop so Melle Mel speaks from that standpoint. For my generation, hey, Eminem is our monster. His color is irrelevant.”
However, the West Coast rap veteran — who Eminem named as one of his favorite MCs on 2002’s “‘Till I Collapse” — later acknowledged that Melle Mel was right about one thing regarding the self-proclaimed Rap God’s white privilege.
“He does have a point, Eminem being white,” he added. “He might have got away with a lot of things, like him talking about all these different artists and shit, you know what I’m saying? And not having no backlash to where he’s blackballed.
“But not from his skill. [Being] white had nothing to do with his skills. But he might have got away with a lot of things. Shit, we got away with a lot of things once we became successful! Once you’re successful, you can do whatever you fucking want, and the game accepts it because they make money off of what you’re doing, so they give you that pass.”
Eminem has ruffled plenty of feathers throughout his career, both within and beyond Hip Hop. His initial rise to stardom in the late ’90s saw him poke fun at pop culture figures like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera — most notably in his music video for “The Real Slim Shady.”
More bitter feuds followed in the 2000s, including with Ja Rule, Everlast, Canibus, Mariah Carey, Insane Clown Posse, Benzino and The Source magazine. His lauded lyrics have also been laced with shots at sitting presidents, the LGBTQ+ community and his mother Debbie Mathers and ex-wife Kim Scott.
Eminem has never shied away from acknowledging the advantage that his skin color has afforded him, though. “Let’s do the math: If I was black, I would’ve sold half/ I ain’t have to graduate from Lincoln High School to know that,” he famously rapped on 2002’s “White America.”
More bitter feuds followed in the 2000s, including with Ja Rule, Everlast, Canibus, Mariah Carey, Insane Clown Posse, Benzino and The Source magazine. His lauded lyrics have also been laced with shots at sitting presidents, the LGBTQ+ community and his mother Debbie Mathers and ex-wife Kim Scott.
Eminem has never shied away from acknowledging the advantage that his skin color has afforded him, though. “Let’s do the math: If I was black, I would’ve sold half/ I ain’t have to graduate from Lincoln High School to know that,” he famously rapped on 2002’s “White America.”
“When things started happening for me, I was getting a lot of heat, being a white rapper, and XXL wrote something about that,” he wrote. “I remember going to one of those newsstands in New York when the magazine had just started out, and I bought that and a couple of other rap magazines. I flipped to the last page first and XXL was dissing me. What the fuck?
“I don’t even know if I read the whole article — I was used to reading things like that about me — but it hurt because I felt they didn’t know me to make that kind of judgment. Coming up, I had to deal with that a lot. I wanted to be respectful because what I do is Black music. I knew I was coming into it as a guest in the house. And XXL, The Source, Rap Pages and VIBE were Hip Hop bibles at the time.”
He continued: “I understood, at the same time, everybody’s perception of a white guy coming into Hip Hop and all of a sudden things start happening for him. So, if XXL would’ve even had a conversation with me, maybe they would’ve understood me more.”
News
Rich Homie Quan’s father reveals the secret about his son’s pas/sing: It’s te:rrible!
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – JULY 16: Rapper Rich Homie Quan performs onstage during 2022 Hot 107.9 Birthday Bash at Center Parc Credit Union Stadium at Georgia State University on July 16, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images) …
The top 7 moments from Atlanta’s final party for Rich Homie Quan (video): Extremely emotional!
City and surrounding areas go up for rap legend Legendary Atlanta rapper Rich Homie Quan‘s funeral occurred at World Changers Church International in South Fulton, Georgia, on Sept. 17, one day after the release of his first posthumous track, “Song Cry.” Fans lined up…
VIDE0 – Rich Homie Quan’s mother burst into tears: “You’ve been the anchor of my life from the beginning to the very end”
Photo: Paras Griffin/Getty Images On Sept. 5, Rich Homie Quan passed away at just 34 years old. Now, nearly two weeks later, the rapper has been laid to rest in College Park, Georgia. Fans could also attend a public viewing at the World…
VIDE0: ‘I love you daddy’ | Rich Homie Quan’s children burst into tears remember their father at celebration of life
At the celebration of life at World Changers Church International, his children had a special video tribute for their father. ATLANTA — Loved ones and fans gathered on Tuesday to remember the life of Atlanta rapper Rich Homie Quan. The…
Global wealth report: Elon Musk on course to be world’s first trillionaire
Elon Musk on track to become world’s first trillionaire ( Image: Getty Images) World’s richest man Elon Musk is on track to start the four-comma club as he is set to become the planet’s only trillionaire by 2027 If fortune continues…
Liam Payne’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy in ‘sh0ck and disbelief’ upon learning the truth about Liam’s d.3.a.th
Liam Payne’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy had been in Argentina with him, but flew home a few days before the One Direction star tragically fell to his death from a hotel balcony Liam Payne’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy is still ‘in shock and disbelief’ at…
End of content
No more pages to load