Drake earned praise from Melle Mel, who faced backlash for polarizing opinions about several rappers.
Melle Mell continued to discuss Billboard’s best rappers of all time list in an interview with the Art Of Dialogue. The Hip-Hop pioneer thought it was wrong to rank Drake at No. 8 but admitted he enjoyed the Canadian superstar’s music.
“I think he writes good songs,” Melle Mel said. “I don’t listen to music a lot, I just hear what I hear in the club or just what I hear on the radio … I’ve been like, ‘I kind of like this song. Who wrote that song?’ And they say Drake. I tried to hate on him but he writes good songs. And not all of ‘em is rap but not all of ‘em have to be rap.”
He added, “He’s a talented guy. He knows how to write. And even if he don’t know how to write, he knows how to put the songs together.”
Melle Mel’s admiration for Drake didn’t change the legendary rapper’s stance on the OVO star’s place in Hip-Hop’s hierarchy. The Furious Five member believed the rankings were “sideways” and championed himself in the best rapper debate.
Listen to Melle Mel’s thoughts on Drake below.