The Juice Crew legend addressed the viral “Did Eminem steal his flow?” clip, and his answer was all about respect and inspiration.
Masta Ace recently joined Chuck “Jigsaw” Creekmur and DJ Thoro for a wide-ranging talk about hip hop history, creativity, and what’s next. From breaking down the origins of Born to Roll to discussing his stage musical The Falling Season, the Brooklyn veteran kept it candid and thoughtful.
At one point, the conversation turned to a viral video that questioned whether Eminem had borrowed his flow. Instead of fanning the flames, Masta Ace brushed off the idea.
“I hear people say that stuff and I’ve seen that post”, he said. “I don’t repost things like that because I feel like it is disrespectful. We as artists all feed off of each other. I could play you early stuff, before my first album came out, where I sound like Rakim. We’re all trying to find our way. Whatever Em ended up doing, he did something completely on another plateau than whatever I did. He’s named his influences: Redman, Kane, G Rap, a long list. I was just one of those names. I respect that brother. He respects me. He’s influenced me in ways he probably doesn’t even realise”.
Asked how Eminem influenced him, Ace pointed to Slim Shady’s creative boldness and inventiveness, quoting bars from 1999’s “Role Model”.
“Just the willingness to say stuff that’s a little bit outside of what you would expect a rapper to say. Having that courage just to be a little bit further out there. Like when Nas says, ‘I went to hell for snuffing Jesus’. When we heard that, we were like, ‘Oh, shit. So, this is where we’re going? Okay. Okay’. It opens up minds. And then some of the way he puts words together and the way he made stuff rhyme that you never would have thought to make rhyme. You know, he said:
I’m dumb enough to walk into a store and steal
So I’m dumb enough to ask for a date with Lauryn Hill
Some people only see that I’m white, ignorin’ skill
’Cause I stand out like a green hat with an orange bill
That’s next level. It energises you as a writer”.
By the end, the hosts were convinced. The “Eminem stole the flow” argument wasn’t worth clinging to, what mattered was the exchange of energy between great MCs.
