Eminem may not have been crowned Billboard’s No. 1 Rapper of All Time but fans and celebrities alike have maintained that the Detroit rapper has had a massive impact on Hip Hop culture overall.
In a bonus clip from Netflix film You People, Ezra (played by Jonah Hill) and Mo (played by comic Sam Jay) discuss their Top 5 rappers of all time on their podcast The Mo & E-Z Show.
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“Alright bro, Top 5? Give it to me,” Mo asks Ezra, referring to his picks for the best lyricists of all time — “dead or alive.”
“1. JAY-Z, 2. Biggie, 3. 2Pac, 4. Nas, and 5. Eminem,” Ezra says before receiving scrutiny for his answer. “That’s in order? — Eminem though?” Mo responds before Ezra jumps to his defense.
“Why do I have to keep defending Shady?” adds Ezra. “I mean, his sole purpose is to be on other people’s tracks and murder them. I mean, ‘Renegade’? ‘Dead Wrong’?” he continues, referencing verses Em did for JAY-Z — although the original version of “Renegade” was an Eminem and Royce Da 5’9″ record — and The Notorious B.I.G. respectively.
“Dawg, he’s like, I don’t know the Larry Bird of rap,” Mo jokes, comparing Marshall Mathers to one of the greatest basketball players of all time, “the Hick from French Lick.” She continues: “You know what I mean? He’s not great. He’s great because he’s a white man in a Black man’s game.”
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“That is so stupid. That might be the dumbest shit you’ve ever said to me,” concluded the Superbad actor, doubling down on his thoughts during the debate.
Meanwhile, on Thursday (February 8) Hill’s top pick for best rapper of all time, landed at the top of Billboard’s very own list.
After rolling out its list of Top 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time last month as part of a collaborative effort to celebrate Hip Hop’s 50th anniversary this year — showing love to the likes of Kanye West, André 3000, Lauryn Hill, Ice Cube, Rakim, LL COOL J and Black Thought across its No. 50 to No. 11 picks, Billboard and VIBEunveiled their final 10 selections.
Nicki Minaj, Snoop Dogg, Drake, Lil Wayne and The Notorious B.I.G. were ranked No. 10 to No. 6, in that order, while Eminem, 2Pac, Nas and Kendrick Lamar occupied the No. 5 to No. 2 slots.
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Billboard argued its case by citing Hov’s commercial success, critical acclaim, cultural impact and entrepreneurial greatness, along with his “regal-scented rhymes that speak to the struggle.”
Aside from his 24 Grammy Awards, 14 No. 1 albums and 140 million record sales, it’s Jigga’s “longevity, the breadth of his accomplishments, and what he’s meant to Hip Hop from a musical, cultural and financial standpoint for the last three decades” that make him the G.O.A.T., according to the publication.
