Melle Mel Weighs in on Top 50 Rappers of All-Time Debate

Waking up to Tyga and Avril Lavigne kissing was not on my 2023 Bingo card. Her very recent ex-fiancé, Mod Sun, is probably wondering why’d she have to go and make things so complicated ❓️Bad puns aside, hit the reply with the most random thing you’ve seen this year that could be one of The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. In other news today:

• Yeat & Don Toliver first week sales

• Kanye’s thoughts on North & Ice Spice TikToks

• Duke Deuce’s WWE slam at Rolling Loud

• Why Nick Minaj’s ex-manager quit

• Top 50 Rappers of all-time debate

• Up your aux: A$AP Rocky

• Metro Boomin sells partial catalog for $70 million

Yeat & Don Toliver First-Week Sales

Last week covered the first-week sales projections for Yeat’s Aftërlyfe and Don Toliver’s Love Sick. This week the numbers are in and while Yeat was slightly short of the 60K projections, with 54,145 total, he debuted at #4 on the Billboard 200 album chart. It’s a notably higher debut than his album 2 Alivë from last year, proving Yeat’s popularity continues to rise.

Final numbers for both albums are according to Hits Double Daily for the sales and streaming week of Feb 24th to March 2nd, 2023.

Don Toliver’s Love Sick beat the first-week sales projections of 36K, clocking 37,845 total, for a #8 debut on the Billboard 200 chart which is, unfortunately, lower than his previous album, Life of a Don.

Not pictured, Key Glock’s Glockoma 2 album was projected to move 24-27K units in its opening week and achieved 28,593 total nabbing the #13 spot on the Billboard 200 chart.

North West and Ice Spice Video Sparks Debate About Kanye’s Social Media Concerns

North West is an Ice Spice girly loud and proud. After making a drawing of the Bronx rapper and sharing it on TikTok, the two linked up and filmed a series of videos. The most recent and controversial video shows North dressed up in Ice Spice cosplay with an orange curly wig and chain to match.

The debate about whether or not Ice Spice’s music is appropriate for a 9-year-old girl to be publicly endorsing on TikTok prompted an old Kanye video to resurface.

Detailing the struggles of co-parenting and the inequality fathers have in today's day and age of court-ordered custody, Kanye says “I am not allowing my daughter to be used by TikTok, to be used by Disney, I have a say so”.

Originally posted in March of 2022, the video was one of Kanye’s many rants and the message got overshadowed by his other outlandish actions. People are now echoing Kanye’s sentiments about wanting to protect his daughter but as per usual, the internet is divided.

There are the Pro Kanye supporters…

The “you did this to yourself” justice warriors…

And those who are just happy to be here…

Duke Deuce’s On-Stage Body Slam Leads to Rick Ross Wrestling Offer

Duke Deuce had a surprise guest while performing at Rolling Loud last weekend. No, it wasn’t another rapper going in for the classic handshake-hug but an overzealous fan who got past security and ran on-stage. As shown in the footage below, Duke swiftly picked him up and slammed him to the ground in a Death Drop, the wrestling finisher move popularized by The Dudley Boyz.

Was it staged? Most likely but those in attendance at least got a show, Duke was clearly watching WWE in the early 2000s and taking notes. He flipped his popular song, “Crunk Ain’t Dead” into a Dudley 3D revival. He even impressed Rick Ross who commented “I’ll sign him to AEW” on No Jumper’s IG post. Ross previously appeared as a guest during AEW’s Dynamite event in November.

Why Nicki Minaj’s Ex-Manager Quit Before “Super Bass” Domination

When J. Cole said “pride is the devil, think it got a hold on me”, I wonder if Sickamore, Nicki Minaj’s ex-manager, felt that. Talking to Saigon and Mobb Deep’s Havoc for VLADTV, he shared the story of how he managed the female rapper during 2007-2008 and quit right before she blew up.

It all started with a photoshoot for VIBE magazine and when Minaj arrived on set, she discovered she had no trailer to change in. Upset, she called Sickamore, whose job it was to secure those details beforehand, and demanded answers.

“She had to change in the bathroom, and she called me like flipping out, as she should, and then I was cocky. I was like, ‘Man I don’t need all of this. Just don’t worry about it, you can find your own manager.”

Ah pride, such a powerful thing. Minaj even offered Sickamore a second chance but he was adamant about not dealing with the emotional temperament of an artist. Fast forward to 2010, when “Super Bass” comes out, and her career takes off.

Sickamore may not have been cut out for the manager life but he’s the Senior Vice President of A&R at Interscope Records, working with artists like Travis Scott and Sheck Wes, so things worked out okay

Billboard’s Top 50 Rappers of All Time List Continues to Cause Controversy

Podcasts have become the new Twitter for inflammatory “in my opinion” comments intended to incite reactions from others. On this week’s episode of “my opinion on this opinion,” we have Melle Mel of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five at the forefront, sharing some strong words about Eminem, Lil Wayne, and Kendrick Lamar during an interview with The Art of Dialogue.

Melle Mel vs Eminem

Shots were fired at Eminem and his #5 spot on Billboard’s Top Rappers list. Melle disagreed with the placement arguing that Slim Shady is only considered one of the best because he’s white.

He acknowledged Eminem’s capability as a rapper and rhyme style before pointedly saying, “If he was a Black rapper, he wouldn’t even make the list probably”.

And cue the comments…

50 Cent sounded off on IG in a now-deleted post stating that the culture wouldn’t be what it is today without artists like Eminem and he might not be the rapper he is without Eminem.

Meanwhile, Fat Joe and Papoose respectfully disagreed with the MC claiming that Eminem’s skillset is undeniable, regardless of race, while giving Melle credit for pioneering hip-hop. In Melle’s corner is Chuck D, defending him and offering context for his opinions via Twitter.

Melle Mel vs Lil Wayne

It’s Wheezy F Baby and the “F” can’t be for “first” in Melle’s opinion because he uses autotune and people “don’t even know his real voice”. Wayne recently said he’s deserving of the top spot in an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe when asked about his #7 slot. Melle’s thoughts can be heard below which essentially discredits any rapper who uses autotune.

Melle Mel vs Kendrick Lamar

Last but not least, Melle came for K Dot’s crown, who nabbed the #2 spot on the list, affirming that he’s a capable lyricist but he “doesn’t translate into the street part of hip-hop” shown in the clip below.

Final Takeaways

My opinion, on these opinions, is that the greatest rapper of all time debate will never be unanimous nor is that Top 50 list facts. Music is a subjective medium and unlike sports, which have actual stats to back up GOAT placements, there is an ambiguous aspect ingrained in the competition of the rap game with no final cup, or ring to crown an undisputable winner.

Melle’s comments refuse to acknowledge the growth of the genre, landing as outdated and narrow-minded. He’s a reputable voice and deserves his flowers but he’s no longer part of the generation dominating rap and hip-hop spaces.

The genre has evolved, the work of the first generation gave the foundation upon the second generation to build which led to the third generation and so on and so forth. The autotune debate is tired, everyone uses it and it’s become a widely accepted part of making music.

Rather than discrediting artists who don’t have the same vocal talent as the ‘90s greats you could applaud their innovative creativity for pushing the genre forward. Without advancement, it wouldn’t be what it is today and each generation has its own pioneers that are reflective of the time they came up in.

This dialogue reminds me of a teacher that says a student’s work isn’t credible because they used CapCut and TikTok to edit a project rather than Adobe Premiere Pro coupled with the classic “you young people don’t know how good you have it” commentary. Sir, it’s time to make a graceful exit.

A$AP Rocky 2010-2015 era

While waiting for A$AP Rocky to release new music (if that day ever comes), I dug through the Rocky archives to highlight 6 nostalgic songs that didn’t get the recognition they deserved. Hot take: he’ll probably have his second baby with Rihanna before he drops a new album.

1. “Jukebox Joints” ft. Joe Fox, Kanye West (2015) Listen on Spotify & Apple Music

2. “Max B” ft. Joe Fox (2015) Listen on Spotify & Apple Music

3. “Wavybone” ft. Juicy J, UGK (2015) Listen Spotify & Apple Music

4. “LVL” (2013) Listen on Spotify & Apple Music

5. “Big Spender” with Theophilus London (2012) Listen on Soundcloud

6. “Sandman” (2011) Listen on Spotify & Apple Music

• Metro Boomin sells partial publishing catalog for nearly $70 million to Shamrock Capital which also acquired Taylor Swift’s master recordings in a controversial deal.

• Prosecutors urger Flordia courts to reject YNW Melly’s death penalty appeal if convicted in his upcoming murder trial.

• Snoop Dogg to launch Shiller, a web3-centered live broadcast platform for creators, in April of 2023.