Elton John had high praise for Young Thug, invoking a comparison to Eminem in a new interview.
In a conversation with Billboard, Elton John talked about Young Thug appearing on the iconic singer’s upcoming album The Lockdown Sessions. While reflecting on the making of their song “Always Love You,” the hitmaker brought up Eminem when discussing Thugger’s efforts in the studio.
Elton John was particularly impressed by Young Thug’s freestyle ability. The iconic singer mentioned seeing Eminem deliver a similar performance before but noted he’d never seen anything quite like what Thugger did.
“I mean, I’ve seen Marshall [Mathers] do it in Detroit, but I’ve never seen someone like Thug come in and do that,” he said. “In the end, I had to leave because I think he felt a bit intimidated that I was there and I just wanted him to relax. But it’s just an amazing moment in my musical life… I have no understanding of how rap records are put together and it’s fascinating to watch.”
Elton John also reflected on his first time meeting Young Thug, which occurred after the YSL Records rapper sampled “Rocket Man” on the 2018 track “High.” John said he encouraged Young Thug to sing more.
“He wanted to meet me…and we shot the breeze for 40 minutes,” he recalled. “He said, “What do you think? What advice would you give me?’ I said, ‘Did you sing in the choir?’ And he said, ‘Yeah, of course I sang in the choir. Gospel choir.’ I said, ‘Sing more. Don’t just rap, sing more, because the mixture of rap and musicianship and melody is what really makes rap take off.’ And he’s doing that now.”
Elton John’s The Lockdown Sessions is scheduled to drop on October 22. The Young Thug-assisted track “Always Love You” will also feature Nicki Minaj.
