It started with a tweet. Yesterday I shared a thought that had crossed my mind many times before: “I feel like only white people call Em the greatest rapper of all time. Am I wrong or….?”.
Ein Beitrag geteilt von Wanja // I still Love H.E.R. (@istillloveher.de) am
Inspired by an Instagram comment I received an hour before, on a post that made fun of white rappers, where one white man stated something along the lines of: “how, if the greatest rapper of all time is white?”. Clearly he was speaking of Eminem.
Having a large platform and following, I receive hundreds of comments every day. And there has been a clear trend of white people naming Eminem the greatest rapper of all time. And that’s ok. To each their own. It did make me wonder why that is though. In a culture where we have MCs such as Rakim, Black Thought, Kendrick Lamar, Andre 3000 and many others, I have to question how you come to the conclusion of crowning Eminem. And don’t get me wrong, I acknowledge and admire Eminems talent. He is undoubtedly one of the best to touch a mic, skill wise. But when we look at overall catalogue, there are others who have him beat. Personally, I also don’t believe in the concept of “the greatest rapper”. How can there be only one? The rappers I mentioned and countless others can’t really be compared to each other because they all have different styles. And they are all equally great but play in their own league. It’s hard for me to even limit it to a Top 5, which I’m asked for frequently.
Have I heard people other than whites call Eminem the greatest before? Sure. But the trend overall has been white people within my cosmos. I also noticed that most of them don’t listen to a lot of rap music at all. The same can be said about fans of the Beastie Boys. Which doesn’t take away from their legacy. It adds to it, because being able to bridge a gap between genres is a true gift. However, should we give people who are not invested in this culture the agency to crown the “greatest rapper of all time”? One who happens to be the same race as them?
People noted on my post that it has a lot to do with being able to relate to an artist, which I agree with. Most people tend to enjoy artists (or politicians, or friends and so on) they can relate to, they want to hear stories of situations they have found themselves in before. People also tend to relate to others who look like them more. But let’s be honest, fantasising about violently killing your mother isn’t that common, is it?
For whatever reason you are a fan of Eminem, I’m fine with it. But when you are a white person moving within a culture that was founded by people of color, one that has been and still is an important tool for them to have their voices heard while (still) being oppressed by white people / a white government; you should respect that in everything you do within said culture. So for you to crown a white man king of a black culture, make sure you have considered all the facts; make sure you have reviewed his competition thoroughly. Otherwise you are just acting irresponsibly. Which takes me back to the fragility of the white man. The white man’s biggest obstacle is his ego. An ego that has been fed and groomed by society, by a world ran by his peers, telling him he can be everything he wants to be, and no one can come in between him and his desires.
So of course he thinks “I can absolutely crown the king of rap, and no one has the right to say anything about it!”. With an ego that big, you don’t allow critical thought in and therefor, will never grow out of the adolescent way of thinking you can do whatever you want, without considering the consequences others suffer from your actions.
Which was very well reflected in my Instagram comments.
There were black and brown people who disagreed with me. But the most butthurt comments, displaying sheer outrage came from white men. They couldn’t believe the audacity that I not only question their idol, but their taste in rap music.
I was told I posted it for “click/race bait”. I was told they lost respect for me. I was unfollowed by plenty of people, which surprisingly I’m thankful for and find very interesting. Because I didn’t really attack anyone in my statement. I posed a theory/ question and was looking for answers. In return white men wrote paragraphs in the comments, came back to comment some more and speculated I was hurt because I didn’t respond, when in fact I was sound asleep.
The white males ego is so fragile that they can not fathom being questioned, or called out, criticised, or worst of all: silenced (because how dare I delete disrespectful comments from MY page and block people). All of which are things white people practice on the regular (cue the “not ALL white people” comments) to anyone who isn’t white.
I call my fellow white people out often. Which I believe is an obligation that comes with white privilege. And every time I do, I get similar reactions: “Why do you talk about race all the time?”; “I don’t even see color”; “we will never get better as people, if we don’t stop bringing race up”.
I get it, this is what the USA has taught you. But that’s not how it works. Not as long as there are still groups of people being treated as less than others. Because those groups of people in no way benefit from you “not seeing color”. Welcoming opposing opinions and questioning yourself in search of internalised racism / bigotry would be a start though. Actually hearing people and not undermining any sign of criticism of your existence would be the respectful thing to do. And I know it’s not comfortable. And I know you’re used to your comfort. But maybe developing empathy for the people you share this planet with will open up a way of living that is far more satisfying.
In closing, if you believe Eminem is the greatest rapper of all time, that’s perfectly fine with me. Enjoy his music to the fullest. Just make sure you honour the culture that has nurtured him, which he benefitted from, like every one of us white people in Hip Hop should.