FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH singer Ivan Moody says that most big-name rappers that he has met are "about as hard as soft butter" despite the fact that they often portray themselves as hard-nosed, short-fused tough guys.

Rivalries and beefs are a longstanding tradition in hip-hop, with many rappers trading lyrical barbs, live or via diss tracks.

Apparently referring to the recent war of words between Machine Gun Kelly and Eminem, Moody told the Rock 108 radio station (hear audio below): "I just got to meet Machine Gun Kelly, opening up for FALL OUT BOY, which was an awkward mix. But all in all, he's a good kid, man. I mean, I don't get involved in it.

"Something I will point out to everybody in the world, and I am not afraid to say it: these rap guys about as hard as soft butter," he continued. "That's all there is to it. I have not met a rap dude yet who intimidates me — at all.

"I meet these rock guys, these metal guys, and we are very real. You're talking about Corey Taylor [SLIPKNOT, STONE SOUR] and Randy [Blythe, LAMB OF GOD] and myself, J.D. [Jontahan Davis of KORN] — these are real dudes, and no way am I gonna walk to up to [them] and talk shit about their wife or their kid. Dude, I would show up at somebody's door stoop. I'd be, like, 'You know what? We've got something to talk about now.' I'm not gonna rap about it. So it's just hilarious to me on one level where these guys get away with that, and then I meet them, and they're just gentle, weird kids. I'm, like, 'You guys are great with you lyrics, but, man, when it comes to the solid spinal part of this thing, you are lacking… You have to carry a gun. Now I get it. I carry one 'cause I want to, not because I have to watch my ass.'"

Moody added: "Anyway… You heard it here first — they're all half sissies. Not all of them, but I'm serious — 75 percent of the ones I've met… Like Method Man and Red [Redman] were hella cool, very legit. You can tell that Meth was in the WU-TANG CLAN; there was no mistaking it. But, again, Machine Gun Kelly was just a big kid; he was just bouncing around, having a good time. And when I met Tech N9ne, he's the nicest guy on earth… He's so cool — he's so cool, man. And he's got this thing. When he was in the studio doing [a cover of LL COOL J's] 'Mama Said Knock You Out' with us, when he would have to do a second take, he'd be, like, 'Give us a second,' and he'd go, 'It's all Jesus. It's all Jesus. Everything's Jesus.' And that was his thing. I expected to have Tech N9ne, hardcore, running up in there. He's like five [feet and] four [inches tall] and just funny. He's rolling around with an Asian personal assistant and didn't have a big posse. So it's just funny to me. I don't know where these rap guys get off trying to act so hard."

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "And Justice For None", which came out in May.