Tyler, The Creator criticized a particular white rapper he perceives as mocking Black artists that appeared to fit the description of St. Louis-based artist ian.
During a recent discussion with Maverick Carter for his Mavericks series, Tyler reflected on the current state of Hip-Hop. After criticizing “meme rappers” for “taking up space” from genuine lovers of the art form, he turned his attention to one person in particular.
He called out a “white kid” he described as a “regular Caucasian man,” for mocking rap music and artists like Future and Gucci Mane specifically. “People are like, ‘this s### hard,'” he explained. “It’s not even like satire.”
Tyler explained that he felt strongly because rap music had transformed not only his life but also that of his loved ones.
“This is like… weird,” he added. “Something about it don’t even sit well with me. In comparison to someone like a Mac Miller or Eminem who it didn’t seem like they was mocking it.”
His description led fans to believe the “white rapper” in question was ian, as did his manager, Bu Thiam.
He fired back at Tyler, The Creator on his Instagram Story, claiming that while ian draws inspiration from rappers like Gucci Mane, he’s not a clone.
“Yo, I signed Ian and I’m from Atlanta,” he wrote. “He sounds nothing like Gucci or Future lol. It’s called influence.”
Bu then accused Tyler of hating on the younger generation of artists, adding, “I never thought I’d see the day where you become old and hate on the youth lol.”
Meanwhile, Lil Yachty was slammed for joining forces with ian on “Hate Me.” Fans objected to the collaboration following his comments about the lack of creativity and originality in Hip-Hop.