There are a lot of rappers claiming to be extra “Hip-hop-ish,” but Black Eyed Peas frontman Will.i.am says that he is more Hip-Hop than any of them! The rapper recently spoke to Vibe and made it very clear:
“If there’s anyone that’s the personification of hip-hop, I’m probably the most hip-hop n**ga out of all these hip-hop n**gas. But hip-hop editorial and blogs and even some of the hip-hop fans don’t see it that way, which is cool. I’m going to win. I’m going to win and win bigger than all these n**gas are winning… Hip-Hop is limiting itself and that also goes for editorially. Magazines and websites are the gatekeepers of what people think hip-hop is, but they actually end up limiting what hip-hop can be…If Nas calls me for another track, I can do that. But at the same time, if Usher calls me I can do [an ‘OMG’] as well. Songs like ‘OMG’ are international hits, not just hits on American urban radio. I’m talking about the f*cking world!”
Well, the n**ga made it clear (LOL!). So what you guys think? Is Will.i.am really as Hip-Hop as he claims?