Dr. Boyce Watkins is a fan of Eminem by all means, but thinks that to label him as the "King of Hip-Hop" is reaching. He applauds the fact that the Detroit emcee shows respect to the legendary artists who came before him unlike many others, but feels "to some extent [he] is a little bit of a product of white privilege."
The social commentator belted out a hearty laugh when asked if he thinks Eminem is the lead artist in hip-hop because he has surpassed everyone in the genre when it comes to his album sales. Though he has sold over 150 million records, Boyce Watkins believes "album sales should never define who the best artist is, and can only really be chosen by the Hip-Hop community." He also stated that Eminem is one of the few artists who "gets to be pure and true" whereas rappers who are "corporatized" continue to give us " the same 'ol stuff." Citing that he has "the Elvis effect" where he's viewed as great because he's a White entertainer who's "as good as the Black guy," Boyce Watkins thinks people gravitate towards him more simply because of his skin color.
In this clip Dr. Boyce Watkins also explains why he thinks the last decade in Hip-Hop "hasn't been good for Black people," and how he feels people listen to Hip-Hop now more than ever because "there is a fascination with this world that they'll never experience."
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