Melle Mel gives his opinion on Kendrick Lamar being number 2 on the Billboard 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time List.
Melle Mel’s influence on hip hop culture and rap music cannot be overstated. He was a pioneer of the genre and helped to establish rap as a serious form of music with his socially conscious lyrics and powerful delivery.
He has stated his opinion on the Rolling Stone / Vibe top 50 rappers list. The icon disagrees with the ranking of Eminem, Lil Wayne, and Kendrick Lamar. The west coast rapper was ranked number two of all-time, but Melle Mel believes he is not above Biggie Smalls or Tupac due to them being much more influential.
Melle Mel, whose real name is Melvin Glover, is an American rapper who is best known for his work with the hip hop group Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. He was born on May 15, 1961, in The Bronx, New York.
Melle Mel and his brother Kidd Creole (Nathaniel Glover) were both members of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, which was formed in 1978. Melle Mel was the lead rapper on many of the group’s biggest hits, including “The Message,” “White Lines (Don’t Do It),” and “Beat Street.” He was known for his powerful, socially conscious lyrics and his ability to deliver them with a commanding voice.
MELLE MEL’S INFLUENCE IN THE 80’S
In 1982, Melle Mel and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five became the first rap group to be signed to a major record label, with their album “The Message” released on Sugar Hill Records. The album included the iconic title track, which is widely considered one of the greatest hip hop songs of all time.
He was ranked at number 48 according to Billboard’s top 50 rappers and the outlet described his contributions with the following:
“The first universally hailed God MC demystified the allure of the Big Apple (“New York, New York”) and distilled the crisis of the cocaine epidemic (“White Lines [Don’t Don’t Do It]”) before crashing pop radio with his 1984 appearance on Chaka Khan’s Grammy-winning, No. 3-peaking Hot 100 hit “I Feel for You” — a pivotal early crossover moment between the hip-hop and R&B worlds.
