- Ice Cube and Ja Rule have both hit out at Billboard over its list of the greatest-ever rappers.
- Ice Cube was ranked 18th by the music magazine while Ja Rule was completely omitted.
Ice Cube and Ja Rule both hit out at Billboard after the music magazine published its 50 greatest rappers of all time list.
Billboard shared its full list last week "in honor of hip-hop's 50th anniversary."
Jay-Z came in at N0. 1, while Nicki Minaj was ranked as Billboard's best-ever female rapper in 10th place. Others ranked in the top 10 include Drake, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, and Tupac Shakur.
Ice Cube, who rose to fame in the late 1980s as a member of N.W.A, was ranked 18th, while Ja Rule was completely omitted.
"I don't fuck with Billboard or the editor," Cube told TMZ on Saturday when asked about the list. "Billboard ain't hip-hop so their opinion don't matter. So who gives a fuck?"
The 53-year-old star also hit out Billboard for snubbing his Mount Westmore contemporary Too $hort.
"It's an irrelevant list," he added. "It's like assholes: everybody got one and they all stink."
After learning of his omission, Ja Rule tweeted on Thursday: "There ain't 50 rappers dead, alive or waiting to be born better than me."
Rule, 46, was one of the most successful rappers of the 2000s, selling over 20 million albums worldwide and scoring three No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 as either a lead or featured artist.
"Congrats to everyone on the list well deserved but check my resume," he added.
In a second tweet on Friday, Rule said: "Music is subjective but if we talking numbers I'm at least top 25 in all categories, record sales, top 10 singles, number 1 singles, number 1 albums what we talking bout impact influence??? Even my enemies adopted my style."
—Ja Rule (@jarule) February 9, 2023
Billboard did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Ice Cube and Ja Rule's statements.