Yesterday, Lord Jamar and Rah Digga released a new episode of their Yanadameen Godcast, and it didn't take long for Jamar to address the fallout of his notorious anti-Eminem stance. Though it's unlikely that his words will convert those who have made up their minds, many have come to, at the very least, understand elements of his position.
Setting the table for a discourse on "white privilege in hip-hop," Jamar prefaces by stating his symbol for said privilege is Eminem. "Everybody knows I've been going at this guy for quite some time, for a few years as a matter of fact," begins Jamar, around the 4:50 mark. "It's nothing new I've said about this guy. I say he can rap at a high level, but he's not the GOAT. He can never be the GOAT, because in my opinion, black people don't fuck with him like that." He proceeds to acknowledge the response his comments have elicited from Em himself, Royce Da 5'9", and the notorious IG bully 50 Cent, whom Jamar has fondly dubbed "Boo Boo."
50 Cent, & More">Rah Digga - Brian Killian/Getty Images
"The same way I would expect Royce to defend Eminem, I would expect 50 to defend the person that, I guess, changed his life, as he sees it," continues Jamar. "I'm not really here to sling insults, we could give in to that, but nah. Not worth it. I'd just question why now...Did you not hear the other times that I was screaming on the homie?" Rah Digga explains that 50 is busy fending off his own myriad foes, and might have missed it.
Jamar, however, remains unconvinced. "Real motherfuckers don't listen to Eminem. Yes he can rap, technically he raps at a very high level. Content-wise, voice-wise, to me, in those categories, excluding his rhyme shit, he's wack," doubles down Jamar. "The type of motherfuckas I be around, live n***as, not corny n***s...normally, we don't listen to Eminem. There's always an exception to every rule...But that's abnormal."
"You can't be the king of Tacos, if Mexicans don't eat your shit," says Jamar, with a maniacal laugh. Even Rah Digga seems amused by the mic drop. Jamar summarizes by saying many black rappers "rhyme just as good as him, if not better, and aren't even mentioned as being any kind of GOAT." Rah Digga chimes in, praising Jamar for remaining poised in his delivery. The video proceeds to cut to a behind-the-scenes clip from before the shoot, in which Digga and Jamar engage in a heated shouting match about this very topic, to hilarious effect.
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Digga offers her own take, stating that people might not necessarily disagree with Jamar's message, but remain put off by the delivery. Still, Digga loves him for it, despite his tendency to lose the occasional message in translation. Curiously enough, while Digga never collaborated with Eminem on a proper studio track, she did roll quite closely with The Outsidaz crew, whom once nursed a close relationship with Eminem. For the most part, she plays it civil in this debate, opting to remain neutral. As for Jamar, he proudly ties his position into Game Of Thrones, claiming to be like "The Night's Watch." Assumedly, he's unaware that members of the Night's Watch swear a vow of celibacy, but the similie remains a solid one. "Somebody gotta protect the motherfuckin' kingdom, ya dig?"
There's a lot to unpack here, and while it might be easy for an Em fan to take an ardent stance against Jamar, consider approaching his position with an open mind. You don't have to agree with him, but the first step to a healthy discourse is to stop shouting and open an ear.
