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Luh Tyler Explains Why He Doesn't Like "Serious Rap Like J. Cole Or Kendrick Lamar"
Since his breakthrough track “Law & Order” came out in 2022, Luh Tyler has been leading the charge for a younger demographic of rappers. The 17-year-old has already inked a deal with Atlantic Records, performed at Rolling Loud, and worked with current mainstays like Lil Uzi Vert.
Unlike previous generations, much of Gen Z doesn’t regard hip hop legends and pioneers with the same enduring influence as newer acts. During his cover story with NME published today (Nov. 13), Tyler spoke about why artists like Uzi and Kodak Black are now more impactful than ever.
He explained, “I don’t really like that serious rap like J. Cole or Kendrick Lamar. They’re great, but I don’t want to make music like that. I just want to make you nod your head when you listen to it. It’s all about what I like. I’m not a gloomy person; I don’t rap about sad stuff. That’s not me. Not much sad stuff has happened to me to be sad about.”
Later in the conversation, Tyler stated, “Those guys from the ‘golden era of hip-hop’ are probably only 20 years older than [Kodak Black], but they’re 40 years older than me. I’m not sure who I would consider an old head to me, maybe EST Gee. He might be an older inspiration for us down the line.”
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In March, the Tallahassee native dropped My Vision: Reloaded. The 17-track project boasted guest appearances from NoCap, BabyTron, Anti Da Menace, Trapland Pat, and Wizz Havinn, among others. It also spawned standout cuts like “Back Flippin” and “Stand On Biz,” the latter of which amassed over 5.6 million views on YouTube.
Earlier this year, Tyler also made XXL‘s 2023 Freshman Class. He was joined by the likes of Finesse2Tymes, Lola Brooke, Rob49, Fridayy, GloRilla, 2Rare, SleazyWorld Go, Central Cee, and more.