What did Kurupt say about Eminem? Rapper responds to Melle Mel's comments

Rapper Kurupt weighed in on the comments Melle Mel made about Eminem in an interview with The Art of Dialogue on March 25, 2023.

Speaking on camera, Kurupt suggested that Mel had a point about the Rap God rapper, and said that Eminem “got away” with talking about other artists because he's white.

"He does have a point, Eminem being white. He might have got away with a lot of things, like him talking about all these different artists and sh*t, you know what I’m saying? And not having no backlash to where he’s blackballed."

The rapper continued:

"But not from his skill. [Being] white had nothing to do with his skills. But he might have got away with a lot of things. S**t, we got away with a lot of things once we became successful! Once you’re successful, you can do whatever you f*****g want, and the game accepts it because they make money off of what you’re doing, so they give you that pass."

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Kurupt reaffirms Emimen's skill as a rapper

While Kurupt agreed with Melle Mel that Eminem had advantages due to his ethnicity and skin color, he also reaffirmed Slim Shady's skill as a rapper.

"That’s his opinion. That’s not our opinion. The way Dr. Dre took Eminem subject matter-wise is one thing; the way Eminem rocked — he’s a battle rapper, so he’s Hip Hop, no matter what color he is. Dr. Dre took him in this way, so that has no bearing on his skill. His skills are renowned."

The rapper continued:

"But that’s Melle Mel’s feel on it. Melle Mel is an icon of Hip Hop … Remember, he’s the original Hip Hop so Melle Mel speaks from that standpoint. For my generation, hey, Eminem is our monster. His color is irrelevant."

Melle Mel had commented on Billboard's Top 50 Rappers of All Time and the magazine's choice of Eminem as the number 5 rapper on the list, claiming he was that high on the list due to him being a white rapper.

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Kurupt is part of is an American hip hop duo called Tha Dogg Pound

Ricardo Emmanuel Brown, better known by his stage name Kurupt, was born on November 23, 1972 in Philadelphia and began his career with three songs on the S.O.S. Band's 1991 album One of Many Nights. The album's single, Sometimes I Wonder, peaked at number 12 on the Billboard R&B chart.

After the S.O.S. Band's album, the rapper signed on to Death Row Records for another collaboration before transitioning to the A&M Record label and founding the imprint Antra Records soon after.

After the foundation of Antra Records, Kurupt released his debut studio album, Kuruption!, on October 6, 1998. The double album was a commercial breakthrough, selling more than 82,000 copies within the first week of its release and peaking at number 8 on the Billboard 200 album chart.

The rapper was unable to match the critical success of his debut album with his next albums. His third studio album, Space Boogie: Smoke Oddessey, was released on July 17, 2001, and peaked at number 10 on the Billboard 200 album charts, just two positions lower than his debut album's peak position of 8.

The rapper is considered to be an important voice in the gangsta-rap genre and has been attributed to being a major musical influence by rapper Kendrick Lamar in an interview with The Rickey Smiley Morning Show in 2013.