Credit: Andy Jones

Fearless in delivery, that’s what Juice WRLD saw when linking Tyler, The Creator to Big L, not shared technique or legacy. A raw willingness stood out, saying aloud what many hold back. One quality tied them, in his view: speaking the unspoken without pause.

Back in 2018, during an interview with Hypebeast, Juice WRLD spoke these words – well before his fame hit full stride. Looking at Tyler’s climb, he saw echoes of Big L reborn, calling him “Big L 2.0”. What stood out was how Tyler gave voice to wild ideas others kept locked inside. Because of this, his boldness didn’t feel staged or forced. Instead, it drove real influence across music and youth culture.

What defined Big L’s standing wasn’t subtlety. Extreme lyrics marked his work – violent, jarring by design, yet sharp in execution. Songs such as ‘Devil’s Son’ forced unease into the spotlight, relying on over-the-top scenes mixed with dark comedy to assert control, not reveal weakness. Strength emerged through blunt delivery of what most rappers sidestepped, particularly during freestyles where pause equaled loss.

Starting differently, Tyler’s first efforts still reached the same place. Not gentle by any means, Bastard and Goblin hit hard – raw, aggressive, layered with make-believe versions of himself. Thoughts spilled out: anger, desire, shame, all laid bare without filter. Take ‘Yonkers’ – its lyrics meant disruption, not agreement. In line with artists such as Big L, he refused to cushion the impact.

What stood between Juice WRLD and Big L wasn’t lyrical similarity. Rooted in Harlem, Big L drew from street life and rap battles. Tyler came up through online spaces, shaped by disconnection in quiet neighborhoods. Yet Juice saw a shared mindset. Raw truth, however extreme or stretched, mattered more to them than holding back – because only then did it feel real.

Truth mattered deeply to Juice WRLD. His stance reflected a quiet rebellion – one rooted not in defiance but in honesty. Where strength often meant silence, he chose to speak anyway. Pain, struggle, dependence – these were not hidden; they became part of the music. To admit feeling broke was framed not as weakness, but resistance. A single voice naming what others suppress can alter the air around it. Shifts begin there.

What helped Tyler gain ground was tied closely to Odd Future. Juice called them a favorite, not due to smoothness or steady technique, yet for their meaning. Momentum came through their own efforts, since they welcomed backlash instead of avoiding it. A place formed there – raw force alongside inner turbulence, both present, neither needing reason.

For Juice, that model felt familiar – shaped by the raw energy of SoundCloud’s rise. His path grew from self-made methods, a refusal to follow standard lyrics, yet still embracing being seen the wrong way. These pieces fit together, showing him how creators find their moment. With Tyler’s climb, one truth stood out: saying what you mean, even sharply, can pull people close instead of pushing them away.

Finding ways around imitation mattered to Juice. What linked him to Tyler lived in belief, not method. Crossing boundaries came with weight – each knew this well enough. When pushback followed, neither looked away. Truth, they believed, could still be seen through rough edges.

This perspective fits with what Juice WRLD liked overall. Artists beyond rap, known for breaking rules and showing raw emotion, were ones he respected deeply. To him, testing limits wasn’t temporary.

Instead, it showed the truth. Staying cautious felt more dangerous than taking chances.

Looked at differently, the analogy fits more closely than it seems. Juice WRLD wasn’t merging three paths into one role. Instead, he recognized a pattern in hip hop: someone steps forward to voice unsettling ideas early, bears the impact, then makes room for those coming after.

That moment hit hard – Tyler erupted because of what Juice represented. Big L stayed relevant even years past, tied to the same raw truth. Times changed. Music shifted. The core feeling? Still identical.