Tyler, The Creator Explains Why He Rejected Signing To Jay-Z

BY Aron A.
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Tyler, the Creator (left) embraces his mother as he accepts the award for best rap album at the Grammy Awards.Xxx Grammys2020
Tyler, the Creator (left) embraces his mother as he accepts the award for best rap album at the Grammy Awards. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Tyler, The Creator reveals that Jay-Z invited Odd Future to his Los Angeles home for tacos.

Tyler The Creator and Odd Future’s success story is something that every young artist should study. When they came out of the gate, they disrupted everything in sight, but that was also part of why they were so compelling. Obviously, the second that “Yonkers” went viral, everyone wanted to see how they could get involved with the OF brand, yet Tyler was adamant about doing everything on his own, even when the opportunity to work with Jay-Z came about.

During a recent interview with DJ Drama, Tyler detailed how his remix of N.E.R.D’s “Inside Of Clouds” eventually led to a co-sign from Pharrell. With Hov observing from afar, he eventually invited Tyler and the OF collective to his Los Angeles home for tacos before expressing interest in inking Odd Future to the Roc Nation imprint. However, Tyler made it clear that he was committed to seeing his vision through.

“I just want creative control and do everything,” he recalled saying during his conversation with Jay-Z. “I love your work. Everyone’s cool. But I don’t think you guys have what I have and could help me get to what I truly want. Not what we think we’re supposed to have as musicians, the shiny plane. I don’t want that. Right now, I just want to sit on Photoshop and make these weird beats, and then I’ll get there.”

Tyler The Creator Explains Why He Hates Top 5 Conversations

Elsewhere, Tyler discussed his disdain for the top 5 conversations. “I rather hear people talk about the sh*t they like... Who gives a f*ck? People really be arguing like, 'How dare you not put so-and-so on your Mount Rushmore?' Go get a f*cking hobby. It truly blows my mind,” he said. “It's like, cool, hip-hop Twitter ran by 16-year-old white kid who didn't even grow up on rap, do your thing.”

About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.

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