Fat Joe and Papoose are the latest rappers to weigh in on Melle Mel's criticism of Eminem, where he told The Art of Dialogue that the only reason Eminem is considered one of the greatest rappers of all time is because he's white.
"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. 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."
Both Fat Joe and Papoose stated that Melle Mel is one of their favorite rappers, but they added that they disagreed with his views on Eminem.
Papoose stated, "I disagree with that because even though Eminem is Caucasian, you cannot front on his skillset, man. You can’t deny that skillset!" Fat Joe then responded, "No way. As much as I love and worship Melle Mel, I think he’s wrong with this one."
Papoose went on to say, "Lyrically, dudes are still not touching [Melle Mel]. But honestly, that skillset that that boy Slim Shady got, you can’t — nah, man." You can hear the full conversation above.
