Following the publication of Billboard’s list of the 50 best rappers of all time, both Ice Cube and Ja Rule criticized the music publication.
Last Monday, Billboard released its complete list in recognition of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop.
Billboard ranked Nicki Minaj as the top female rapper ever in 10th position, while Jay-Z placed first. Drake, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, and Tupac Shakur round out the top ten.
Ja Rule was completely left out of the list, but Ice Cube, an N.W.A member who gained success in the late 1980s, was placed at number 18.
When questioned about the list on Saturday by TMZ, Cube responded, “I don’t fuck with Billboard or the editor. “Billboard isn’t in the hip-hop genre, therefore their perspective is irrelevant. So, what does it matter?”
The 53-year-old celebrity also criticized Billboard for passing over Too $hort, another musician from Mount Westmore.
It’s a useless list, he continued. It’s similar to assholes in that everyone has one and they all stink.
Ja Rule tweeted on Thursday in response to his exclusion: “There ain’t 50 rappers dead, alive, or yet to be born better than me.”
Rule, 46, was one of the most popular rappers of the 2000s. He sold more than 20 million albums worldwide and had three solo or featured No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100.
Check out my resume, but congrats to everyone on the list, he added.
Rule added in a second tweet on Friday: “Music is subjective, but if we’re talking statistics, I’m at least in the top 25 in all categories, including record sales, the top 10 songs, the number-one singles, and the top albums. What about impact and influence? Even my adversaries began using my style.”
When asked about Ice Cube and Ja Rule’s comments, Billboard did not answer right away.