Melle Mel gives opinion on 2Pac, Biggie & JAY-Z following Billboard’s top 50 rappers list.
Tupac is often regarded as the greatest rapper ever, but he was named number four on the recently released Top 50 Best rappers list by Billboard & Vibe on Hip-Hop’s 50th anniversary. Melle Mel, who was ranked at number 48th on the list, reacts to Big Gipp of Goodie Mob saying Tupac should be ranked higher than Jay-Z and that Tupac is a better artist.
“2Pac is a greater rapper than Biggie and I would say the same thing for JAY-Z,” he said during the conversation with The Art of Dialogue. “JAY-Z has a better rap game than 2Pac. 2Pac’s rap game, I’m not gonna say is basic but it’s predictable… but he had more of a range of what he could say.”
“I think JAY-Z has a better spit game, but to say that makes the better rapper that is being judged on one criteria. I feel 2Pac’s imprint on the game is greater than JAY-Z. JAY-Z is a better rapper than 2Pac. It’s the same thing I feel about Biggie, Biggie is a better rapper than 2Pac.”
Melle Mel further praised 2Pac for changing the rap game. “His imprint in the game [was huge] because things changed. All that Thug Life sh*t, it came from him. If you change the landscape, that’s greatness,” he continued. “In JAY-Z’s position, it’s harder to change the landscape because he’s a billion-dollar dude. You’re not gonna have a thousand billion-dollar dudes coming behind JAY-Z, but you did have a 100 guys that wanted to be like 2Pac. The greatness is in how he changed the game.”
A new auction called “Hip Hop Legends” is featuring rare items from 2Pac and JAY-Z, among other celebrated artists, as part of a celebration for the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop. The auction is being hosted by music memorabilia website Gotta Have Rock and Roll. Some of the items up for sale include a red bandana previously owned and worn by 2Pac, the “MOB” ring worn by the late rapper in his “All About U” music video, and a handwritten letter penned by 2Pac to his girlfriend during his time in prison.
Check out his interview below.
