7 White Rappers Way Better than Eminem and Asher Roth 15May2009
Hip-hop was born of racial consciousness. You can’t divide hip-hop from the social and political circumstances from which it came. There may be new occupants in this house called hip-hop. Most of the people who built this house of hip-hop would say, everybody is welcome in this house, but the people who built it were people of color… you go into somebody’s house, then you gotta respect that. If you don’t have that [racial] humility, you won’t have the foundation that provides.
I’m not sure that Eminem and Asher Roth occupy a healthy space in the “house of hip-hop,” as Dan Charnas calls it in Jay Smooth’s latest video.
Eminem’s new album, rehashing his ‘Slim Shady’ persona, is another narcissistic ode to hyper-violence shot through with a strong dose of misogyny (he calls Mariah Carey a ‘cunt’). Roth’s debut “Asleep in the Bread Aisle” is a celebration of the apathetic college slacker lifestyle. He recently joked about Don Imus’ racist tirade against the Rutgers women’s basketball team before performing there, then made some asinine comments criticizing “black rappers.” I think both of their albums suck, frankly.
Charnas is right. White folks need to have, at the very least, some humility before they claim space in hip-hop. Creative talent ought to be a requirement too. Unfortunately, a lot of people are talking about Eminem and Asher Roth, who arguably aren’t showing much of either right now, as if they’re the only white emcees in the game. Here are a few white (male) rappers I’ve been listening to (and broadcasting on KVRX) for a while – each producing positive, quality hip-hop. I’m from the West Coast, which I guess explains the bias to that part of the country in this selection.
Can-U
This guy from Tacoma, Washington put out an incredible mixtape two years ago with DJ Reign (go download it now!). I don’t know much more about him beyond that. He says on his Myspace that he’s hard at work on his debut album. “Dirty Clean,” his tribute to street artists everywhere, is one of my all-time favorite songs.
Brother Ali
Brother Ali is probably the best known out of this bunch. He’s an albino, nearly blind Muslim born and raised in the Midwest. His critically-acclaimed 2007 album, “The Undisputed Truth,” is an in-your-face mix of political and personal declarations about life in America. It reached #69 on the Billboard charts. Here’s “Uncle Sam Goddamn.”
Toby
Toby, with Tunji (who is black), make up the Los Angeles group Inverse. I caught an interview with them on KUBE 93’s Sound Session earlier this year and was struck by how down-to-earth they both were. Their latest EP (download!) has a deep, rich sound, with the two of them showing love for L.A. and the Cali sun. Here’s “Spark My Soul” featuring Substantial.
R.A. Scion
They might talk slow in the Southern heartlands, but R.A. Scion, who grew up in Kentucky, has the fastest and densest flow here. I honestly can’t follow him half the time, so I visit his blog to read through his complex and profound lyrics. With DJ Sabzi he forms ‘Common Market.” Here’s their latest song, “Tobacco and Snow Covered Roads,” produced seemingly on a whim during an especially snowy day this past winter in Seattle. He’s a far easier to follow on this track than usual.
Grynch
Grynch quotes Langston Hughes In the first line of the first song I ever heard from him. So I knew immediately this 23-year-old rapper, also from Seattle, was on point. Apparently Dr. Dre’s ‘The Chronic’ hooked him on hip-hop at age 10 and he released his first album during his senior year in high school. Here’s the song I mentioned, called “I’m A Dreamer” featuring Geologic and Thig Natural, off his recent ‘Something More’ EP (download!).
Braille
“Helping people understand the things they can’t see” is his motto. Portland-based Braille spits what’s on his mind and you can tell he really means ever word he says. His latest project involves raising money to donate 30,000 copies of his latest record to at-risk and incarcerated youth. “That Feeling,” which describes his ever-changing but always strong relationship with hip-hop, is below.
Move.meant
These guys are also from Los Angeles. Don’t know much about ‘em except that they met in college and make smooth, accessible music. Here’s “Higher (Breathe).”
Made it this far? Here’s a mix to download of the tracks listed above.
Addendum
I want to mention that I hesitated to publish this post at all. Jay Smooth interviewed a white guy for his thoughts about Asher Roth, now I’ve published a list of white guys as an alternative to Roth, Eminem and their ilk. What started as a conversation about whiteness in hip-hop is now… a conversation by white guys about other white guys in hip-hop, at least on this part of the Internet. The voices of people of color should to be central here and they’re not.
So I’m not saying you should listen to the guys listed above instead of Roth and Eminem. Listen to whoever you want, and if you like good hip-hop, odds are those artists will be people of color. I don’t think the house of hip-hop needs white people at all, in fact it would probably be better off without us. POC built the house and they’re keeping it strong, despite what Nas said a few years ago.
On the other hand, the reality is there are probably more white consumers of hip-hop now than ever before. I’m one of them. And I feel like it’s important for me and Jay Smooth and anyone else to say to other (white) folks, “If white people are going to be a part of hip-hop at all, they ought to be humble about it and play a positive role.” I think the guys above are generally doing that, so they deserve the spotlight more than Em and Roth – but not necessarily more than anyone else.
40 responses
Your thoughts?
Hi, my name's Ansel.
I'm a multimedia journalist and web designer based in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. My goals with this site are to advance media justice and "go to where the silence is" in my own reporting. More info →
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you should send your address to rockwellpowers@gmail.com. im an emcee from tacoma, i work with can-u and grynch a lot. id like to send you a copy of my new album.
1st: Eminem is crazy talented and was very well-respected in the underground before Dre made him a superstar. He was every underground fan’s favorite rapper in ‘97 and everybody else’s in ‘98. I never cared for his major label stuff but I’ve always respected the man’s gift.
2nd: Why make race an issue at all? That’s an old, outdated, and useless paradigm. It’s a distraction from the art. It’s a useless, divisive game.
If you flip it, and talk about classical music, do people of color “need to have, at the very least, some humility before they claim space” in Baroque? Of course not. Calling someone a white rapper is as silly as calling someone an Asian cellist.
#3 Another man coming up is Chuck Brown. I just found out about him the other week from my Jersey cats. FWIW, I think he’s got the talent to do things and like most talented rappers, he just need to get fed the right beats and it coud really happen for him. (www.myspace.com/chuckbrownlyrics)
Oy, Jay. You need some racism 101, stat! I think Eric Holder was talking about guys like you in that speech. Watch the full interview with Charnas, then peruse the following. When you’re done, hopefully you’ll see why your analogy to classical music and the rest of your comment like, totally fails.
http://www.amptoons.com/blog/files/mcintosh.html
http://www.illdoctrine.com/2008/03/being_over_race.html (skip to the 1:00 mark if you want)
http://resistracism.wordpress.com/racism-101/
http://community.livejournal.com/debunkingwhite/339225.html
http://www.feministe.us/blog/archives/2008/03/06/sixteen-maneuvers-to-avoid-really-dealing-with-racism/
You named 7 white rappers better than em and asher, and you don’t include kid cudi??
No, but seriously, to omit R.A. the Rugged Man from that list is unconscionable. Also, an upstart from Philly calling himself Big City Philadelphia pretty much tears apart anyone on that list, including em and asher. I’m glad at least someone ripped on em – he’s barely even a rapper. He’s a corny comic word-molester.
Dude Kid Cudi isn’t white… was that sarcasm or?
I’ll check out Rugged Man.
Ansel: I agree with Dan Charnas on most every point and was echoing his sentiment that Eminem, Serch, and the Beasties were not separate but part of the whole. And obviously, I agree with showing respect to the founders of hip hop.
In fact, the only thing I disagree with is this idea of ‘racial’ humility (which you added in brackets to his quote on top). Humility to those that came before you is appropriate in anything in life but to make race a separate, more emphasized, part of that isn’t helpful. Respect them for their struggle. Respect them for their circumstances. Respect them for their influences. Respect them for their contributions. Respect them for their culture. But respect them as people and as individuals.
Does racism still exist? Of course, but what’s the point in encouraging a dichotomy based on race by making statements like this?
“…if you like good hip-hop, odds are those artists will be people of color.”
It’s difficult for me to understand how emphasizing your, or another person’s, race lessens racism somehow. I’m not saying ignore it and pretend it doesn’t exist, but don’t bestow power to it. To me, that’s racism.
Lastly, I find it hilarious that you implied I was being racist, or at the very least insensitive. God forbid, there be a comment with an opposing viewpoint! Please…
And don’t patronize me by sending me to a bunch of blogs that you agree with. I don’t need your BS homework to know how to respect people. If you like, I can link you to a bunch of blogs that I agree with, too. Or better yet, some anti-patronization blogs. If you disagree, why not tell me what you think? By evading the question, it creates the appearance that your own thoughts can’t withstand scrutiny.
Thanks Jay, this is a comment I can engage with.
I dismissed your first one as soon as I read this line: “Why make race an issue at all? That’s an old, outdated, and useless paradigm.” You invited my kind of reply with that statement. You seem to be pulling back from the brink on that point a bit, but you’ve really got to abandon the idea entirely if we’re going to get anywhere in this conversation.
I don’t know if you were too offended by my comment to look through the links. Here’s a choice quote from Jay Smooth:
Agreed? If so, lemme know and I’ll get back to you on the rest of your comment.
I stand by that ‘why make race an issue’ statement and my classical musician analogy. In classical music culture, race does not define anyone or qualify their talent. People are judged on their performance and ability. I don’t think anyone would argue that hip hop, and everything else for that matter, would not benefit from a similar perspective. (I’m not saying all aspects of classical music from the beginning of time until now were void of racism but, as far as the present is concerned, race is irrelevant in the face of ability.)
I went to all the websites just to see what you thought I desperately needed help understanding. I didn’t read every line of every page but I did listen to the entire Jay Smooth video.
I get what Jay Smooth is saying, though I think his interpretation of what post-racial means is, at best, unconstrained. Basically, I think he sees it to mean ignoring all differences as if they don’t exist. I thought the term meant respecting all differences (I don’t claim to be an authority on its definition… I think it’s a weak term to begin with).
By not clarifying what it was prior to attacking it, he begins to attack points I’m not sure are even issues. For example, I’m not sure who he thinks is trying to suppress discussion on race because people think the world is “post-racial” now. I’ve heard comedians say stuff like that but not anyone I thought actually meant it. Also, I think his ‘trying to be colorblind’ analogy is not quite apt since I don’t see how being post-racial is “not even a good idea.” However, I think most of my disagreement with him revolves around the ambiguity of the term ‘post-racial.’ I think we agree on most substantive points.
I just want to say that I listened to every song you posted and where most of them are pretty talented they are not even close to Eminem’s level. To claim that these 7 guys are better than Em makes your opinion on this matter null in void.
This kid from the Chi , NAPALM, born Craig Steven Palm, is sicker than aiiids and has already been touted by local mags as the next superstar that will come out of the Second City. After picking up a pen only a lil over a year ago, (a college grad and a 9 to 5 salesman by day), he dominates the club scene in Chi and stays true to his roots of being broke, partying for days straight, struggle, and has plethora of women.
Listen to his VERBAL MURDER of Assser Roth on “Put Me in the Same Room.” Flow is glued to the beat and it’s laced with punch after punch over Dre’s instro of “Lay Low.” Remember the name….NAPALM…fa real.
http://www.facebook.com/napalmchicago
i totally agree. where you might have a point eminem has highly explicit lyrics, he still has more talent than all of those white rappers put together
Yea, of course the Kid Cudi thing was a joke. Iron Solomon also tears anyone on that list up – including Em and Asher. And let’s not forget Kain Cioffie who used to be on Bad Boy. Kain is still around and can hang with anyone lyrically.
I would say a good start to a new and improved list would go: Iron Solomon, Kain, Ra the Rugged Man, Big City Philadelphia.
You completelly ignored Necro, Ill bill, Cage and Haystak(forshaeme) props on the Brother Ali nod though
hahaha get a clue you joke numbers speak for themselves eminem is extremely talented if these other rappers are good but not on the same pedastool. #1 hip hop artist seller of all time point blank period
No, obviously Eminem is a more successful recording artist BECAUSE he makes better songs. But that’s got more to do with Dre’s cultivation of Em as a recording artist, and not Em’s natural ability as a rapper. A guy like Iron Solomon is light years ahead of Em as far as wordplay and rhyming. But Iron can’t make a dope song – he needs to hook up with a dope producer first and learn the ropes of song making.
Ansel,
where are the women? Check out Invincible from Detroit. She is bad-ass, conscious of her white privilege and rhymes about important issues like misogyny, the digital divide and Palestinian Rights.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxZbpbCKKL4
Though I agree with the addendum of your post that this conversation of white people (me too) discussing good white hip-hop artists may not be necessary and white consumers of hip-hop need to know it’s history and that it is an art created by people of color.
To the folks saying talking up Eminem, Ill Bill, Iron Solomon – yeah, they’re all talented, but I lose patience with misogynistic and violent lyrics extremely quickly.
Matt, I couldn’t think of a single white female rapper. I’ve heard Invincible refer to herself as Israeli and I’m not sure if she identifies as white or not.
This one of the most highly-trafficked posts on the site right now, so I’ll have a follow-up soon with other non-white/male emcees.
Okay, these guys are no where near Eminem’s level. You might not like Eminem’s lyrics because they are too violent or what not, but that has nothing to do with pure talent. Take the song “Insane” from Relapse for example. Eminem uses 8 different styles of delivery. You’ll never see two songs in a row on one of his albums that are the same. Further, you cannot just dismiss a song as meaningless just because it is violent. Eminem has deep meaning in many of his songs if you really listen to them.
If you are sick of the violent lyrics and gangster rap that is common in the main stream, then check out Hyperaptive. Now there is a rapper with skill. He disses gangster rappers and his change in delivery is as good if not better than Eminem’s. Plus, he’s underground yet makes his own beats and is very good at it. Now, if you wanna say Hyper is better than Eminem that’s a good discussion, though you’ll have to download his free mix tape to really get a feel for his talent. http://www.myspace.com/hyperaptive
As far as the Rappers you listened. I went to some of their myspace pages and most of them only have 1, 2, or 3 styles of delivery and none drastically different from the others. Check out Hyper and then get back to me.
I forgot about Termanology. Surprised nobody caught that in the comments. These two songs are nice:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kU-5L12Drog
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2_cpftd8dI
doc brown i agree with a few picks on ur list, but ur either forgetting or dont know about shark. italian rapper from the bronx on some uptown mafioso hip hop, and it’s good shit. my list:
1. shark
2. ra the rugged man
3. big city philadelphia
4. iron solomon
5. kain
You can’t possibly sit here and tell me that anyone of those white rappers could sit in a studio and flow as good as Eminem does in “Stay Wide Awake.”
Eminem is timeless.
For 11 years now, Eminem has been putting out multi-platinum records. Listen to all of the records. From Infinite to Relapse.
I’d like to see any rapper you just listened to replicate the sound Eminem has in any of his best songs, let alone write a song equally as complicated.
Eminem doesn’t rhyme words, he rhymes phrases.
And I’ll be honest, Relapse isn’t an album that I’m going to put on repeat in my stereo, but it is the album that I’ll listen to and drop my jaw in awe. I think he could have came with some better songs, but that is possibly the best flow I’ve ever heard in my life.
And as for Asher Roth, I really don’t see what all the hype is about. I think his record is decent, but obviously he is only known because of “I Love College.”
I think as soon as Asher Roth is too old to be the college/party boy that he markets himself as, he will just be forgotten.
all these guys rhyme phrases, not just em. but when it comes to rap, word choice is so important. and em has a very low standard for his word choice. he basically plays with rhyming words and phrases first, and worries about meaning, impact, grace, metaphor and general poeticism last. this is the reason em blew up – because his sort of art is very much dumbed down for a mass audience. but even his more serious stuff really fails for me. i mean, i can list hundreds of amazing rap quotables from so many different artists, but i never heard one hard hitting eminem line out of all his material. nothing. now take a guy like kain cioffie. every song has creative and hard hitting quotables that contribute something to hip hop. and when i say hip hop, i don’t mean bullshit underground backpack spoken word rap. i mean fly shit. eminem doesn’t know anything about that. i know most rap fans love eninem, and im in the minority here, but it never stops blowing my mind that he won so many people over. i honestly think (and don’t be insulted by this – though i guess that’s unavoidable) that anyone who takes eminem seriously as a rapper is either weak minded and follows general trends, or they don’t really understand what rap is, or both.
45cali, the major reason why Eminem and Asher Roth are so big is that they relate to other people. Most rap is about what its like in the hood which relates to a small minority and is so over used its boring. Eminem raps about his mom, his ex, celebrities, and addictions. Generally things that most people can relate to in some way. Asher speaks to college students. The main music buying demographic is ages 13-25. Teens tend to think people just a bit older than them are interesting so raping about college draws in high school kids too.
I listened to 4 kain tracks that were on his myspace page and though that isn’t really enough to rate a rapper, he failed for me in the fact that it felt like he was trying to hard and it wasn’t natural. Take Eminem’s song “Kim”. You have to listen careful to realize he is actually rapping. That’s unique and feels a lot more real than most other raps. Also, his conversations with Dre in “Guilty Consensus” and his arguing with the demon in “My Darling” are great examples of rap feeling real and natural. I’ll admit, songs like “We Made You” are crap. No rapper puts out a great track every time.
lord nate, you make a very good point. that’s all i can say.
i randomly came across this, and found all of these rappers interesting, though I have never heard of any of them except for Brother Ali, who i think is great. As far as what doc brown was saying about eminem in making better songs, of course hes better!! I mean the general public hears about people from SONGS on the radio and/or internet, so therefore its SONGS who make rappers. Yes, there are rappers who are more talented than others but don’t get heard cuz their songs suck. Perfect example in my book, Nas…great rapper, even eminem said he Nas was a heavy influence when he came up, but Nas doesn’t make great radio songs or a bunch of great “general public will like this” songs on his albums. But if you really listen to hiphop or rap, you can respect Nas and his wordplay and rhyme schemes. Unfortunately, and I’d have to dig to find who actually said this but, “Nas couldn’t chose a good beat to save his own life” and that is so true! Nas is a great rapper but his beat selection is horrible. Look at Game, hes an OK rapper, but his beat selection is great, at least on his first album. Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that there are great lyricists, encees , and rappers, but not many are all 3. Many people say that the top 5 , in no particular order is , Tupac, Biggie, Nas, Jay-Z and Eminem. According to Em in Til I collapse “Reggie (redman), Jay-Z, Tupac, and Biggie, Andre from Outkast, Jada, Kurupt, Nas and then me (Himself)” so its hard to say, jus like anything, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Of course there are great lyricist and rappers that no one has ever heard of, or maybe never will, you can rap crazy lyrics but if the beat sucks or it suck as a “song” then it doesn’t matter. Its just like talking about a super-athletic footbal player who is super fast/strong/quick/ but isn’ a great “football player” and their are great “football player” (s) who aren’t very athletic….things just have to come together in the right combination for the general public to like them or for them to be considered “great” or “complete.” Also, there are a ton of white rappers better than Asher Roth, but I like him because he makes good songs, also his album sucks compared to his mixtape, The Greenhouse Effect. Yeah his wordplay and all that shit isn’t great, but it goes together with the beats and whatnot…..PS, hes not white but has anyone ever heard of , and if so what do you think of, Royce Da 5′9”?? Was great friends with Em, and could probably outdue him on a song, but hasn’t “blown up” like i think he should . can’t believe i just now found this site, good discussion though!!
Can – u was terrible, Ali guy has a great voice. the rest of the guys sound like that typical underground political socially aware mumbo jumbo, which is hard to believe since their white. I’m brown, i hate shit. we need gothic rap. nick cave meets lil wayne in the bowels of some vernacular genius. I like my rap studid. I’m allready pretentious with books, films, and i have a graduate degree (worthless) so apathetic violent fun stupid rap music saves me daily. all right cunts
You clearly have different tastes than me, okay – but c’mon man. Can-U rocks it. Download his mixtape.
lots of rappers missing on the list
1st. i dont think all these dudes are better than em…
2nd. chief from detroit should be on here,
3rd ra the rugged man should be on here for sure too
4th plz check out my website, im a white rapper
new music up soon, all the shit up their is from 2007 and under
How about atmosphere?
What about Topix
http://www.myspace.com/topixonline
who is working with Twista and his GMG Ent label out of Chicago?
Yeah atmosphere is an incredible white rapper also
Atmosphere is a group, slug is the rapper and he is only half-white.
Grieves is amazing rapper that happens to be white, his rhymes are not the most complex but he makes incredible songs. Astronautalis is also pretty amazing, though only some of his stuff is rap.
Lyrically, RA the Rugged Man is hard to touch
i try to check out alot of white rappers on the net. 99 percent of em suck they rap like black guys most the time and surely perpetrating like a mofo.
found this guy http://www.myspace.com/dolawhite , funny as hell and a good storyteller, definate unique flow
First, three underground white rappers that should be included in this list are Apathy, Lil Wyte, and Cage (even though Cage has seemed to currently cross over to a more rock/rap fusion genre). They are all on par with the above mentioned rappers. All of them are good rappers, but each has their own individual draw back that keeps them from worldwide acclaim. I’m fan of Apathy and Aesop Rock, but there are times where I hit a wall with them and there music bores me a little.
Second, it is definitely important to recognize white rappers because it is area where the race roles are reversed for whites. Do you know how hard it is for a white rapper to break into the music scene? Caucasians make up the largest base of hip hop consumers, but are also one of the largest minorities of hip hop artists. Recognition needs to be acknowledged.
Third, not one of the above mentioned rappers is anywhere near the realm of Eminem. Everyone likes to hate on him because he’s had pop success. Its almost as if people feel that if you have money or success in music, that you’ve sold out. I guarantee that if you offer any one of those above rappers the money that Em pulls in, every single one of them would abandon their “staying true to the game/ higher self-intellect” reputation and “sell out” in a heart beat. The reason they remain “educated” rappers is because the money isn’t being offered to them because they aren’t good enough. Asher Roth, is no better or worse than any of the above mentioned white rappers in your article. He also shouldn’t be mentioned in the same breath as Eminem. Roth just got the right break. I’m not trying to be pro-Eminem, I love all hip-hop, but it just makes me crazy when people try to discredit someones greatness. Eminem is the king of white rap. Point blank. Eminem would’ve made it whether Dr. Dre found him or not, because someone else would’ve found him if Dre didn’t. Eminem has dominated his era like no other white rapper has dominated theirs. Thats all I have to say. Good article though, I always like to read about new artists. Thanks for the info.
Thanks for the comment, but I gotta calls BS on the third point. Listen to Can-U’s mixtape, the download link is right there. Listen to RA Scion. Dudes have absolutely mad skills, totally on par with Eminem. I won’t deny Em’s wordplay, his delivery, his production, etc., but what the fuck is the point of his music? Most of it’s whining about his family, about other people not accepting him, or lately, drugs. He killed the verse on Forever. The last verse I heard from him on that Lil’ Wayne track was average. Point is, he’s got his pros and his cons, his ups and downs, but he’s not one-of-a-kind in terms of pure talent. And the difference with a guy like Can-U, for example, is that he has something ground-breaking and creative to say. You don’t know him, you don’t have a clue if he’d sell out on a higher level. I really doubt it.
A, I just checked out RA Scion, Can-U, and Napalm. Let me start with Napalm because I have nothing positive to say about him. He blows. I’m sorry. I hate to be condescending, but Napalm just sounds like any old white dude trying to rap. Just because you go out and buy recording/mixing equipment, it doesn’t mean that you can rap. Whoever posted about checking out Napalm is either a friend or family member of his, or its actually him in disguise. Napalm, I’m sorry but its time to go back to the drawing board… and lose the pink belt.
Ok, now that I got that out of the way, I can talk about the other two guys that actually do have talent. RA and Can-U are pretty good, but not on par with Eminem. Again, I hate constantly using Eminem as a comparison because it makes me sound like groupie or I’m pro-Eminem. But there’s really no other current upper-echelon white rappers out there today. But anyway, I have one major beef with Can-U, and two beefs with RA. Both of these cats can rap, but as you said about Eminem… what are they really talking about? They both try to rap about this metaphysical mumbo jumbo BS. They are missing one of the most important aspects of rapping, and making music as a whole… the ability to relate to the audience. You asked what is Eminem talking about… well he is relating to white suburban kids, teens, 20-something-year-olds, etc. Which are exactly who are buying his albums. Taking E & pain killers, hating your parents, growing up in a single family/broken homes, and not feeling accepted is absolutely relative to white suburban youth. Like it or not, that’s what white kids do and/or experience while growing up. I did. Most of my friends did. Now I absolutely agree with you that Eminem’s last album was terrible. His verse in Forever was sick, but other than that and maybe the song Warning, he’s pretty much bombed as of late.
Last is my 2nd beef with RA. People forget that hiphop is not just about rapping, its a way of life and a style. RA will never be accepted in the same light as Eminem because he has no hiphop style. He’s got good word flow, but come on with the beard. He looks like a Hasidic Jew. I’m not being anti-Semitic, I’m saying that he literally looks like he’s Hasidic. And the glasses… oh God the glasses. I know MC Search wore classes too, but that was the 80’s. This guy just looks ridiculous. You can try to dispute that hiphop style isn’t important, but before you do, name me any great rapper that didn’t have style. I mean he looks like a bum. Sorry Ansel, I don’t mean to go the materialistic route, but its true. Hiphop is more than just spittin words. Those guys are good, but they’re not on par with Eminem. Thats just my feelings on it. Thanks for the quick reply.
One other thing, on a different topic… what the hell happened to Cage? His first two albums are hiphop and then his new one switches to rock. Wht’d the guy just give up? I actually like Cage, but he did bite off of Eminem’s style in one of his lines in the song “Shoot Frank”.
Yea how did no one mention cage on here? Although he had beef wit em and I’m a die hard em fan, the dude amazingly talented. Just the stories he tells in his song and the way he describes things are amazing. His more recent stuff is more just slow poetry over weird beats but listen to hells winter songs like grand ol party crash or stripes, too heavy for cherubs and shoot frank. The dude had a really fucked up life and ull learn that from listening to him. Also movies for the blind was great to but was more of a concept album. Deffently one of the best white rappers and very underrated
How the hell is poverty not on this list???????????
Everybody needs to know about him.
Poverty is bar none the realest and most sickest rapper Ive heard that is white.
youtube.com/povertychannel
White rappers better than Eminem
1)Edan-hip hop dj,writer,producer,graffiti artist and breakdancer
2)Promoe-Swedish rapper
3)Jason the Argonaut-from the group Disflex 6
4)Critical
5)Sabac Red
I never understand why people think that if a rapper is not mainstream than he sucks and has no money,these underground rappers make great incomes and than they are smart with their money and invest it in things like real estate and end up becoming millionaires they might not have 600,000,000 million dollars like Puffy or Eminem or Gay Z,but they make enough to not sell out(how many millionaires do you know?),also the underground scene is very big in other countries where the Euro is used and that is worth more than the US dollar and these guys have big followings in these places.Rappers that become mainstream seem to have no financial knowledge so they get taken by record companies and before you know it they are selling out like crazy to get money,EX.Vanilla Ice,Tribe Called Quest,TLC,Mc Hammer etc..
Funny thing about Eminem is that he does not consider himself a rapper he says he is a businessman,Robert Kyosaki and Donald Trump held a seminar here in Atl and guess who was there as a special guest talking about his big real estate purchases now that Detroit has some of the lowest priced real estate in the country?Thats right Eminem and once again he called himself a businessman.