IN THE STREETS & ON THE WEB

Talib Kweli Rips Gene Simmons For "Death Of Rap" Comments

An irate rapper ripped Gene Simmons for recently saying he looked forward to “the death of rap” — by posing the same scenario about the polarizing KISS bassist.

“Hip-hop has saved countless lives. How dare he wish it dead,” Talib Kweli fumed on Twitter Saturday afternoon. “So would it be fair to wish him dead, or nah?”

The Brooklyn-born artist and activist tangled with dozens of KISS fans on Friday and Saturday, arguing that there’s plenty of quality rap music to go around — compared to the heavy metal band’s superficial “marketing.”

“I had no problem w KISS til Simmons b---h a-- opened his mouth about rap,” he wrote. “Let’s go lyric for lyric tho. Me vs KISS.

“Rock has also saved countless lives. No one is dissing rock. Kiss ain’t rock. It’s marketing. Try to keep up.”

Kweli, spouting off a list of artists that included supergroup Run the Jewels and New York-born rappers Joey Badass, Dave East and Skyzoo, challenged Twitter users to stop being “lazy” and go find the good stuff themselves.

“What makes you so entitled that you think good music supposed to be served to you on a silver platter?” he said. “Of course you have to search for it. Like all good art since the beginning of time. Corporations have ALWAYS pushed fluff.”

Simmons himself brushed off backlash over his remarks.

“Apparently pointing out that everything is cyclical — even music — is ‘controversial,’” he tweeted Friday. “People are very easily offended.”

“Pointing out everything is ‘cyclical’ is different than ‘looking forward’ to things dying,” Kweli fired back. “Do better Gene.”

The KISS frontman, promoting the 40th anniversary of the group’s album “Destroyer,” made his tone-deaf comments in a Rolling Stone interview published Thursday.

“I'm looking forward to music coming back to lyrics and melody, instead of just talking,” the 66-year-old rocker said. “A song, as far as I'm concerned, is by definition lyric and melody … or just melody.”

Simmons went on to question the validity of inducting icons like Grandmaster Flash and Run DMC into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

“That doesn’t mean those aren't good artists. But they don't play guitar. They sample and they talk. Not even sing,” he said. “Rap will die. Next year, 10 years from now, at some point, and then something else will come along. And all that is good and healthy.”