Symba has declared himself better than Eminem. The West Coast emcee made the unprovoked declaration during his appearance on the “The Great Debate” panel at the Revolt World Festival in Atlanta alongside fellow artists Trina and Tierra Whack, as well as Hip-Hop journalists Rob Markman and Brian “B. Dot” Miller.
During the course of the debate, the conversation naturally turned towards Eminem’s abilities as a lyricist and his enduring impact on Hip-Hop history. Symba didn’t shy away from sharing his perspective on the 15-time Grammy Award winner.
“I respect Eminem on a level as a man, but as a rapper, I feel like I can name five better rappers,” Symba said. When Tierra Whack pressed on, asking if he considered himself superior to Eminem, Symba responded with a confident “Yes.”
In response to jeers from the audience, the “Hell Of A Feeling” rapper doubled down on his statement: “Anybody can rhyme words, what are you saying?” He then added, “The girl [in the crowd] that’s yelling, rap me an Eminem verse…she got quiet.”
Fans joined the debate in the comments section of the clip shared on Instagram by Revolt. One person queried, “Who the hell is Symba? while another quipped, “Yea u just lost my respect [laughing emoji].
Interestingly, a significant number of comments seemed to align with Symba’s perspective. “He’s got a point. Em isn’t superior to many other rappers,” one person defended. Another concurred, “He’s spot on. Em tends to rap about nothing 90% of the time.”
A third voice joined in, “This is why Em is overrated. They keep this narrative going like he the boogey man. In reality anything he puts out gets gassed by a bunch of stans and cornballs even if it’s mediocre or wack. Em is the most overrated rapper of all time. That n—-a could read a children’s nursery rhyme over a beat and they all will go crazy.”
Others echoed sentiments similar to Melle Mel’s, alleging that Eminem’s acclaim as a rapper is partly attributed to his white skin.
Former Slaughterhouse emcee, KXNG Crooked came to Eminem’s defense, saying, “I want to do a joint with Eminem called Just Rhymin Words since that’s what some people think that’s all he does.. Let’s do it to the extreme and go where others cannot fk it,” he wrote on X.
Eminem Becomes 10th Best Selling Artist Of All Time
Despite differing opinions, Eminem continues to etch his name in history. The Detroit icon is now the tenth best-selling artists of all time, boasting a career total of 207,262,000 sales according to ChartMasters. The achievement propelled him beyond Led Zeppelin to secure the position.
The ‘Marshall Mathers LP’ creator is the only rapper in the top 40, with Drake as the closest contender at No. 41, amassing just over 120 million sales. Kanye West follows at No. 61 with 98 million sales.
