In an interview with The Art of Dialogue, Tha Dogg Pound rapper Kurupt suggested Eminem “got away” with dissing so many other artists because he’s white.
In the clip, which can be seen above, Kurupt was asked for his thoughts on Melle Mel’s criticism of Billboard putting Em No. 5 on its 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time list. “That’s his opinion,” he said in response to Mel saying Em was only ranked so high because of the color of his skin. “That’s not our opinion. … The way Dr. Dre took Eminem subject matter-wise is one thing; the way Eminem rocked—he’s a battle rapper, so he is hip-hop no matter what color he is. Dr. Dre took him in this way, so you know that has no bearing on his skill. His skills are renowned.”
He went on to call Melle Mel “an icon of hip-hop,” but pointed out that the 61-year-old Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five rapper represents a different generation. “Remember, he is the original hip-hop so Melle speaks from that standpoint,” he continued. “For my generation, hey, Eminem… he’s our monster. His color is irrelevant. And he does have a point, Eminem being white. He might have gotten away with a lot of things, like him talking about all these different artists and shit.”
Throughout his career, Eminem has dissed countless rappers both on and off record. “White had nothing to do with his skill. He might have got away with a lot of things,” said Kurupt. “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.”
Melle Mel’s comments sparked conversation when he shared them earlier this year. Among those defend him were Fat Joe, 50 Cent, and Kevin Gates, who praised Em’s lyrical ability.
“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!” Melle Mel, who’s No. 48 on the list, said “So now if Eminem was another n***a like all the rest of us, would he be Top 5 on that list when a n***a that could rhyme just as good as him is 35? That had records and all that? He’s 35. He’s white.”
