After getting a bit of criticism for the new Machine Head song, Robb Flynn ranted this weekend, pushing back at critics of his lyrics and song style.
One of the points of contention was that Flynn stole the hook from a Dope song. For the record, Dope did not comment on this or anything, but Flynn still ended his note with a shot at Dope saying “Who the fuck listens to Dope?”
To follow up, Flynn even shared a photo of a fan he met at a meet & greet with a Dope shirt on and said she couldn't even name one of their songs.
Today, Edsel Dope released a statement, in which he pointed out to Flynn (very politely, I might add) that actually a lot of people listen to Dope, and in fact more than Machine Head.
Dope pointed out the publicly available "monthly listeners" feature on Spotify, the same feature we use to rank how bands are doing on the streaming service. With the screenshot he shared, it's clear to see that not only do Dope edge out Machine Head in monthly listeners, but their big hit "Die MF Die," gets more listens than "Locust."
Here's Edsel Dope's full statement:
Yesterday, Robb Flynn took to Instagram to publicly asked the question “Who the fuck listens to Dope”?
Then today, he fired another shot at our band by posting a photo of himself, posing with a fan who was wearing a Dope shirt, with an unflattering caption.
As a grown-ass man, I feel slightly obligated to acknowledge these 2 separate shots.
Truth is, I like Machine Head.
Killer band, big fucking draw!!If the two bands ever share the stage again, Dope would undoubtedly go on before Machine Head.
Much respect!That’s not the question.
The question was: “Who the fuck listens to Dope”?
Well Robb, with Spotify being the place where the majority of the listeners go these days, the answer to your question is actually quantifiable.Check it out..
Dope Monthly listeners on Spotify: 1,238,355
Machine Head Monthly listeners on Spotify: 1,208.667
Pretty fucking close brother.Only about 30,000 plays separate our two bands from month to month, so it’s quite fair to say that allot of “mother fuckers” are listening to both Machine Head and Dope on Spotify.
Slightly more for Dope, but I digress…I guess it would also be fair to mention that the Dope song that everyone, including Robb is now talking about, “Die Mother Fucker Die” has about 30 million more plays on Spotify than any song that Robb has actually written or released.
I’m not talking shit! That’s not who I am.
I really don’t have anything negative to say about Robb.
These are just the facts.We never said that the new Machine Head song was derivative of Dopes “Die Mother Fucker Die”
Actually, we never said shit!!I don’t own the phrase Die Mother Fucker Die.. It is a commonly used arrangement of ignorant words that will continue to be recycled for years to come.
Have at it bro!In the end, I can’t help that people associate the phrase with Dope.
Dopes “Die Mother Fucker Die” has been around for almost 20 years and it has racked up more than 60 million plays on Spotify. The US Military adopted the song into training and tactical drills, so any soldier under the age of 40 is familiar with our jam, especially if they served in Iraq.It is what it is and Dope certainly didn’t instigate this nonsense.
Dope is on tour, in Vienna and we weren't even aware that Machine Head put out a new song until my phone started blowing up from people sharing Robbs Instagram rant, which unmistakably and unnecessarily singled Dope out at the end.
I wasn’t even gonna address it.
Then he came at us again today.
It’s just silly.I’ve always had respect for Robb.
He is a prolific artist and he says what he feels.I respect that.
However,
I’m not really sure what he hoped to accomplish by calling out Dope, not once but twice in the last couple days.In closing,
I hope that I’ve answered his question and I further hope that we’ve heard the last of this “Die Mother Fucker Die” high school drama.Edsel Dope
# respect
It really goes to show that before you open your mouth, you should probably get your facts straight. Or, perhaps don't bother addressing internet trolls and just live your life. Machine Head lay low until heading out on the road in January. Dates and tickets here.
Edsel Dope has been busy being in the limelight this week, as some evidence came out that would prove that he is the new Static-X frontman, a claim he has since denied. Dope head back out with Static-X next month. Get tickets here.
