Music

Tyler, the Creator Says He's Called 'Oldhead' and 'Pretentious' for His Music Taste

The 'Don't Type the Glass' rapper considers his musical proclivities a "passion."

Apple Music
Image via Apple Music

Tyler, the Creator has a thorough approach to music that some apparently find "pretentious."

The Don't Tap the Glass rapper was a guest on the Thursday (Aug. 7) episode of Apple Music's The Zane Lowe Show and expressed that his appreciation for music sometimes catches passive-aggressive comments. The two-time Grammy winner knows his music and has collaborated with his idols, including Pharrell Williams and Clipse.

"If I mention something like, 'Oh, we lost—' I get called 'oldhead' now," Tyler told Lowe around the 14-minute mark below. "You get called pretentious if you show some type of passion for this thing you genuinely care about, and I’m just like, 'What the fuck are you dumbass n****s on right now, bro?'"

Tyler added that music has changed his life "so much," but doesn't know if others listen in the "same way" as him.

The rapper has dropped his ninth studio album for fans to dance to, and elsewhere in the conversation, he name-dropped New Orleans bounce music and UK jungle music as genres that shaped Don't Tap the Glass.

"I be so open and loud about the shit I love and that inspire me and this and that, blah blah blah," Tyler said. "And I think sometimes the problem is it doesn't go through people's filter, and that's when it gets weird."

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