white rappers

Rap Fans Debate Jack Harlow’s Place After He Declared Himself The Best White Rapper Since Eminem On ‘Jackman’

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Rap is a boastful art form. Nobody gets in the game to be the 30th-best rapper. But sometimes, rappers make claims so bold that even seasoned hip-hop take pause to consider. In this case, it’s Jack Harlow who stakes his claim as the best white rapper since Eminem on his new album, Jackman.

In “They Don’t Love It,” Jack raps, “The hardest white boy since the one who rapped about vomit and sweaters / And hold the comments ’cause I promise you I’m honestly better than whoever came to your head right then.”

That’s a tall order, considering not only Eminem’s stature in hip-hop but also the sheer number of rappers Harlow believes he’s leapfrogged to land in such a position. The list includes predecessors like El-P and Mac Miller, peers like G-Eazy and Lil Dicky, and left-field picks like Rittz, Wynne, Yelawolf, and more.

Naturally, Jack’s line is going over as controversially as he undoubtedly intended it to with fans putting in their own arguments agreeing or disagreeing with his claim.

And while, truthfully, “best white rapper” is very much subjective, you have to admire the moxy Jack shows in making such a claim — and the smarts. There’s no better promotion than some good, old-fashioned water cooler talk. Don’t be surprised to see Jackman do numbers.

Macklemore Agrees He & Eminem Are “Guests” In Hip-Hop

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Macklemore says that he and Eminem are “guests” in hip-hop. When Nate Burleson prompted him with the idea during an interview on CBS Mornings, while asking Macklemore about being a White rapper in a predominantly Black genre, he agreed. He added that no matter how “great Eminem is,” even he is also a guest.

“I think it’s true. It is true and I agreed,” he stated. “If you look at the origin of where hip-hop came from and what was happening in New York City and what was happening in the Bronx. And the way that Black people and people of color been treated historically from the jump, this music was birth out of oppression.”

Macklemore At The 56th Grammy Awards

LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 26: Recording artist Macklemore, winner of Best New Artist attends the 56th GRAMMY Awards at Staples Center on January 26, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images)

While continuing, he clarified that the two rappers still “belong here,” they just need to be respectful and abide by house rules. “Hip-Hop is inclusive so there’s always been an open door to a certain extent…but I’m a guest, Em’s [Eminem] a guest,” he continued. “Doesn’t matter how good we get. Doesn’t matter how great Eminem is. We’re guests in the culture. A hundred percent. And that’s not to say that I don’t belong here. I absolutely belong here. But you still have to realize this is not your house. And that you’re a guest. Take Your shoes off and help with some dishes.”

Even Eminem has admitted to being a guest in the genre. Appearing on KXNG Crooked’s show Crook’s Corner, he explained why he never refers to himself as the “king.” “That’s the funny thing. I don’t know if I got a chance to say this yet. The funny s**t is, with the whole beef of a certain person, I never said I wasn’t a guest. I’m absolutely a guest. I never said I wasn’t. I never said I was king of anything, right?” The comments seemingly came in response to criticism from Lord Jamar.

Macklemore On Being A “Guest” In Hip-Hop

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

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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

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50 Cent Outraged By Melle Mel’s Eminem Comments

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50 Cent responded to Melle Mel’s comments about Eminem in a since-deleted Instagram post aimed at the Furious Five rapper. Just in case you forgot, Mel recently said that Eminem’s only considered a top five MC because he’s white. Afterwards, his claim sparked a lot of discussion online, whether from defenders of Marshall Mathers or his biggest detractors. However, among many other giants, Em has 50 in his corner, and he defended the Detroit rapper no questions asked. In his deleted Instagram post, he spoke on how the landscape Em came up in and influenced is much different to the one Mel found success in.

“There was more money selling dope than being in Hip Hop when [Melle] Mel was popping, the culture has grown so much,” Fif stated. “I am not sure if it would be what it is today with out artist like Eminem. S**t I am not sure I would be who I am with out him but you know it is competitive so n***as gonna hate. LOL f**k outta here ! We sucker free.”

50 Cent’s Deleted Response To Melle Mel About Eminem

Moreover, to be fair, the 61-year-old acknowledged Eminem’s influence in his conversation with The Art Of Dialogue podcast. “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***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.”

Meanwhile, the “In Da Club” rapper also said that Marshall’s impacted the genre more than Jay-Z. Well, technically he just disagreed with Jamal Crawford’s take on that debate after he sided with Jay in his podcast. “That’s why my five, the dominance outweighs the number,” the former NBA player remarked to Shaq. “Like, JAY-Z’s effect on Hip Hop is bigger than any album sales that Eminem will have, you see what I’m saying? That’s just how it goes.” Regardless of your take on that, stay tuned to HNHH for the latest on 50 Cent, Melle Mel, and Eminem.

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