Eminem might just be the Detroit’s favorite rapper after all. Motown rapper 42 Dugg, appearing on The Breakfast Club to promote his debut album 4eva Us Neva Them on Friday (July 12), disputed his hometown compatriot Skilla Baby’s earlier comments that “I don’t think Detroit does… consider him our best rapper.”
As Dugg explained, “That’s probably how they feel. The new kids don’t even know about him. How would they? You have to really be a music person to go back… I know. That’s always my card when somebody get to bringing up somebody from somewhere else, I’m like, ‘We got Eminem.’ I feel like he the GOAT.”
He also defended the rap titan from criticisms that his music has aged poorly or relies too much on shtick to stick. “[Eminem] made deep music,” Dugg insisted. “I go listen to ‘Toy Soliders’ or ‘Stan’ — those my favorite songs. So when it’s my turn to make real songs, I already damn near know how to channel it. ‘Cause I already know what I’m looking for: I’m looking for a ‘Stan’ type of song.”
Skilla Baby made his comments in response to a query from Keke Palmer on her podcast, Baby, This Is Keke Palmer, telling her, “Numbers wise, Eminem is the best Detroit rapper, but the gag is nobody would say that in Detroit. Everybody had a turn being Detroit’s favorite rapper. Sada Baby had a turn, Tee Grizzley had a turn, Babyface Ray had a turn, Veeze is one of Detroit’s best rappers, Baby Smoove. Everybody had their turn being the best in the city. What we lack is consistency. Nobody has consistently been Detroit’s favorite rapper.”
Dugg isn’t the first younger rapper to defend Eminem’s legacy; in 2022, Jack Harlow also stood up for his idol, saying modern assessments that Eminem makes “circus” music “tragic.”
You can see the full episode of The Breakfast Club with 42 Dugg below.