ATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 09: Ja Rule performs during 2022 ONE MusicFest at Central Park on October 9, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia.(Photo by Prince Williams/FilmMagic)
Ja Rule wants the people curating best rapper lists to put some respect on his discography, oh-kay!
The rapper addressed his exclusion from Billboard’s Top 50 Greatest Rappers Of All Time list during his appearance on ‘The Tamron Hall Show‘ on Thursday (January 18).
The list, released in February 2023, included some of the biggest names in hip hop, ranging from Gucci Mane (38), Future (34), Missy Elliott (19), Nicki Minaj (10), Lil Wayne (7), and Jay-Z (1).
Understandably, the ‘Always On Time’ artist felt some type of way about his exclusion from the conversation.
After all, Ja Rule’s rap career spans two decades, with multiple platinum albums and numerous hits on the Billboard charts.
During his appearance on the talk show, he argued that his achievements and contributions to the industry would have statistically made him deserving of a spot.
“I’m not a hater. Congrats to everyone on the list,” Rule told Hall. “[But] these lists, they’re meaningless because music is subjective. You like who you want to like, you know everybody has their favorite artist.”
He went on to illustrate his point by highlighting his record sales and industry longevity, factors he believes people should consider when determining such rankings.
“But my thing was: this is a list comprised by Billboard. They do numbers and statistics if I’m not mistaken. Ok so, that list is impossible to make without Ja Rule being on it — statistically impossible.”
According to Billboard, however, their team’s criteria for the list did require looking into each and every rapper’s certifications, commercial success, their cultural impact, influence, lyrics, flow and longevity.
Taking that into consideration, they still didn’t think Ja was worthy of a spot on their Top 50. Ouch!
The exclusion of Ja Rule sparked a discussion on social media platforms about the criteria used by Billboard to determine the “greatest.”
Some fans sided with Ja Rule, arguing that his contribution to the rap genre has been substantial and deserves recognition.
Others defended Billboard’s decision, stating that while Ja Rule has undoubtedly been influential, the competition is fierce when it comes to claiming a spot among the greatest rappers.
Ja had previously addressed the matter when he hopped on X to to express his disappointment about the apparent oversight.
He tweeted, “There ain’t 50 rappers dead, alive or waiting to be born better than me… #ICONN #Vibes @billboard congrats to everyone on the list well deserved but check my resume… #ICONN #Vibes.”
