Tyler, The Creator is once again going viral for speaking his mind. In an interview on web series “Mavericks with Mav Carter” released Wednesday (Aug. 14), the “Igor” emcee opened up about various topics ranging from the vapidity of his music peers to the audacity of culture vultures.
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The talk reminded his fans and critics alike that regardless if you enjoy his music, Tyler is a fierce protector of the culture...which easily makes him a national treasure.
In the beginning of the interview, he does provide a sort of tongue-in-cheek warning to viewers about his strong opinions: “I don’t want to seem like a hater. Sometimes I have hater energy because I just think I’m that good.”
That’s when the rapper expressed his disdain for those looking to make a quick buck in the music industry.
“There’s so many n***as out right now that aren’t musicians that are getting treated like musicians because they make meme records — publicly will be like, ‘I don’t give a f**k about music. I just do this sh*t for money,” Tyler stated. “When every publication is like, ‘Hell yeah, let’s put that out,’ you taking up space for n***as like me.”
When asked by the host if this observation comes from Tyler’s passion for what he does, he replied, “I love this art form so much, bro.” It’s a love that has been palpable since he exploded onto the rap scene with his group Odd Future back in 2007.
Odd Future was as popular as it was controversial, with some of the group’s lyrics being criticized for its use of homophobic slurs and violently disturbing references regarding the portrayal of women. However, when the group ultimately disbanded, Tyler grew artistically.
From challenging masculine tropes in hip-hop to reinventing what it means to “sound” like a Black artist, his journey has garnered him praise as well as two Grammy Awards for Best Rap Album for “Igor” and “Call Me If You Get Lost.” Despite these accolades, he infamously called out the Recording Academy for being racist and equated their now-defunct “Urban” category to “a politically correct way to say the n-word.”
Last year, folks accused Tyler of insulting Complex’s shows “Sneaker Shopping” and “Hot Ones” when he lamented about certain music media outlets not prioritizing music on their platforms. “We need to stop f**king going sneaker shopping or f**king deep-throating hot wings for an hour,” he said in an interview with Nardwuar last year at his Camp Flog Gnaw festival.
“Talk about your album. Talk about music. Talk about the 15 songs that you guys have spent time to get mixed and mastered and put your heart into and produced and did all these things.”
His “Mavericks with Mav Carter” appearance is an extension of how far Tyler will go to call out what he perceives to be a disservice to hip-hop culture —including appropriators.
“It’s some kid right now — this white kid, regular caucasian man. And he’s, like, mocking Future and Gucci Mane — like, rap music — and people are like, ‘This shit hard!’ It’s not even, like, satire, like ‘I’m just joking, I’m just mocking,’” Tyler shared in the interview, leading many folks to speculate he was referring to white Atlanta artist Ian.
“I hold rap music so close to my heart ’cause this shit changed my life and everyone’s life around me, and I’m a nerd about the shit. This is, like, weird. I’m looking at it, and something about it don’t even sit well, in comparison to someone like a Mac Miller or Eminem, who it didn’t seem like they was mocking it. They had a genuine love for it.”
Tyler will continue to ruffle feathers with his candor, but if it helps defend Black art against forces that work to ruin it, then so be it.
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