Grammy-winning artist Tyler, The Creator, recently addressed the backlash he received over his "That Guy" freestyle, which he released as a surprise holiday drop on 25 December 2024. But "That Guy," with Tyler separate over Kendrick Lamar's "Hey Now" beat, brought some blowback for the move. Tyler, meanwhile, had much to say about it.
Tyler spoke directly to the controversy in his newest interview with Nardwuar. Some critics argued that he took Kendrick's track so soon after its release and ped over it with a similar flow, which feels odd. That take didn't just miss the mark; it was evidence that some people are still, in 2023, uninformed of hip-hop culture.
"I saw someone say, 'How Tyler just gonna take Kendrick's song right after it comes out and do the same flow over the same beat?'" he recalled. "And I'm like, 'Wow, that's another person that didn't grow up listening to rap or Hip-Hop."
For Tyler, what he did was not theft; it was a tribute. Rap has long involved freestyling over existing beats, dating back to the genre's earliest days. Rappers have long taken instrumentals from other rappers and put their own twist on them, whether in radio freestyles, mixtape cuts, or just because they love to rap.
Not only did Tyler brush off the criticism, he also had some sharp words for the people whose opinions are allowed to matter in Hip-Hop.
"You should have to do a survey and show your I.D. before you could say s### on the internet 'cause folks be saying dumb s###," he quipped. But beneath the humor, his frustration was evident. He thinks Hip-Hop is drifting from its customs because of individuals who haven't spent the years necessary to learn where it comes from.
That's not to say that Tyler is anti-evolution. As an artist who has had to continuously reshape himself from the rebel leader of Odd Future to a light-fingered, genre-fusing visionary, he relishes the challenge. However, Lava also believes that respecting hip-hop's roots and rapping over popular beats is a time-honored way that should not die out.
"As much noise as we have, we aren't going away." Tyler's accustomed to polarizing responses but always defends his creative decisions. Whether expanding his sound palette, rapping over Kendrick's beats, or shooting shots at certain internet critics, he stays wonderfully true to himself.
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