Eminem may not have been crowned Billboard’s No. 1 Rapper of All Time but fans and celebrities alike have maintained that the Detroit rapper has had a massive impact on Hip Hop culture overall.
In a bonus clip from Netflix film You People, Ezra (played by Jonah Hill) and Mo (played by comic Sam Jay) discuss their Top 5 rappers of all time on their podcast The Mo & E-Z Show.
“Alright bro, Top 5? Give it to me,” Mo asks Ezra, referring to his picks for the best lyricists of all time — “dead or alive.”
“1. JAY-Z, 2. Biggie, 3. 2Pac, 4. Nas, and 5. Eminem,” Ezra says before receiving scrutiny for his answer. “That’s in order? — Eminem though?” Mo responds before Ezra jumps to his defense.
“Why do I have to keep defending Shady?” adds Ezra. “I mean, his sole purpose is to be on other people’s tracks and murder them. I mean, ‘Renegade’? ‘Dead Wrong’?” he continues, referencing verses Em did for JAY-Z — although the original version of “Renegade” was an Eminem and Royce Da 5’9″ record — and The Notorious B.I.G. respectively.
“Dawg, he’s like, I don’t know the Larry Bird of rap,” Mo jokes, comparing Marshall Mathers to one of the greatest basketball players of all time, “the Hick from French Lick.” She continues: “You know what I mean? He’s not great. He’s great because he’s a white man in a Black man’s game.”
“That is so stupid. That might be the dumbest shit you’ve ever said to me,” concluded the Superbad actor, doubling down on his thoughts during the debate.
Meanwhile, on Thursday (February 8) Hill’s top pick for best rapper of all time, landed at the top of Billboard’s very own list.
After rolling out its list of Top 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time last month as part of a collaborative effort to celebrate Hip Hop’s 50th anniversary this year — showing love to the likes of Kanye West, André 3000, Lauryn Hill, Ice Cube, Rakim, LL COOL J and Black Thought across its No. 50 to No. 11 picks, Billboard and VIBE unveiled their final 10 selections.
Nicki Minaj, Snoop Dogg, Drake, Lil Wayne and The Notorious B.I.G. were ranked No. 10 to No. 6, in that order, while Eminem, 2Pac, Nas and Kendrick Lamar occupied the No. 5 to No. 2 slots.
Billboard argued its case by citing Hov’s commercial success, critical acclaim, cultural impact and entrepreneurial greatness, along with his “regal-scented rhymes that speak to the struggle.”
Aside from his 24 Grammy Awards, 14 No. 1 albums and 140 million record sales, it’s Jigga’s “longevity, the breadth of his accomplishments, and what he’s meant to Hip Hop from a musical, cultural and financial standpoint for the last three decades” that make him the G.O.A.T., according to the publication.
he ain’t wrong lmao
its a fact that niggas be hating on Em cuz he white, lyrically he’s better than all of them
Absolutely no one hates on him because he’s white. Like Snoop said about this subject, you can tell the history of hip hop without him. He was more of a pop star than a hip hop star, which is good for him, but he didn’t change shit about the genre. He’s a rapping ass rapping motherfucker, but it’s a fact that he sold records more because suburban white kids finally had somebody in the flesh they could emulate and relate to.
Like no one is going hey man, throw on that Lose Yourself at the barbecue. He’s got some songs that I absolutely love like Superman and Kill You and Cleaning Out My Closet, but Eminem is a pop star, and rapping was just his vehicle to become one. Even his first single, My Name Is, was some weird ass shit that did numbers on Top 40 radio more than urban radio. I don’t know why this offends white fans so much.
Maybe 20 years ago. Now, his music sucks horrendously. I’d say he leans heavier into the pop bullshit than he ever did.
I love Em’s old shit but come on.
Also the fact that he sold a bunch of records because middle class white america likes people that look like them is true, but its not his fault, nor should it be used as a reason to deny his technical ability. I think he has a spot in a 10-15 best lyricists lists for sure.
You can tell the history of hip hop without Snoop that’s for damn sure.
He had one album that anybody even listened to.
Snoop is the biggest sell out ever. He a pop star without any of the music.
Yep, you can tell the history of hip hop without someone who was the superstar of the label that defined the 90s sound. You got it bro, lol. Why we shouldn’t let some of you comment on hip hop. You make an ass out of yourself every time you do.
Some people definitely hate on Em because he’s white, and claim talent wise he can’t touch others considered in top 1, and claim he wouldn’t be considered a great if he skin was dark. With that said, you actually believe Em was the first big rapper that white suburban kids related to and bought the music? Ever heard of these little known fellas called the “beastie boys”? There are plenty of examples of non gangster hiphop that was widely popular amongst all ethnic demographics. I agree you can tell the story of hiphop without Eminem… but I’ll also say that you can tell the story of hiphop without mentioning anyone who got big after 1997 or so. You can tell the story of hiphop starting in the early 80s to late 90s and stop, and you have a good gist of everything. Hiphop wouldn’t need to have Ludacris in a story either, but I think Luda was insanely talented with very dope flows in his prime. Yes Em is rappity rap, today. He has sounded horrible to me for about 15 years. But from 98 to 2005 or so, he was extremely talented. I would however argue if you’re covering the history of hiphop, it would tough not to cover Dre and his lifespan, which would have to include 2001 and his new found success after the founding of Aftermath, which was mainly a hit only due to Eminem (the other artists didn’t see big success on his label, until 50 cent some years after Ems success, and Em brought 50 in to dre. So I’d say Em actually is an integral part of hiphop history, especially considering he broke multiple records in terms of record sales.
You can’t read.
You’re fuckin retarded if you think ‘absolutely no one’s hates on him because he’s white. You have the same old tired ass arguments. Bro who gives af if I’m not playin Eminem at a barbeque? He got nuff shit I can play in other settings like the gym and my car. It probably offends them ’cause Eminem himself took offense with being labelled a pop star which is why he dissed them.
That movie was trash
Jonah Hill, lmao. We taking input from all sides now. Going to be some dude the equivalent of him saying Post Malone is up there with the greats in 15 or 20 years.
Silent_Partner just can’t stay quiet or shut the fuck up
Man, they put rakim too low and drake too high.
Nothing from this era is top anything. Music is subjective, but this era’s music is just worse. I’ve been listening since the 80s when my Pops brought home that Message vinyl, and this shit is now what corporations think will do numbers. Like anything else that is taken out of the grass roots movement and focused more on making money, it’s going to suffer. Oversaturation and quantity over quality makes this a nonstarter to bring up anyone from the last 20 years as a top anything. The late 80s to the late 90s are the list, and you talk about who innovated the game and pushed it forward in their time with their impact. There is nothing else to innovate. It’s just a vehicle for fame and moneymaking at this point. It’s okay to say that. Like no one is comparing anyone today to the Beattles or some shit, so why would we do that with hip hop? When these whitewashed corporations come out talking about Drake and Kendrick Lamar and Nicki Minaj and shit like that, they are just embarrassing themselves further.
larry bird average 26 10 8. “larry bird” of rap…. not only does that person not know rap, doesnt know basketball either.
each to their own but damn, you can lead the horse to water but you can’t make it drink. some people can see and hear but they’re still blind and deaf. Em’s a hip-hop legend and has been a titanic force in the game since 1999…
Calm down Eminem is great😂
1. Sean Price 2. Busta Ryhmes 3.Raekwon 4. Das EFX 5. Buckshot
Let’s not forget this is a scene from a film production and its not his actual top 5.
If em only sold because he was white there’d be a lot more successful white rappers out there
When did anyone say he sold just because he was white? Boy got skills. That’s an important part of the equation. But you white people who pretend like you didn’t like him because he looked like you are hilarious. It’s no different than people who give rappers love because they’re from their city. He was the white rapper who actually could rap his ass off. No Vanilla Ice shit. No gimmick. Boy could spit. It made you proud, and you supported that shit. Your suburban friends who don’t even listen to rap supported that shit. It is what it is. Stop getting upset about it, but it doesn’t make him a top five rapper of all time.
Eminem not being number one is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. He’s on another planet compared to any rapper period. Greatest of all time without question.
Btw, for you people who get upset about this every time people tell you what it is and automatically default to it’sb because he’s white, it’s the same thing for guys like Ludacris and T.I. Ludacris especially could spit, but he didn’t innovate anything and didn’t change the game despite having certified hits and big records in his career, and I love Luda on the mike. At the end of the day though, if he never existed in the game, nothing would be different about it because he did not make any special songs taht will be played a hundred years from now, and he didn’t bring anything new to the game that others before him hadn’t done before and done just as well. Same with T.I. Eminem fits this criteria.
Blck people are just naturally jealous of anything whites do.. pay way too much attention to whites