The British group Tyler, The Creator called his favourite band: “I don’t give a fuck”
Tyler, The Creator is no stranger to shouting out his influences. While accepting the Cultural Influence Award at the 2021 BET Hip-Hop Awards, he gave Q-Tip, André 3000, The Neptunes, Kanye West, Missy Elliott and Busta Rhymes their flowers. But his inspirations also extend outside of hip-hop.
On several occasions, the Los Angeles rapper has shouted out Jamiroquai. The British band, known for revolutionising acid jazz and funk in the mainstream, were prominent in the 1990s and early 2000s, releasing landmark albums such as Emergency on Planet Earth, The Return of the Space Cowboy, Travelling Without Moving, Synkronized, and A Funk Odyssey.
The group, fronted by Jay Kay, are best known for hit singles such as ‘Virtual Insanity’, ‘Little L’, ‘Cosmic Girl’, ‘Canned Heat’, ‘Deeper Underground’, ‘Feels Just Like It Should’, and many other high-charting records. During a conversation on the Rap Radar Podcast in 2023, Tyler revealed that Jamiroquai were his favourite group.
“Jamiroquai is my favourite band,” he said. “I don’t know no one that talks about them, and I don’t give a fuck ’cause I enjoy it in my house and in my car.”
Speaking to Nardwuar while walking around Beat Street Records in Vancouver, Canada, he revealed his favourite Jamiroquai song and opened up about purchasing one of their albums when he was 10 years old.
“One of my favourite bands ever, dude,” he said. “‘Everyday’ is my favourite song by Jamiroquai. There’s this video of Jay Kay scatting, it’s like 18 seconds, in the studio, in a song that never came out, but it’s the illest shit ever. He just sent me [Travelling Without Moving]. He signed it the other day. That’s why I’ve got my pin on.”
He added, “I wonder what the vault is like of unreleased music from every era. A Funk Odyssey turned 20 this year – I bought that when I was ten with money I saved up. Fucking amazing album. Or did my pops buy me that album? I don’t remember.”
Jay Kay is well aware of Tyler’s admiration. While chatting to Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1, he praised the IGOR artist and acknowledged Odd Future’s The Internet. “Tyler, The Creator, we’ve hung out a couple of times when he’s been in London. What a wicked guy he is,” he said. “Tyler, also The Internet, who’ve got the buffalo man tattooed on all of them – it’s just manic.”
“And they told me that they did some interview with one of the music magazines that doesn’t favour me much, and they went, ‘So, who are your influences?’ They went, ‘Jamiroquai, man. All day long.’ And she was like, ‘What? You’re kidding? The prat in the hat?’ And they were like, ‘Don’t you say that about him!'”
He revealed that he and Tyler have listened to a bunch of music together, crediting him for having a varied taste. “Tyler, wicked guy, we sat down and listened to all sorts of stuff from punk to rock to jazz, I mean, everything,” he said. “He really has got his head out there. He’s a super guy.”