Chuck D has come to the defense of Melle Mel after he received backlash for recent comments about Eminem and Kendrick Lamar.
The Public Enemy leader took to Twitter on Sunday (March 5) to offer an explanation for Melle Mel’s critiques of Em and K. Dot. According to Chuck, the Furious Five MC was a dominant force in Hip Hop’s early years, and so he knew what it took to be the best.
Chuck D also compared Melle Mel to NBA Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain, who was one of the most dominant players in the NBA at the time of his career.
“Understand Melle Mel was so dominant over the rest of the pack in the first 5 years of records its hard to comprehend for born after MC folk,” he wrote. “Its why i call him Wilt Chamberlain and Wilt had a crate of critiques for the rappers after him including ME. Just Let Mel be Wilt lol.”
Chuck D’s defense comes after Melle Mel claimed Eminem is only a Top 5 rapper in the game because of the color of his skin. During an interview with The Art of Dialogue last week, Mel argued that race played a role in the Detroit rap icon claiming the No. 5 spot on Billboard’s 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time List — ahead of the likes of Biggie, Lil Wayne, Ice Cube, Rakim and LL COOL J.
“Obviously he’s a capable rapper,” Mel said. “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.”
The Hip Hop pioneer also questioned the impact and influence of Kendrick Lamar, who was crowned the second greatest rapper of all time by Billboard, behind JAY-Z. According to Melle Mel, the Pulitzer Prize-winner is a capable lyricist and has made some good songs, but he “[doesn’t] translate into the street part of Hip Hop.”
“I don’t know what records he made like that,” he said. “I might know one or two of them, but I don’t think you even hear Kendrick in the club like that.”
He added: “Nobody wants to rap like Kendrick Lamar. Nobody wants to rap like Eminem. A lot of people wanted to rap, like ‘Pac and Biggie.”
Over the weekend, 50 Cent weighed in on the debate and defended Eminem, who he feels is one of the main people responsible for both himself and Hip Hop becoming such successful and culturally dominant forces.
“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 wrote on Instagram. “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.”
Black Americans get extremely jealous when they see a successful white person. It’s a woman’s trait but that’s what happens when ur cmmunity is raised by single woman
And who removed the father from the black family? The jews made it so that single black mothers get better benefits. They removed the father figure, then the jews that control the music industry introduced gangsta rappers as role models / father figures to look up to. And here we are.
Start learning to take accountability and responsibility for your own lives.. so ur easily that manipulated as a whole race? Lol no ur community is just deadbeats.. fix ur issues like men and woman and stop blaming other races for ur fuck ups!
Start learning to take accountability and responsibility… so your whole race is that easily manipulated? No ur community is just filled with deadbeats.. learn to take accountability and stop blaming other people for your fuck ups
You’re in murky water mentioning the scapegoat guinea pig cult aka jaze who run the majority of our REALM.
Thanks for your input, white hood. Take care, now.
Smh. To the L guy or girl, just be thankful for the Internet. It’s the only thing keeping you from getting your ass whipped.
Type your name & address in the comment box and we’ll see who has feminine traits.
Oh another racist black man pops up
Tell us you don’t know what racism is without telling us you don’t know what racism is, Dummy.
No Defending this dude.
Chuck didn’t have to defend Mel here. Mel said it and he has to stand on it. Can’t keep defending stupid shi..
Yo Chuck, didn’t Wilt Chamberlain have to go up against Bill Russell?
How did that work out for him fam? Bill Russell 11 rings, Wilt 2, wrong
comparison.
Did Bill Russell score 100 pts in a game. He said he was the most dominant force on the court. Wasn’t talking about being on a winning team. Read and pay attention next time son.
Let’s talk facts and nothing else. Is Eminem better than Biggie, Wayne, 3000, Scarface or 50. The gap is so wide it’s almost laughable. I bought every Eminem album going back to the Infinite days and Em is someone I root for. He’s not a top 5 rapper. Objectively speaking he’s top 25-30 which is great to be honest. Jada, Cam, Kiss, Common, Mos Def aren’t top 5 but that doesn’t mean they aren’t great in their own right. It’s not too late for Em but he needs to ditch Dre and link with a Producer like Alchemist, Madlib, HitBoy and make a cohesive album.
Em will NEVER ditch Dre. Dre is the one who put him on in the first place! That would destroy any loyalty they have!
Let’s talk facts and nothing else. Is Eminem better than Biggie, Wayne, 3000, Scarface or 50. The gap is so wide it’s almost laughable. I bought every Eminem album going back to the Infinite days and Em is someone I root for. He’s not a top 5 rapper. Objectively speaking he’s top 25-30 which is great to be honest. Jada, Cam, Kiss, Common, Mos Def aren’t top 5 but that doesn’t mean they aren’t great in their own right. It’s not too late for Em but he needs to leave Dre and link with a Producer like Alchemist, Madlib, HitBoy and make a cohesive album.
Literally nothing you said was a fact, champ. It was literally all opinion. There’s no hard data to suggest that Wayne, Biggie, Stacks, Face or 50 (50?!?!? LOL!) is better than Eminem. It’s merely a matter of your opinion. You clearly prefer a particular lane of rap; one that Eminem doesn’t occupy. And that’s fine, but it doesn’t make your preference a fact. That said, I do agree that Em isn’t top 5. I’d place him in my top 11-15. But that’s just my OPINION.
When are we all going to stop falling for the B.S. These list are always going to be controversial, because there’s always going to be a difference of opinion. Let’s just celebrate that something we all love has lasted 50 years.
When are we all going to stop falling for the B.S. These list are always going to be controversial, because there’s always going to be a difference of opinion. Let’s just celebrate that something we all love has lasted 50 years.
When are we all going to stop falling for the B.S. These list are always going to be controversial, because there’s always going to be a difference of opinion. Let’s just celebrate that something we all love has lasted 50 years.
It’s okay guys… Black people can’t be racist because of slavery remember? It’s impossible. Nick Cannon in 2020 – “When you have a person that has the lack of pigment, the lack of melanin, they know that they will be annihilated. So therefore, however they got the power, they have the lack of compassion — melanin comes with compassion, melanin comes with soul. The people that don’t have [melanin] are a little less.” Never got cancelled. Never lost his job.
Where was the lie?
Yeah, blacks shoot blacks only because they argue about who got more compassion and soul
Fact: More whites voted for THEIR favorite rap artist.. like when Obama won.. blacks only represent 12% of America, we can’t win without their votes.. sorry, but these are the numbers!
Ah no not this African American get jealous not all of us the same that’s go to show u how much you no about black American keep learning ur off hmm
Em will NEVER ditch Dre! He’s the one who put Em on the map in the first place!
How the fuck does he walk around the street looking like that without getting a wedgie? This man looks like a whole homosexual! LOL
Dinosaur defending a dinosaur. Yawn
No Dinosaurs, no homosapiens. They made come off to you as old, senile and/or disconnected but you’re acting like a child disrespecting his granddaddy at the family reunion. You can disagree and may not even know what these men are truly about, but let’s respect them. No Melle, no Chuck, no Eminem to even defend.
Melle Mel need to stop EM probed he’s me of the best rappers white or black …tell me other than the top 5 list who can rap the same or better than EM?!?!??? As he claims it’s cuz he’s who’re that he’s in the top 5 …im waiting do those rappers ??!?!??
Well that made sense lmao
What is this ridiculous obsession with streets and clubs? This is getting too hilarious to be entertaining.
What is this ridiculous obsession with streets and clubs? This is getting too hilarious to be entertaining.
What is this ridiculous obsession with streets and clubs? This is getting too hilarious to be entertaining.
Uhhh Jay Z is not the best rapper of all time hahahaha. Phife, Rakim, qtip, mos, common, nas, pharoahe, ALL better than Jay
A washed up dinosaur defending a washed up dinosaur
You need a wash up cornflake. Stick to a subject you know something about because it’s obvious you don’t…
All Chuck is saying is that Melle Mel is the forefather of all this shit and to best not forget. That man can say whatever he wants to. If you use the words Hip-Hop, MC or the phrase “yes, yes y’all” or listen to or write/record/rap reality rap or raps telling a story, then you’re automatically paying homage to that man everyday. Not washed up if their impact carries out this far. I don’t agree with him one bit but I’m not the kind of man who’s gonna tolerate letting my kids disrespect their grandparents at a family reunion no matter how little they know about them, no matter how old, out of touch or angry they come off. Without them, there is no US. Let that man go on. He’s Triple OG and there’s nothing else to say about it.
It’s crazy to see so much antiblackness enter any conversation about Hip Hop. It’s not a surprise. Just crazy to experience. Music is subjective. Never take any lists or competition of it too seriously. Like what you like, support who you choose.