50 Cent has responded to Melle Mel’s claims of Eminem only being named a top 5 rapper in Hip Hop history by Billboard because of his skin color.
In a now-deleted post, 50 took to Instagram on Sunday (March 5) to defend the man who he feels is one of the main people responsible for him becoming one of the biggest artists in Hip Hop history.
“There was more money selling dope than being in Hip Hop when Melly [misspelling Melle] Mel was popping, the culture has grown so much.” 50 cent said. “I am not sure if it would be what it is today with out artist like Eminem. Shit I am not sure I would be who I am with out him but you know it is competitive so n-ggas gonna hate. LOL fuck outta here ! We sucker free.”
On a recent appearance of The Art Of Dialogue podcast, the 61-year-old Hip Hop legend spoke with host Mighty Bolton about Eminem’s No. 5 placement on Billboard’s recent list of the Top 50 Rappers of All Time.
Melle Mel, who’s No. 48 on the list, began: “Obviously he’s a capable rapper. If you was talking about sales, he’s sold more than everybody. If you were talking about rhyme style, okay he got a rhyme style. But he’s white. He’s white!
“So now if Eminem was another n-gga like all the rest of us, would he be Top 5 on that list when a n-gga that could rhyme just as good as him is 35? That had records and all that? He’s 35. He’s white.”
He continued: “And anybody could be as mad … They could feel how they wanna feel. If you don’t think that race plays a part in the equation of how great he is — I heard one of the dudes that’s down with him, Royce Da 6’9″ [mislabelling Royce Da 5’9″] or one of those – I heard he’s just as good as Eminem. Why he ain’t as big as Eminem? Because he’s Black! Ain’t none of that shit hard to figure out. Eminem gets a top spot because he’s white.”
It’s unclear whether or not Melle Mel was referring to Future, who’s ranked No. 35 on the list when he elaborated on the specific number.
Melle Mel isn’t the only rapper who’s provided a scathing opinion about the controversial list.
In a recent interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, Lil Wayne claimed he was the best rapper ever, scoffing at his N0. 7 placement on the list.
“Man, who the hell is before me? Was the list including all Hip Hop, like before and after as well? I can deal with that,” he said. “I will tell you that I am a muthafucking one. Everybody whose names you named, they also know I’m number one. Go ask ’em. They know what it is.”
Weezy further cemented his bold stance on his DMX-sampled single “Kant Nobody” which dropped last month.
“Best rapper, ex-trapper, dress dapper/ Swizzy gave me a head-banger, a neck-snapper/ X factor, make a rapper an example/ All I need is a beat with a DMX sample,” Weezy raps.
Ice Cube, who was No. 18 on the list, told TMZ Hip Hop last month that he doesn’t associate with Billboard and could care less about the list.
“Who?” he questioned when the reporter brought up the list. “I don’t fuck with Billboard or the editor. Billboard ain’t Hip Hop so their opinion don’t matter. So who gives a fuck?”
“It’s an irrelevant list,” he continued. “It’s like assholes: everybody got one and they all stink.”
50 deleted the comment.. sounds like Mel goons got the nigga shook
50 deletes his posts all the time, dummy 😂
DX auto correcting THATS A FIRST
if there was no em absolutely nothing would be lost would be a lot less vultures but evenually they woulda found anoher great w hype
#ShutYoDumbAssUp
Bro, that’s like saying if there was never a 50 cent someone would’ve just replaced him. A lot would be lost without Em. Dres 2001 would’ve likely flopped. Dre wouldn’t have been so strong with Aftermath. 50 wouldn’t have teamed up with Dre, which means the Ja rule beef would’ve never extended to Eminem. Em has tons of history that shaped the future of hiphop, including helping to sign one of histories other top selling hiphop artists. And you ain’t gonna tell me Em didn’t sound better than JayZ on Renegade. Any dude that can even match Jay on a song is good.
Dre’s 2001 would have flopped? Just stop…
Okay, well Compton completely flopped. Maybe if Dre didn’t have Mel Man, who is rarely mentioned when discussing hiophop history. I’m a huge dre fan. He has two plus complete flops, 2 solid albums. Chronic and 2001. Both dope. Dr Dre Presents The Aftermath was garbage as a whole.. he didn’t find any true success with Aftermath UNTIL he signed Eminem. Before Em, Dres Aftermath was essentially about to fail and be blackballed by Interscope records. Compton by Dre was not a solid album at all. Not good. Best song Imo that gave me a true hiphop vibe was Talking To My Diary. Solid beat. Solid verse. Album is so forgettable that it hurt to listen. So don’t tell me 2001 would been a hit if Dre didn’t fine Em.
Don’t tell you 2001 would’ve been a hit if Dre didn’t find Eminem? I can tell you, 2001 WOULD’VE BEEN A HIT WITH OR WITHOUT EMINEM. Mind you, Eminem only appeared on 2 songs and you act like his appearance made a whole difference when it didn’t matter. The talent that album had along with the production alone was gonna be successful. You’re obviously an Eminem dick rider ball grabber, so when you’re done sicking him off you can reply…
Eminem is meme rap that went too far. Melle Mel is a milestone. 50 Cent is a stupid n’ aka the godfather of mumble rap.
#ShutYoDumbAssUp
That’s like saying if Larry Bird was black he wouldn’t be a great player. Whatever happened to just giving props where it’s due, like a G? Melle Melle, go put a shirt on and act like an adult. Dude always been on his hiphop high horse like he’s the end-all be-all of hiphop. When’s the last time he put out a record? I’m familiar with his old stuff, and yes, he’s an all time great too, but it’s based on his importance to the culture not really his skills. There are rappers from his era and neighborhood that were better than him and don’t get recognized. Kool Moe Dee, Busy-B, just to name a couple. So why is he so insecure then? I’m not even an Em fan like that, but it’s just silly to act like he’s not one of the nicest MCs ever, race having nothing to do with it. His whiteness might have helped his sales but we’re just talking about skills here. Rappers been complaining about Em’s ‘privilege’ for 25 years now, but in that time how many other rappers have done what Em did? Zero. So it can’t just be luck and white privilege. Peace.
Well said man lol my answer back to Melle is if Em was black he would’ve been number 1 on the list. Just imagine a black rapper with Em’s music profile? even Rakim said “If Eminem was black, he would be the next Muhammad Ali”
Great points but Melle Mel much better than busy bee and it’s about even and very close when you compare Mell to KMDee. As far as the culture goes the MESSAGE says it all with probably one of the best tunes ever towards the end: A child was born with no state of mind, blind to the ways of man kind….🔥🔥🔥🔥
Doesn’t matter what you say, race played a huge role in Eminem’s popularity. Doesn’t matter who co signed him, his white fan base is what has sustained him throughout his career. To prove my point here’s a quote from your boy Eminem… “Let’s do the math, if I was black, I would’ve sold half. I aint have to graduate from Lincoln high school to know that.” – Eminem
Except, every artist’s white fanbase is what’s buying over 75% of their albums… If you look at the crowed at these artists concert, they are mostly white.. So, him being white plays a part in his popularity… but His Pen Game is better than EVERYBODY on this list and I can honestly say that it is not even close…
Em being white has definitely giving him certain advantages that black rappers aren’t able to get. But still even with that being said he is easily one of the best to ever do it, in terms of his ability to rap, song make, quality of his albums, his lyrical ability. I’ve never been a fan of his subject matter, at times I thought some of it was too childish and immature for me personally. He’s easily a top 5 guy
The advantage being that nobody wanted to sign him, Dre was warned not to, and all the adversity of being a white hiphop artists fueled the flames. The success isn’t and never was due to being white. It was because he was more shocking than NWA, pushing the envelope like South Park did in the day, and the fact that he was white made it even crazier because no white rapper had seen the same success , aside from beastie boys. But totally different eras of hiphop. And beastie boys were seen as socially acceptable by media and such.
Bro Wtf. U hit the nail on the head. You’re elaborating was top G ish because u right on all accounts. It was the perfect storm at the right time
And this exemplifies what he’s talking about. White people who rarely listened to rap if at all, only brought into the Eminem hype because of the sole fact that he was white! His sales, impacted by the fans who saw this and he was marketed as a gimmick by Dre to make money. He’s a talented MC, but most of his music is trash.
If you’re going to mention The Beastie Boys, then you have to throw in Vanilla Ice, who had the first #1 rap record on the Billboard Pop Chart — Ice Ice Baby.
Never been a fan of Eminem and Mel is a legend but I would have to say if Eminem is only a success because he’s white I would have to ask where are the other white rappers at? Surely a label would have been able to duplicate some of the success of Eminem with a white rapper.
Dere wadnt no issue wit Melle opinion except, wen da n*gga sed “Royce Da 6’9.” Nah, now dats it! Melle is outta here! U can’t compare no underground artist to da reigning King of NY n lyrical mastermind dat is King Tekashi! Was wrong wit n’ggaz in da game dese dayz!
Black people being racist af and no one calling them Out mel melly racist af he ome of them people that think only black people should be involved in rap/hiphop u just mad a white guy didnt it better
And this exemplifies what he’s talking about. White people who rarely listened to rap if at all, only brought into the Eminem hype because of the sole fact that he was white! His sales, impacted by the fans who saw this and he was marketed as a gimmick by Dre to make money. He has some dope songs but his style is elementary at best.
Eh. I’d put Em with the greats. I can’t stomach any Em music made between 2010 and 2023… but 1998 to 2006 or so was solid. He was easily going toe to toe, if not being the main attraction to any song he was on that had other artists we all consider to be legends of hiphop. Also pushed the boundary so hard that he made NWA look tame, and that was ground breaking to some extent, as it wasn’t just pro-active for zero reason, it also had introspective and relatable stories. Not my cup of tea, but neither is Nas or Biggie. Yet I admit they’re solid. I’m more of a Big Pun, Pac, and DMX type of guy. To each their own, but the only reason I’d even humor the idea that being white is a big deal for Eminems success is because being white at that time was ground breaking to be considered so great, and not just a gimmick. Even Dr Dre talks about how he was warned NOT to sign Em because he had white skin and blue eyes. Well guess what? Part of the adversity of being told he couldn’t due to his ethnicity is a reason he killed it so hard.
And this exemplifies what he’s talking about. White people who rarely listened to rap if at all, only brought into the Eminem hype because of the sole fact that he was white! His sales, impacted by the fans who saw this and he was marketed as a gimmick by Dre to make money. He’s a talented MC, but most of his music is trash.
You are very good at repeating yourself. Why the hate and sweeping comments? I am white and enjoyed rap before I’d heard of Eminem. People for some reason seem to associate success as bad somehow. He didn’t instantly become a radio favorite topping the charts. Most stations hated him initially. And this was when radio was still actually important. He’s a proven lyricist (show me otherwise), has his own unique style, came up from nothing, and ultimately helped bring music to a wider audience. Some of his music is trash, some of it is truly amazing. Not to mention he has helped elevate musicians of all races to a higher level by pushing for them. As many have said, if race was the biggest factor, why don’t we have ton’s of huge white rappers flooding the market? You don’t need to be a fan of him to understand how talented he is. That is what One Love is getting at.
An artist’s significance can be measured by his followers. While you can lead back everybody from Mos Def to KRS to Melle Mel, who is Eminem followed by? Logic with his zero voice? Tyler, the Creator, the fake Satanist pop rapper? NF, the copy-paste cat? MGK, who found out pop punk is more lucrative for him? And 50? Thank God, no one follows him.
Eminem has been in the rap game for many years now, but I have NEVER heard ANYBODY in ANY hood ANYWHERE beating the block with his music. EVER. I’m sure it plays in other parts of town, but no cred in the hood. 50 cent and Dre figured out how to market/sell to a larger white audience & get that bag. End of story.
Where’s the lie? Eminem has been in the rap game for many years now, but I have NEVER heard ANYBODY in ANY hood ANYWHERE beating the block with his music. EVER. I’m sure it plays in other parts of town, but no cred in the hood. 50 cent and Dre figured out how to market/sell to a larger white audience & get that bag. End of story.
I grew up in Chicago when Em first came out. I was about 16-17 years old. Em’s music was everywhere. So, where his videos, which were hilarious.
Where’s the lie? Eminem has been in the rap game for many years now, but I have NEVER heard ANYBODY in ANY hood ANYWHERE beating the block with his music. EVER. I’m sure it plays in other parts of town, but no cred in the hood. 50 cent and Dre figured out how to market/sell to a larger white audience & get that bag. End of story.
Same thing I said on that post Mellie said salty as phuck,… GTFOH!!! But what’s so bad, I like his status as a forefather, but the comment is silly and uncalled for, makes him look bad in the younger generations eyes. If a diss came from these statements no one will argue his point.
I agree wholeheartedly.
I agree wholeheartedly.
Nothing but truth from Melle Mel. First of all, nobody kisses ems nuts as hard as fitty, so theres that that. But, yeah, caucasians are propped up because of their race, and thats been a thing for decades., and not just in hiphop, but sports and other entertainment also We used to just give them a pass, kinda like the caucasian that would survive the apollo audience simply because they had the audacity to perform for a black audience, nevermind the fact, they had no talent but we’re tired of that. We gonna hold caucasian artists to the same standard we hold black artists to. And in that regard, if em was black with his lyrics, flow, and delivery would be middle of the road. Yeah, he got bars, but who doesnt on those lists. His subject matter is what limits him. And being caucasian allows him to get the preferential treatment, caucasians tend to get. And anybody claiming otherwise is a liar and they know it. But since caucasians so used to getting a pass from us, they wanna get butthurt when we stop kissing their asses. All I can say is get used to it. The double standard days are OVER
You’re full of shit…not a single artist…past or present, can match Em’s wordplay…NO ONE…and its not even close…anyone that argues that simply doesn’t KNOW…let someone sit you down and point out his wordplay … metaphors so sick, with double and triple entendre’s…and im NOT the biggest Em fan…to me, Krayzie Bone is the goat, based on sales, longevity, relevance, and impact…(STILL dropping 🔥, been in the game 30 years, owns a Grammy, and its easy to hear the Bone influence in so many that have come after him, and up and coming artists)…
No, YOU’RE full of shit. Wordplay is subjective, son. His wordplay is average. His dexterity is above average. But, again, he’s given more weight because of his race and standards set low for caucasian artists that he easily exceeds. See, in my opinion Krayzie isnt on Ems level, but you think he the greatest. So, what does that tell you? And as for hiphop knowledge and history, I held a mic cord back in 77′, so you’re out of your league when it comes to critiquing, categorizing, and evaluating mc’s. kats like em stood on the shoulders of greats. Could he have came out in Rakims time and be as creative with his trailer park blues? I seriously doubt it. Thats one reason, Nobody that came out after 95 ranks in MY top ten. But, the only reason em is ranked as high as he is, is because he’s caucasian, and not for anything else. And we’ve seen example after example of caucasian artists getting passes and put on lists just because of who’s voting. One more thing: There are people commenting about black artists praise for EM. Fact is, they only doing that to avoid alienating pink fans. People do that ish all the time. Thats particularly why fitty kisses his asz so hard. Dude, actually said em was the only rapper he feared. WHAT?! Only a pvssy would say some ish like that about, or dik ride, ANY rapper, UNLESS, its self serving.
If Em were black he’d be Crooked I, a nigga struggling to keep himself afloat because WE don’t support our artists like white fans do.
Eminem record sales is off da chain because of Dr Dre cosigned he is skilled but nobody bumps Eminem in da hood really 🤦🏼 street dudes bump Mobb Deep Nwa 2pac Biggie Bone thugs Mop but not Em 4sure….
Imagine a bunch of white rappers saying, let’s say, that Kendrick is only on top of the list because he’s black. Imagine the outcry.. their music would be removed from streaming services, their labels would drop them, complete cancellation of their careers. This way around it’s *kosher*.
1.Tupac 2.Ice Cube 3.E-40 4.JayZ 5.LL Cool J….my personal list….
All I got to say is this, Rap God.
Melle Mels needs to go back and listen to Ems early work. Dude is talented and a great rapper. Though being white did help with his popularity and sales
No Disrespect to Em because he is one of the Greats lyricist wise, but a lot of those guys don’t have any business being before,Tupac, Biggie, DMX, RAKIM, KRS One, ice Cube, LL Cool J, Black Thought, Nas and others, Billboards ain’t Hip Hop real shit, it’s not about the Money and the albums sold, it’s about the impact of these individual’s music to the Community and that’s Hip Hop
No Disrespect to Em because he is one of the Greats lyricist wise, but a lot of those guys don’t have any business being before,Tupac, Biggie, DMX, RAKIM, KRS One, ice Cube, LL Cool J, Black Thought, Nas and others, Billboards ain’t Hip Hop real shit, it’s not about the Money and the albums sold, it’s about the impact of these individual’s music to the Community and that’s Hip Hop
If Em was black he’d be the entire top 5. Put him in a battle with smelly smell and he’d rip him a new a hole. Tell old racist dinosaur to sit down, stfu and eat his porridge.
“But he’s white. He’s white!” but its ok. what if i said “But he’s black. He’s black.” one way road with this shiiit.
Em would cook Melle on his worse day. GTFOH.