The Art of Dialogue

Kevin Gates Defends Eminem After Melle Mel’s Criticism: “He In My Top 5”

by

Kevin Gates came to Eminem’s defense during an interview with TMZ, earlier this week, revealing that the legendary rapper is one of his favorites of all time. The comments come after Melle Mel argued that Eminem is only considered an all-time great because he’s white. Mel made the remarks during a controversial interview with The Art of Dialogue in which he also criticized Kendrick Lamar and Lil Wayne.

“He in my top 5,” Kevin Gates told the outlet. “He the truth. Who can make a song like ’Stan’?” When asked further about Mel’s comments, he added: “Listen, I don’t get in all of that. It’s only two types of people. It’s real people, and it’s fake people. Real people do real things, and fake people do fake things.” Gates isn’t the only one to come to Eminem’s defense. 50 Cent, Fat Joe, Papoose, and more have all spoken out in disagreement with Mel’s comments.

Eminem’s Hall Of Fame Induction

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 05: Inductee Eminem performs on stage during the 37th Annual Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony at Microsoft Theater on November 05, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)

As for Mel’s original argument, he had been discussing Billboard and Vibe‘s recent Top 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time list. Regarding Eminem’s placement, he said: “Obviously, he’s a capable rapper. If we was talkin’ about sales, he sold more than everybody, if you talkin’ about rhyme style, okay, he got a rhyme style. But he’s white! He’s white! So now, if Eminem was just another n***a like all the rest of us, would he be Top 5 on that list? When a n***a that can rhyme just as good as him is [No.] 35? That had records and all that. He’s 35. He’s white.”

“So, you know, anybody can be as mad as they want. They can feel how they wanna feel,” Mel continued. “If you don’t think that race plays a part in the equation in how great he is—I heard one of the dudes that’s down with him, [Royce Da 5’9”], I heard he’s just as good as Eminem. Why ain’t he as big as Eminem? Because he’s Black! None of that sh*t [is] hard to figure out!”

Kevin Gates With “TMZ”

[Via]

Fat Joe & Papoose Defend Eminem After Melle Mel’s Comments

by

Fat Joe and Papoose have come to Eminem’s defense after the legendary Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five rapper Melle Mel criticized him during an interview with The Art of Dialogue, last week. Mel argued that Eminem is only considered one of the greatest rappers of all time because he is white. Fat Joe and Papoose disagreed during an Instagram Live post on Monday.

“I disagree with that because even though Eminem is Caucasian, you cannot front on his skillset, man. You can’t deny that skillset!” Papoose said, to which Joe replied: “No way. As much as I love and worship Melle Mel, I think he’s wrong with this one.”

Eminem At The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 05: Inductee Eminem performs onstage during the 37th Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Microsoft Theater on November 05, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)

The two both clarified that they are huge fans of Melle Mel, despite adamantly disagreeing with him on Eminem’s talents. “Listen, I love Melle Mel. He’s the originator of his style. He’s amazing, lyrically. I still listen to ‘The Message.’ And I know Melle Mel!” Papoose said. “I look up to him, man. He’s a legend. I could go on and on about the respect that I have for him.” He added: “Lyrically, dudes are still not touching [Melle Mel]. But honestly, that skillset that that boy Slim Shady got, you can’t — nah, man.” Fat Joe also labeled Mel his “icon.” “He’s one of my Top 10,” he said.

As for Melle Mel’s exact comments, he explained that he can recognize that Eminem is talented, but said being white has a lot to do with his popularity. “Obviously, he’s a capable rapper. If you was talking about sales, he’s sold more than everybody. If you talking about rhyme style, okay, he got a rhyme style,” Melle Mel said. “But he’s white! If Eminem was just another n***a like all the rest of us, would he be top five on that list, when a n***a that can rhyme just as good as him is [number] 35? … If he was a Black rapper, he wouldn’t even make the list probably.”

Fat Joe & Papoose’s Response

[Via]

Melle Mel Says Lil Wayne Can’t Be The Best-Ever Because He Uses Autotune

by

Melle Mel says that Lil Wayne should be eliminated from the conversation for the best rapper of all time because he uses autotune. The iconic Grandmaster Flash and Furious Five rapper explained his reasoning during an interview with The Art Of Dialogue. Mel had been responding to a list of the greatest rappers of all time, which placed Wayne at No. 7.

“How could you know? How?” he asked. “If his voice is on autotune, was something wrong with his voice for them to put the autotune on his voice? Or is it just something that they did in the studio to give it that rawness? But how could you know?”

Melle Mel At The Grammys

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 05: Melle Mel attends the 65th GRAMMY Awards on February 05, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)

Wayne’s placement inside the top 10 of the list wasn’t the only issue decision Mel took issue with. He also didn’t agree with Kendrick Lamar ranking as the second-best ever. He argued that Lamar has no influence over 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.”

The controversial takes didn’t stop there either. Mel also claimed that Eminem is only considered as great as he is because he’s white. “Obviously he’s a capable rapper,” he 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!” 50 Cent took particular issue with that comment and fired back on social media. He wrote in part: “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****s gonna hate.” Additionally, Melle Mel also claimed that Busta Rhymes should be ranked higher on the list than Jay-Z.

Melle Mel On Lil Wayne’s Legacy

[Via]

Melle Mel Says Says Kendrick Lamar Doesn’t Influence Hip-Hop

by

Melle Mel says that Kendrick Lamar doesn’t have any influence over hip-hop and shouldn’t be considered one of the greatest rappers of all time. He explained his reasoning for the controversial take during a conversation with The Art of the Dialogue in a recent interview. Despite admitting Lamar is talented, he explained that no one “wants to rap like” him. He also said Lamar’s songs “don’t translate into the street part of hip-hop.”

“I don’t know what records he made like that,” he went on. “I might know one or two of them, but I don’t think you even hear Kendrick in the club like that.” Mel added that regardless of his talent, it “doesn’t translate into the No.2 rapper of all time.” He continued: “Nobody wants to rap like Kendrick Lamar. Nobody wants to rap like Eminem. A lot of people wanted to rap, like ‘Pac and Biggie.”

Melle Mel At The Grammys

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 05: Melle Mel attends the 65th GRAMMY Awards on February 05, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)

Mel’s comments on Kendrick Lamar aren’t the only controversial opinion he shared during the interview. In another viral clip, Mel also said that Eminem is only considered one of the greatest ever because he’s white. “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***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.”

From there, Mel compared Eminem’s talents to Royce Da 5’9″ while mislabeling him as “Royce Da 6’9.” “And anybody could be as mad … They could feel how they wanna feel,” Mel said. “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″ 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.”

Melle Mel On Kendrick Lamar

[Via]

Silkk The Shocker Says Jay-Z Turned Down $100k For Their Collaboration

by

Silkk The Shocker says that Jay-Z shot down a $100,000 offer for their 1999 collaboration, “You Know What We Bout.” Instead, Silkk says that it was bigger than money for him. Silkk The Shocker reflected on his relationship with Jay-Z during an interview with The Art of Dialogue published earlier this week.

“Our relationship was dope because when I did the song with him, I thought I had a budget for him,” Silkk recalled. “I was like, ‘Yo, I got a hundred racks’ — that’s a lot of money back in the day too! I’m sure he could’ve used the extra $100,000; who ain’t gonna use that? When I hit him up, I’m like, ‘Yo, the song is dope, you killed it. Where I should I send that bread to?’ Jay was like, ‘Nah, it’s good, man. Just keep it and we’ll figure out something later on down the line.’”

Silkk The Shocker On “The Art Of Dialogue”

“He won’t do it for anybody, though; he won’t even do music for anybody. What I came to learn was that it’s bigger than [money] for him,” he added. “To me, that’s consistent with [where he is] today — if you look at him, it’s not a fluke that he’s successful.” Silkk continued: “I don’t care how rich you are, you gonna be like, ‘Man, send my bread.’ But he was just dead cool. He ain’t even second-guess it like, ‘Yeah, send me half of it.’ The good part about it: down the line, I kinda did something for him and I just thought it was solid.”

“You Know What We Bout” was featured on Silkk the Shocker’s third studio album, Made Man. The project debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 selling 240,244 copies in its first week. Silkk previously discussed the making of “You Know What We Bout” during an appearance on Drink Champs in 2021. The song also features Master P and was originally supposed to feature DMX, but a tight deadline prevented that from happening. He also revealed that Jay-Z submitted his verse at the last minute. “Salute to DMX too, he really wanted to do it, but he probably was just like, ‘I’ma get it in the morning, I ain’t got time to do it.’ So I just had to go with Jay,” he explained.

“You Know What We Bout”

[Via]

Beyoncé & Tupac Would Be A Couple If Late Rapper Was Alive, Big Gipp Claims

by

Of the many superstar couples in the music industry, Beyoncé and Jay-Z are undoubtedly one of the most successful. Of course, their relationship hasn’t been without its struggles – markedly the time Hov spent getting friendly with “Becky with the good hair.” Still, they’ve maintained a united front through it all. According to Big Gipp, if Tupac were still alive today, he would be the one romancing the Houston native, not her husband.

Rapper Tupac Shakur poses for photos backstage after his performance at the Regal Theater in Chicago, Illinois in March 1994. (Photo By Raymond Boyd/Getty Images)

The Goodie Mob member spoke with Art of Dialogue recently. He obviously didn’t hold back on speculating about the love that could’ve grown between Bey and ‘Pac. It all began when Gipp was asked about Billboard and Vibe‘s “greatest rappers of all time” list, ranking Jay-Z at No. 1 and his deceased contemporary at No. 4. Like many other hip-hop heads, the 49-year-old wasn’t in total agreeance with the artist’s placements.

“To me, Tupac… Only reason you inching Jay-Z past Tupac is because he got goddamn Beyoncé,” the Atlanta native began. “You take Beyoncé away, he ain’t got shit. Bar for bar? Yeah, he might rap better than ‘Pac, but ‘Pac came with the heart. That’s different, it’s just different. You can never beat the heart, bro.”

Gipp went on to point out that, while some artists are undeniably technically talented, others have a natural swagger that gives them the needed edge. “Just like the difference between Jordan and LeBron,” he explained. “Jordan, technical. That motherf*cker technical. LeBron? Gangster. Goon shit. Two different styles. If ‘Pac was here, who do you think the girl would have been with?”

Later in the same interview, the “Cell Therapy” hitmaker points out that Tupac had a budding acting career before his untimely death. “That boy was a triple threat. He did groups that was successful, solo albums that was successful and movies that was successful,” Gipp said of his late friend. “Hands down. If he had lived, he would have smoked everything walking.”

As it turns out, Big Gipp has been spilling plenty of tea about the industry lately. Apart from his thoughts on the relationship that Beyoncé and Tupac could have had, he also recalled the time the “All Eyez On Me” rapper famously confronted Biggie Smalls. The altercation took place at the Soul Train Awards decades ago – read all about it here, and check back later for more hip-hop news updates.

[Via]

Consequence Claims Kid Cudi Called Drake “Corny” At Kanye West’s Birthday

by

Consequence says that Kid Cudi once called Drake “fucking corny” at a birthday party for Kanye West. During an interview with The Art of Dialogue, Consequence detailed the incident.

He explained that the group had been celebrating at a restaurant in New York City, shortly after working on Drake’s “Best I Ever Had” music video in 2009.

“Drake is like, ‘Yo, it’s just a pleasure to be around y’all and I appreciate y’all embracing me. I grew up watching all your videos. It’s a dream come true,’” Cons recalled. “Cudi right here like, ‘Man, fuck that n***a. That n***a’s pussy, yo. Why he even here? Fuck’s wrong with this n***a, man? Get this n***a the fuck outta here, he’s so fucking corny.’”

LOS ANGELES, CA – JULY 22: Consequence of A Tribe Called Quest performs onstage during day 2 of FYF Fest 2017 at Exposition Park on July 22, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images for FYF)

Cons went on to say that the two have been at odds for years. He chalked up the reasoning to “a competitive rivalry” over “music, attention, clout, and prestige.”

He added: “There’s been animosity, envy for years…It’s really crazy how it’s manifested over the years. When I seen Cudi and Drake in the ‘Pursuit of Happiness’, I was like, what I’ma do? Call Drake and be like, ‘Yo, you know he don’t really fuck with you like that?’”

Drake and Cudi have publically thrown shade at one another several times over the years. However, back in August, Cudi clarified some of his latest remarks that were interpreted as a diss. He explained that he’s “got love” for the Toronto rapper.

Check out Consequence’s interview with The Art of Dialogue below.

[Via]

Foxy Brown Calls Keith Murray A “Crackhead” & “Dope Fiend”

by

We’ve heard more from Keith Murray than many of us would have liked in recent weeks. The veteran rapper’s interview with The Art of Dialogue continues to go viral as clips of the chat take over social media. Most notably, Murray detailed alleged sexual encounters with fellow rappers Shawnna and Foxy Brown. The ladies did appreciate the mention, and they also made sure to call him out on Instagram.

We previously reported on Shawnna suggesting that Murray was on drugs while also trolling him with her “Gettin’ Some” hit. Now, it’s Foxy Brown’s turn to air her grievances, and she went full scorched earth.

Read More: Keith Murray Sets Twitter Ablaze With Wild Sex Stories Allegedly Involving Shawnna & Foxy Brown

Foxy shared a string of posts to her Instagram Story where she criticized her peer. She also included in her posts screenshots from rapper Saigon who tweeted that Murray’s outrageous antics were premeditated. According to Saigon, it was all a show to expose “stupid” people.

The public, nor Foxy, accepted that excuse.

“Boy f*cked up adding my name to that fairytale [crying laughing emojis],” she further wrote. “F*ck a dog first p*ssy [crying emojis].”

Keith Murray, Foxy Brown
Instagram
Read More: Shawnna Reacts To Keith Murray’s Wild Claims: “Get Help”

“Tha guy hat alone should’ve told yall that sh*t was no bueno,” she also added over a screenshot of Murray’s interview. “Now somebody yell dope fiend ass Keith Murray we wanna book him for a walk thru [crying laughing emojis]. (1500 and a bg of Jums [sideways laughing emojis.”

While some pushed back against Murray’s display, others were concerned for his well-being. Check out more of Foxy Brown’s posts below.

Keith Murray, Foxy Brown
Instagram
Keith Murray, Foxy Brown
Instagram
Keith Murray, Foxy Brown
Instagram

Shawnna Uses Her “Gettin’ Some” Hit To Troll Keith Murray

by

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade, or so they say, and Shawnna is taking that advice. The Rap veteran found herself at the center of strange controversy following remarks by Keith Murray. Her fellow Hip Hop icon sat down for an explosive interview with The Art of Dialogue that went viral for all the wrong reasons. During the conversation, Murray explicitly detailed an alleged sexual encounter with Shawnna many years ago.

Murray even stood up during the interview and demonstrated the purported interaction, and soon, people were storming Shawnna’s social media pages with reactions. She returned with a message for her new followers.

Read More: Keith Murray Sets Twitter Ablaze With Wild Sex Stories Allegedly Involving Shawnna & Foxy Brown

“If y’all here bc of Keith you can gone back home [crying laughing emojis],” she wrote. “I know you leaf heads stick together [100 emoji].” She continued, “Goofy b*tches, I coulda agreed you dumb mf.”

“Y’all believe anything. Get help,” she added in the caption. That didn’t stop strangers from posting inappropriate comments and messages.

However, Shawnna wasn’t quite finished giving Murray a piece of her mind. On Instagram, the DTP hitmaker used her “Gettin’ Some” classic to troll Murray. Several moments from his interview were spliced into Shawnna’s track, and she teased him in the caption.

Read More: Shawnna Reacts To Keith Murray’s Wild Claims: “Get Help”

She wrote: “@liltunechi bout to drop a GETTIN SOME REMIX!!!!!!! To the remix!!!!! Stop playing wit me I’m #Chicago 💯 🫵🏽 Long live RICK JAMES BISH!!!!! @csnappa on the 🎞 she on site wit it!!! 😂😂😂 hit her up!!”

No word on what Murray thinks of the reactions to his interview. Check out his clip, where he shares the story about Shawnna, below.

Shawnna Reacts To Keith Murray’s Wild Claims: “Get Help”

by

The first week of 2023 is coming in full speed ahead, and Keith Murray has his foot on the gas. In a recent interview with The Art of Dialogue, the Rap legend shared tales of Hip Hop’s past, but not all involved music. Murray detailed alleged sexual encounters with fellow rappers Foxy Brown and Shawnna, and it was something that even puzzled viewers.

Murray quickly went viral as people criticized him for bringing up the women decades after these alleged private moments occurred. The stories weren’t lost on Shawnna, who reacted on social media.

Read More: Keith Murray Sets Twitter Ablaze With Wild Sex Stories Allegedly Involving Shawnna & Foxy Brown

Unsurprisingly, the femcee found that people flooded her social media pages with comments and questions about Murray. Shawnna shared a text image condemning the gossip.

“If y’all here bc of Keith you can gone back home [crying laughing emojis],” she wrote. “I know you leaf heads stick together [100 emoji].” She continued, “Goofy b*tches, I coulda agreed you dumb mf.”

In the caption, she added, “Y’all believe anything. Get help.”

Read More: Keith Murray Says He Warned The Notorious B.I.G. To Leave L.A.

Not only did Murray detail his alleged encounter with Shawnna, but during his interview, he acted out what he claimed occurred. It was a moment that some found entertaining, while others were disgusted.

It is unclear if Foxy reacted publicly to the rapper’s wild stories about her. However, fans haven’t been shy in sharing their hot takes about Murray’s explosive interview.

Check out a few posts from fans below as well as more from Keith Murray’s controversial discussion.