Bob Dylan Reveals His Favorite Rappers of All Time — Who Are They?

Bob Dylan proclaimed his love to some of the well-known hip-hop artists he is reportedly a fan of.

As one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has already tried making music with several music genres. He is famous for his folk, blues, rock, gospel, country, traditional pop, and jazz songs since he debuted in 1961.

He revealed in a new interview that he is also a fan of some hip-hop artists, although he has not focused on the genre in his music-making, yet.

Speaking with The Wall Street Journal, the 81-year-old "The Times They Are a-Changin" hitmaker said he is a fan of anybody "with a feeling for words and language" and whose vision parallels his. He then named his favorite artists, including Nick Cave, Leonard Cohen, and Royal Blood.

But Dylan surprisingly mentioned hip-hop artists, as well, including Eminem and Wu-Tang Clan. According to him, these artists make "music for the establishment."

"Who is going to write standards today?" Dylan asked. "A rap artist? A hip-hop or rock star? A raver, a sampling expert, a pop singer? That's music for the establishment. It's easy listening. It just parodies real life, goes through the motions, puts on an act. It's a computer model."

His views about Eminem changed in the new interview. Previously, he told Time two decades ago that he had not listened to the rap god despite him topping the charts at that time. He also expressed his disapproval of modern music.

What Is Bob Dylan's Favorite Genre?

Elsewhere in his WSJ interview, Dylan revealed that his favorite type of music is a combination of genres "that moves." This includes slow and fast ballads.

Although he mainly focused on rock and roll, blues, and jazz, Dylan said that he discovered new music today "by chance."

His website released the expanded version of the interview, in which he said he likes The Strokes' Julian Casablancas, Metallica, and Grace Potter. He also said he both likes Liam and Noel Gallagher.

"I've made special efforts to see Jack White [White Stripes] and Alex Turner [Arctic Monkeys]" Dylan said. "Zach Deputy, I've discovered him lately. He's a one-man show like Ed Sheeran, but he sits down when he plays."

Dylan recently published "The Philosophy of Modern Song" which contained 66 essays about songs by other artists and musicians.