Floyd Mayweather has been keeping loose and relaxed despite the pressure of his September 19 comeback fight against Juan Manuel Marquez. As a part of his ongoing, exclusive interview series with AllHipHop.com, the controversial undefeated fighter took a quick break from his rigorous training schedule to give his own Top 5 emcees. And as a bonus, Floyd names his favorite boxers of all time.
Rakim
AllHipHop.com: Rakim obviously shows up on a lot of lists. What are some of his most memorable tracks for you?
Floyd Mayweather: My favorite joints were “Follow the Leader” and “Paid In Full.” Back then Rakim just had an unbelievable look and lyrical impact. At first when I was young because Eric B came first in the title I thought Eric B was Rakim! Dude was unreal on the mic.
Run DMC
Floyd Mayweather: My favorites were “My Adidas” of course; they had everyone wearing shelltoes without shoestrings. They made trends and broke down doors for the music. And they really broke the barriers with Aerosmith and “Walk This Way.” That was just unreal and unheard of for a rap group.
LL Cool J
Floyd Mayweather: I gotta talk about LL because he was able to last from the 80s until now! And he still makes good music, so you can’t knock LL. Some people try to, [but] who else has that longevity?
50 Cent
Floyd Mayweather: 50 is great. For him to get in rap so quick and make movies, video games, and handle business is amazing. And he’s not done yet.
Notorious B.I.G.
Floyd Mayweather: Biggie was the only rapper to be able to say crazy stuff and still get away with it. Like on “Me and My B***h” when he said “You looked so good/I’d suck on your Daddy’s d**k/I never felt that way in my life.” You never knew no rapper that could say that and still be loved. No rapper! And even another [example is] when he said “I’d f**k RuPaul before those ugly Xscape b***hes.” What?! C’mon man. Biggie was the only one. Ugly and still got all the broads.
AllHipHop.com: Both Ready To Die and Life After Death are considered classics. Which one do you prefer?
Floyd Mayweather: They’re both unbelievable. Biggie saw things that no one else could see. Perfect example would be “You’re Nobdy Till Somebody Kills You.” Just like Michael Jackson, it’s so crazy when they died. Look how many albums they sold [afterward]. It’s all right there.
AllHipHop.com: Switching gears, who would grace the list of your favorite boxers?
Floyd Mayweather: Who we got, let’s see. Of course I must say RIP to the warrior Arturo Gatti, Alexis Arguello, and Vernon Forrest. I was with Vernon in training 48 hours before he got killed. We were training together just me and him. Me and Gatti fought in a hell of a fight, even though I was dominant. We brought the best out.
Pernell Whitaker was a hell of a fighter. I got to put my uncle Roger Mayweather in there, too.
Aaron Pryor
Larry Holmes
Ricardo Lopez
Tommy Hearns
Marvin Hagler
The Sidebar
Starting on August 29 at 10:15PM, you can catch Floyd Mayweather on HBO’s Emmy-winning series “24/7” through its latest incarnation, “Mayweather/Marquez 24/7.” The four weekly episodes will chronicle both fighter’s camps as they move closer to their anticipated PPV clash on September 19.
