Tyler, The Creator's recent interview with Maverick Carter stirred the pot, to say the least. His comments on an unnamed white rapper (perhaps a stand-in for many white artists) rubbed many fans the wrong way, especially fans of Ian. People thought that Tyler was talking about him when he spoke on white rappers mocking hip-hop, particularly the styles of MCs like Gucci Mane and Future. This is what led people to Ian, but the Hawthorne native never explicitly identified him in any way, so this is all pretty out of context. Nevertheless, The Joe Budden Podcast's thoughts on Tyler's remarks are the same either way, and they discussed the implications of this conversation.
"I don't know who the f**k Ian is," Joe Budden's thoughts on the Tyler, The Creator debate began. "When I was younger, I used to shame my older cousins and uncles for not being so in tune with what was going on in hip-hop. They was old and washed. Now that I'm old and washed, I really appreciate not being in tune with whoever the f**k Ian is.
The Joe Budden Podcast Speaks On Tyler, The Creator & Ian
"You n***as got to do a little [more]," Joe Budden continued. "My famous people guard is up, y'all got to do a little more before I start running around saying 'Ian.' Who the f**k is Ian? Alright. Rest in peace Mac Miller, for sure, and couldn't agree with him more on that point [about Mac and Eminem being more genuine]. I don't know enough about Ian, but what I can say about Mac Miller, Russ, Eminem: they love this s**t. They live it. MC Shan produced "Informer"? I used to f**k with Snow before I knew race played such a huge factor in the country."
Elsewhere, the podcast hosts also talked about trusted individuals in the industry pushing these white rappers and about the respectable tendency of some white MCs to not pretend like they're a part of the culture. We know that Tyler, The Creator definitely struck a chord in Ian's manager, who called him out amid all the speculation. Even if Ian wasn't the intended target here, it's no wonder why people pushed him to the forefront of the drama.