Music icon DMC, of Run-DMC, has stepped forward to clear the air on recent comments he made about the state of hip-hop and name-checking mega superstars like Jay Z and Lil Wayne.

Despite allegedly making statements about Jay and Weezy not being hot, DMC said he would never take a real shot at his fellow brethren.

"I could never DISS Lil Wayne or Jay Z! They are very good and successful at what they do! I would and could never disrespect either of these two men! Their success is my success! I love and respect Lil Wayne! He treats me well and is very very nice to me and my family! And Jay Z inspired me and assured me that great Hip Hop will exist forever in all generations and eras when he dropped Hard Knock Life, which one of my favorite Hip Hop songs ever! Hard Knock is incredible to me! After reading the negative comments coming at all of us, I had to personally apologize to my two fellow artist! I do not like negative shit! I cannot tolerate anything that will divide us and our Hip Hop Culture!" (illseed)

DMC also spoke on the importance of deejays in hip-hop culture.

"The power is in Wayne, D and Jay standing side by side representing this sacred culture together! No matter how "different" we may be! Now with that being said, the point I was trying to make is that Jay and Wayne(and even me when I was on radio all day) aren "t the only ones that are so called "hot" because there is a lot of talent that may be just as "hot" and even better, but they don "t get heard on the radio. All I "m saying is a DJ should be able to discover an incredible ass rapper in any city state or country today, and be able to come on the air tomorrow, and play that song...but he or she can "t...because of programming!" (illseed)

The New York rap fixture referenced both Jigga and Wayne in a recent interview focused on hip-hop turning commercial.

"It was inevitable that hip-hop became commercialized but along the way our power got taken away. Now you got the same 12 records on radio being played over and over again. Lil Wayne, Jay Z ain "t hot, it "s just they "re programmed so many times people are brainwashed. ... What made us, KRS, Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul great was that we wanted to change the world, taking responsibility for our actions. Now everything that "s negative in stupid ass America is celebrated." (XXL Mag)

Coincidentally, fellow rap veteran Flavor Flav singled out a few key rap icons when asked about today "s rap scene.

He continued: "Rap music has lost that element right now, mainly over in America. There "s not to many great hip hop records out there, but there are some great rap records. L "il Wayne is making some great rap records, Drake, Nicki Minaj, Ludacris, Jay Z, Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent, Snoop - everybody is making great rap records, but it "s not hip hop." (Gigwise)

Back in April, Jay issued an official statement about relinquishing his ownership in the Brooklyn Nets.

"Being a member of the Nets organization surpassed some of my greatest ambitions. It was never about an investment; it was about the NETS and Brooklyn. My job as an owner is over but as a fan it has just begun. I "m a Brooklyn Net forever. It "s been an honor to work with Mikhail Prokhorov, Dmitry Razumov, Christophe Charlier, ONEXIM Sports and Entertainment, Brett Yormark and all the wonderful people involved in making the Nets first class. My sincerest thanks goes to Bruce Ratner, who first introduced the idea of moving the Nets to Brooklyn. A thank you and deepest appreciation goes to the fans. You are the lifeblood of any team." (Life + Times)

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