In an interview with rapper Skillz on the 'Hip-Hop Confessions' podcast, the Black Eyed Peas frontman names artists who he personally thinks deserve the title of being the best in the game.
- July 28, 2022
AceShowbiz - When it comes to naming rap legends, Will.I.Am probably has unpopular opinion. In an interview with rapper Skillz on the "Hip-Hop Confessions" podcast, the Black Eyed Peas frontman discussed some of his favorite rap artists. He also revealed that he doesn't agree when people hail the Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur as the genre's inarguable best.
"I'm gonna say something... I don't want to say it in a disrespectful way," the 47-year-old musician told the host. "When people say Tupac and Biggie, I'm such [an] A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul head that I don't like Tupac and Biggie."
He went on to opine, "That kind of music doesn't speak to my spirit. I like Boogie Down Productions, KRS-One; if it's like, 'Tupac or Biggie?' I'm like, 'KRS-One.' Why those two?" He then named artists who he personally thinks deserve the title of being the best in the game, saying, "If it's Tupac and Biggie, I don't hold them up like that. I hold Eric B. [and] Rakim up like that."
He later shared how hip-hop acts like De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest had a huge impact on his Los Angeles upbringing. "It took me out of the projects while I was still in the projects," said Will.I.Am, adding their music sparked his imagination and "physically" allowed him to "reach" his "dreams."
He went on to recall, "It kept me safe while I was in the projects. Had I loved Tupac and Biggie while I was in the projects, I probably would've been stuck in the projects still."
Before anyone misunderstands him, Will.I.Am clarified that he's actually a fan of the "California Love" rapper, who died after being gundown in 1996 at 25 years old. "Tupac's dope. Don't get me wrong. It's not like I don't think he's dope," the "Boom Boom Paw" hitmaker explained.
