The GOAT debate has just been reignited, this time ignited by Roc-A-Fella Records founder Damon Dash.
In a recent interview with Valuetainment’s Patrick Bet-David, Dame Dash weighed in on who should be crowned “the greatest rapper of all time.”
That’s not even a tip. A host asked Jay Z’s former colleagues to rank five hip-hop heavyweights including Nas, Andre 3000, Tupac and Biggie. But Mrs. Dash chose to give her opinion on each of them (while ignoring Nas’ contributions) and then go after Eminem. Mrs. Dash, while acknowledging Marshall’s rap skills, fired him simply because of his race.
Biggie and Parker died prematurely. Andre 3000 doesn’t act, but he raps. Who else? Nas? What about him? Eminem is white. And he raps really well. He can really rap, but he’s still white.
— What does it mean, he’s still white?
If you asked hip-hop, out of ten white people who came in, would one of them be an expert if they were from that era? Probably not, except for Eminem. If you asked ten black people like me at that time about hip-hop, they would know because at that time hip-hop was a black sport created by black people. So it’s hard for black people to say that white people are the best in any sport that should be black. You won’t get this from me. I’m a racist.
This isn’t exactly a new idea. We heard a similar comment from Dr. Omar not too long ago, and frankly, it’s a tired trope. Hip hop is about talent, bars and trends, not skin color.
Thankfully, Mrs. Dash’s voice isn’t the only one. Countless talented and successful rappers have acknowledged Eminem’s immense skill and influence. Their respect for Marshall Mathers means a lot and their voices will continue to drown out the negativity.
