Gene Simmons has ruffled some feathers with his recent comments about wishing for rap’s demise. Hip hop artist Talib Kweli took to Twitter on Friday and Saturday to dispute the rock legend’s words.
“Hip-hop has saved countless lives. How dare he wish it dead,” Kweli tweeted. “So would it be fair to wish him dead, or nah?”
That was just one of many blows the rapper served to Simmons, who said in a Rolling Stone interview published Thursday that rap needs to die.
“I am looking forward to the death of rap,” the KISS singer said. “I’m looking forward to music coming back to lyrics and melody, instead of just talking. A song, as far as I’m concerned, is by definition lyric and melody, or just melody.”
Kweli, who’s not only a revered New York-based rapper but also a respected social commentator, expressed his views on the rocker’s opinion, but clearly took it personal.
“I had no problem w KISS til Simmons b—h a— opened his mouth about rap,” he wrote. “Let’s go lyric for lyric tho. Me vs KISS.
“Rock has also saved countless lives. No one is dissing rock. Kiss ain’t rock. It’s marketing. Try to keep up.”
Simmons, who likely noticed the bickering that sparked from his interview, responded by basically saying his naysayers are just being sensitive.
“Apparently pointing out that everything is cyclical — even music — is ‘controversial,’” Simmons tweeted. “People are very easily offended.”
“Pointing out everything is ‘cyclical’ is different than ‘looking forward’ to things dying,” Kweli responded. “Do better Gene.”
The Rolling Stone interview is not the first time Simmons has expressed some disdain for the genre of rap. In 2014, while discussing the induction of rap artists into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he said hip hop artists should not be able to receive such honors.
“You’ve got Grandmaster Flash [and the Furious Five] in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Run-DMC in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? You’re killing me. That doesn’t mean those aren’t good artists. But they don’t play guitar. They sample and they talk,” he said.
Do you agree with Talib Kweli, or do you agree that rap needs to die?
