YG Speaks on Eminem’s Influence and How Eminem Inspired His New Album

West Coast rapper YG recently opened up about his creative process during an interview on The Boardroom, revealing how iconic hip-hop figures, especially Eminem, continue to shape his music. Reflecting on his formative influences, he explained how studying the legends helps him get into the right mindset whenever he enters the studio to work on new material.

“Man, I grew up listening to Eminem. He’s one of my favorite rappers for sure,” he said. “Every time I’m doing an album and I’m going in my rap bag, I always go and reference 2Pac, Jay-Z, Biggie, Eminem all the time. Even 50 Cent. I always go re-listening to their albums. So, when I was making this album, once I found out the concept, I think like Eminem. And when I heard that ‘Kudos‘ beat, it just gave me Eminem and Drake vibes.”

He continued by detailing the specific ways Slim Shady’s legacy directly informed his latest body of work, explaining that the tribute runs throughout the entire project.

“I also paid homage to Eminem on a ‘Hitman‘ record with my flow. ‘Twist My Fingaz‘ I flipped ‘Without Me.’ I stay f–king with Eminem s–t.” he added. “I showed a lot of love to Eminem. Eminem, I might tap in for a feature dawg. That’d be hard.”

“I grew up listening to Eminem, he is one of my favorite for sure…and @eminem i may tap in for a feature”.
YG talks about how Eminem constantly inspires him while working on albums and hopes to work with him in the future on @boardroom. https://t.co/z4C2lhdWAJ
— Sona (@SonaShady8) October 27, 2026

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