Sway Calloway is one of the most iconic figures in music journalism, and he’s now been recognized as the JAY-Z of Hip Hop Media according to Rob Markman.
During a recent roundtable discussion on Rotation Roundtable on Amazon Music, the Genius Vice President started by saying he prefers to be on the proverbial media basketball court with his media peers, including Nyla Symone Speedy Morman, Elliott Wilson, and Sway himself
After Amazon executive Tim Hinshaw asked Rob Markman who he believes is the “Hov of this media shit,” he didn’t hesitate to name the 52-year-old host of Sway In The Morning. “It’s one Hov,” he said. “Sway. For me, it’s Sway.”
Nyla Symone chimed in and mentioned Angie Martinez, to which Markman agreed and said: “Shoutout to Angie
And Angie too, but Sway, like Sway interviewed Big[gie],” Markman mentioned before Hindshaw followed up and said that “Angie interviewed [2]Pac.”
“For me, Angie and Sway,” Markman concluded.
It’s not just Markman who feels this way. Lil Baby and Rylo Rodriguez said in a July episode of Complex’s G.O.A.T. Talk that they also feel as if Sway Calloway is the G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time) of Hip Hop media. Both rappers agreed that Sway is “cool” and “doesn’t say anything out the way.”
Baby and Rylo’s admission caused Rap Radar host and former XXL editor Elliott Wilson to take issue with their answer, prompting him to repost the clip on both his Twitter and Instagram with the caption: “… And I took that personally
He also posted a Breakfast Club segment on Instagram where the morning crew were discussing his reply to Baby and Rylo’s statement and gave props to Sway Calloway and Angie Martinez.
“Give Sway + Ang props [trophy emojis] But that’s where it stops,” he said. But, once Rob Markman came across Wilson’s tweet, he responded by asking: “Damn, Sway can’t have his flowers?”
Markman and Wilson engaged in a brief back-and-forth spat on Twitter with Markman calling out the Rap Radar co-host after he said, “the rap game and the rap media game ain’t used to competition. And it shows.”
“Nah man, we just don’t like clown shit,” Markman said in a since-deleted tweet. “You be hating over there and tell everybody ‘it’s just competition.’ But I know the real reason you acting out. Since you so chatty, you gonna tell the people or nah?”
Both men continued to discuss the state of Hip Hop media before squashing their issues altogether. “We spoke honestly,” Markman stated in another since-deleted tweet. “We have a better understanding of each other’s perspective. Salute to @ElliottWilson.”
Aside from his issues with Drake allegedly shunning rap media, Wilson — who had a storied tenure as XXL‘s outspoken Editor-in-Chief in the 2000s — has been on a tirade since Complex released its Hip Hop Media Power ranking list in April.
While Sway came in very low on the list at No. 23, Wilson came in at No. 8. Joe Budden ended up taking the No. 1 spot.
Meanwhile, Rob Markman has consistently given Sway Calloway his props as being one of the people that helped shape his career in Hip Hop media.
During a May interview on T-Pain’s Nappy Boy Radio podcast, the former senior editor at MTV spoke about a piece of advice Sway gave him early in his career while at the music network.
He told me, ‘Bro, you’re going to get some opportunities, but when that camera come on, don’t change who you are,’” he said. “Be exactly who you are — he was like, ‘The camera changes people.’”
Sway himself has yet to come forward and declare that he’s at the top of the Hip Hop media food chain, but it doesn’t seem to matter as plenty of people are doing it for him.
