Melle Mel caused a storm in the past week after his commentary on a few prominent rappers. The Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five member shared some unpopular opinions surrounding Kendrick Lamar and Eminem. Though both artists earned their acclaim as hip-hop reached new heights commercially, he felt as though K. Dot and Em didn’t aren’t as influential as the masses deem them to be. Nobody wants to rap like Kendrick Lamar. Nobody wants to rap like Eminem,” he said. “A lot of people wanted to rap, like ‘Pac and Biggie.”
Eminem and Kendrick Lamar haven’t said much about Mel but 50 Cent had a few words to say about the pioneer. Given that Em played a significant role in Fif’s career, he didn’t hold back. “There was more money selling dope then being in hip-hop when Melle Mel was popping, the culture grown so much,” he said. “I’m not sure if it would be what it is today without artists like Eminem,” he added before stating that Melle Mell is hating on the younger generation.
Chuck D Defends Melle Mel
With Hip-Hop 50 underway, Chuck D reminded the masses of Melle Mel’s contributions to the culture. Though the famed rap pioneer has a history of downplaying the success of those who came after him, Chuck D made it clear that the OG rapper is an integral force in shaping the culture we love and enjoy today. Chuck said that Mel is like the Wilt Chamberlain of hip-hop due to his dominance on the mic, as well as the parallels between Melle Mel and Chamberlain’s criticism of the younger generation.
“Understand Melle Mel was so dominant over the rest of the pack in the first 5 years of records its hard to comprehend for born after MC folk,” he explained. “Its why i call him Wilt Chamberlain and Wilt had a crate of critiques for the rappers after him including ME . Just Let Mel be Wilt lol.” Some people agreed with Chuck D’s take while others pointed out to Melle Mel’s frequent disrespect of new MCs. How do you feel about Melle Mel’s comments? Let us know in the comments below.