Run The Jewels’ Killer Mike Explains Why Rihanna Is ‘The New Tupac’

Deemed the ultimate Trap Queen one day, likened to hip-hop legend Tupac Shakur the next—it's definitely good to be Rihanna.

On Saturday (August 22), The Guardian published a piece in which Banksy interviewed El-P and Killer Mike of New York hip-hop duo Run The Jewels. The trio decried museums, addressed the state of racial tension in the United States and explored what it really means to be a "brave" artist. More importantly, Killer Mike argued against Kanye West's self-assessed standing as the music industry's biggest and brightest, noting:

"Kanye is amazing and may be the greatest rock star in the world, but Rihanna is the new Tupac (in feminist form), and as much as I love rock, ain’t nobody do it like Pac!" he declared. "Ri-Ri rules in my book." Yours and many others, Killer Mike.

And while Killer Mike might see the two at odds, Rihanna and Kanye proved at Saturday's FYF Fest in Log Angeles that they're playing for the same team. When Kanye spotted the "American Oxygen" singer in the crowd during his performance of "FourFiveSeconds," he passed her a microphone so she could join in. “Make some noise for Rihanna in the crowd!” he shouted, as if the instruction wasn't implicit.

Agree that Rihanna's legacy will mirror Tupac's? Share your thoughts on the big-time claim in the comments.

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