Hot 97’s Ebro Darden Says Eminem Treats Rap How Black People Have to Treat Life
Hot 97's Ebro Darden has some thoughts on the public's perception of Eminem.
On Thursday morning (Jan. 23), Ebro was engaging with fans on Twitter when he rocked the boat with what some would call a hot take on Eminem. The radio personality drew a comparison to the way Em treats rap to the way he feels Black people have to treat life, and not everyone is agreeing.
"Eminem treats Rap how Black folks have had to treat life..." Ebro said. "Be 5x better, work 5x harder than everyone and still not necessarily get respect."
Immediately, his mentions lit up with folks debating his statement. One fan pointed out that Em is one of the most successful artists of all time, to which Ebro replied with, "Sales doesn’t mean respect."
He reiterated his comment with a follow-up tweet, saying, "People confuse success and respect."
Ebro's statements come on the heels of the release of Eminem's new surprise album, Music to Be Murdered By. The feedback on the new project has been mixed–especially because of the intense lyrics and controversial statements–likely prompting Ebro's Thursday morning conversation.
Because of some of the negative responses, Eminem himself released a statement about the album's content.
"Gentle listener, In today’s wonderful world murder has become so commonplace that we are a society obsessed and fascinated by it," Eminem wrote. "I thought why not make a sport if it, and murder over beats? So before you jump the gun, please allow me to explain. This album was not made for the squeamish."
He went on to explain that the album is not for the easily offended, and his aim was to "shock the conscience, which may cause positive action."
Do you agree with Ebro's take on Eminem?
Here's Every Rapper Eminem Name-Drops on His Music to be Murdered By Album
Song: "Godzilla" Featuring Juice Wrld
Lyric: "Take it back to Fat Pete's with a maxi single/Look at my rap sheets, what attracts these people/Is my gangster, bitch, like Apache with a catchy jingle"