Tyler, the Creator Talks Eminem: Diss Track Response and Favorite Albums

Tyler, the Creator has never been one to mince words when it comes to his musical influences, and his recent appearance on the Gangsta Grillz podcast was no exception. During a candid sit-down, the multi-hyphenate artist dove deep into his complex, yet deeply respectful, relationship with Eminem’s catalog. Tyler traced his roots back to his childhood, highlighting how Marshall Mathers shattered the conventional boundaries of the genre for him. “Eminem was my favorite rapper as a kid,” Tyler shared. “This is a white guy in a predominantly black thing, killing it. So, a lot of things I’ve seen growing up, kind of was me saying, ‘oh, it’s no rules! This isn’t supposed to happen and be right!. On, wow! Amazing!'”

Moving past the initial shock value that defined early Shady records, Tyler offered a sharp, analytical breakdown of Eminem’s sonic evolution and songwriting formulas. He challenged listeners to look beneath the surface of the music to find the consistent artistic DNA running through different eras of Eminem’s career. “If you pay attention, people are truly true to themselves,” Tyler remarked. “The spirit is always there, for the most part. A lot of things are not shocking and I learned that with Eminem, the Recovery album. It’s not one that I’m fan of but you listen to these songs structures and it’s like ‘this n-gga singing like country singer on the hook,’ but if you listen to ‘Hailie’s Song‘, track 14 off The Eminem Show album, the hook sounds like he’s singing some country sh-t and it’s not that shocking.”

To prove his point about these structural patterns, Tyler drew a direct line between Eminem’s 2002 classic The Eminem Show and his 2010 pop-heavy blockbuster Recovery, illustrating how certain musical habits were always present. He stripped away the genre labels to point out the rhythmic similarities that tie these projects together across decades. “You could square dance off that album,” Tyler explained, referencing the underlying cadence. “It’s almost all the same structure as all the Recovery records. And if you pay attention, you could see this is not that shocking at all. You just got to put it together.”

Tyler also took a moment to explicitly define his boundaries when it comes to Eminem’s massive discography, drawing a firm line between the vintage material he loves and the contemporary output that doesn’t resonate with him. This tension famously peaked when Eminem targeted Tyler on the track “Fall” from his 2018 surprise album Kamikaze, responding to Tyler’s past criticisms of his music. On the track, Eminem rapped: “Tyler create nothin’, I see why you called yourself a [f-ggot], b-tch / It’s not just ’cause you lack attention / It’s because you worship D12’s balls, you’re sack-religious / If you’re gonna critique me, you better at least be as good or better / Get Earl the Hooded Sweater, whatever his name is to help you put together.” Brushing off the old internet narratives surrounding the hostile track, Tyler made it clear there are no hard feelings. “My favorite rappers are Eminem, (Relapse and before)… I don’t hate that n-gga bro,” Tyler clarified. “That n-gga said that line and all these people was mad on the internet, bro, I don’t give a f-ck, I’m honored. That ngga’s amazing. I don’t like his new sh-t but I learned how to rap because of that man. I love that man.”

Even while expressing his distaste for Eminem’s modern music, Tyler kept the tone lighthearted, turning his critique into a humorous commentary on the Detroit legend’s legendary aversion to public life and his notoriously utilitarian fashion choices. “His new sh-t is not for me and I’m vocal about it,” Tyler said with a laugh. “I just want to take that n-gga to target like ‘come outside, brother!’ He dresses like he just bought a Chevy Malibu. So, Marshall, Andre 3000, Pusha T, Shawn Cater (Jay-Z), Mr. Dwayne Carter (Lil Wayne) and P (Pharrell).”

By placing Eminem alongside Andre 3000 and JAY-Z, Tyler solidified Marshall’s spot on his personal rap Mount Rushmore. He concluded his thoughts by rattling off the specific, definitive projects that shaped his own musical worldview. “Favorite albums? In Search of…, The Marshall Mathers LP, Hell Hath No Fury, Mama’s Gun, Voodoo, Pronounced Jah-Nay,” Tyler listed, showcasing a diverse palette that ranges from raw hip-hop to neo-soul classics.

Ultimately, Tyler’s commentary highlights a rare kind of artistic honesty. He proves that it is entirely possible to outgrow a legendary artist’s current output while remaining profoundly grateful for the blueprint they laid down, forever cementing Eminem as the catalyst who showed a young Tyler that there are absolutely no rules in music. Watch the interview below:

Eminem Tyler The Creator