Elliott Wilson has been a trending subject this week, thanks largely to a simmering beef with Drake sparked by the veteran journalist critiquing the Toronto rapper for doing interviews outdoors of the tradition. The remark seemingly referred to Drake’s latest look on Bobbi Althoff’s The Actually Good Podcast .
Supply: Shareif Ziyadat / Getty
Timing wasn’t utterly in Wilson’s favor as a result of when footage of the OG interviewing Trippie Redd at Rolling Loud hit the online, Drake took to the feedback to take some digs:
And he wasn’t the one one…
Elliott has by no means shied away from battle in his thirty 12 months profession, which included bringing his conflicts to his Letters from the Editor. We had the prospect to ask Elliott about these notorious letters, in addition to this 12 months’s Rap Radar Exclusives and his early rap inspirations throughout an interview with him on the BET Awards Media Home this June.
On his notorious XXL Letters From YN:
I bought famously recognized for sharing my ideas monthly about what was happening and I might form of offer you perception into slightly little bit of behind the scenes. Now the viewers has much more entry to what’s happening within the enterprise, however again then the music points had been form of separate from the actual world so when you knew I had an issue with this artist I put it in my editorial, ‘I fought with this label. I went towards this supervisor.’ I form of shared the enterprise you realize, pre actuality TV,form of gave you slightly little bit of an inside look of no matter hardship I used to be going through that month, however simply my web page, this was mirrored in my ardour of it. How decided I used to be for XXL, on the time was approach behind all the opposite magazines — it wasn’t simply The Supply, it was Vibe, it was Blaze, it was Rap Pages it was all these different nice magazines and I used to be decided to be #1 and ultimately you realize I used to be capable of attain that aim.
On this 12 months’s Rap Radar exclusives with Tyler The Creator, Jack Harlow and Joe Budden:
They got here out the gate actual robust. Tyler The Creator, that basically made a variety of noise. I’m so proud that we bought that one off. Jack Harlow was additionally an unique as a result of he hadn’t actually completed any press round his album Jackman with the film [White Men Can’t Jump] popping out so we labored exhausting to get these exclusives, in order that form of bought us out the gate very well. We simply dropped one with Joe Budden, you realize we wish to begin interviewing our friends. That’s often not our fashion of shit however that felt good. We simply needed to step up the extent of reserving, step up the extent of manufacturing, like we’re actually attempting to go exhausting the second season. We simply occurred to be again and you realize we bought a superb cadence the place the audio comes out Thursday the video comes out Friday, so no extra waits.
Supply: Courtesy / Interval Presents
On Interviewing NBA YoungBoy in Utah:
Yeah Younger Boy, you realize he that he switched the fashion up, you realize he’s he tried to go to peaceable route, he bought he bought overrated again once more, he can’t assist that half, however in that second I believe he was very honest and like his followers are simply insane and that also has like 2.2 million views. I’m gonna put my chest out saying that’s the largest hip hop interview of the 12 months, as a result of it’s I believe it’s bought essentially the most views of any something I’ve seen, so I’m very pleased with that too man. We needed to go to Utah. He was nonetheless underneath that home arrest. There was a lot politics. It was freezing. I by no means been to Utah. So we labored exhausting for that. I imply that’s one of many nice issues. We simply form of got here out and in. Went to the home and we might we will solely have three folks on the home at one time, so we needed to like have our digicam, us and him. In order quickly as we are available in he’s by himself so he’s like, ‘The way you gents doing?’ I used to be like, ‘Oh my God. Hey what’s up man?’ So then we sit down. I’ve by no means met him so it’s simply actual awkward silence, so it’s simply, us once more him and three folks so me, B.Dot and the cameraman so after we completed, the digicam man left and Kenya, the photographer she got here in. She shot it and we was out. We by no means had greater than three folks in the home and we simply was out and in.
On the second hip-hop modified his life:
Wow I believe my love for Run DMC, as a result of I first heard about hip-hop, by means of you realize just like the Chilly Crush and the tapes that existed and Kurtis Blow and Grandmaster Flash. I like that stuff, however that was extra form of just like the stuff that was my huge cousin or my associates or folks that I knew, that was their music, however Run DMC felt like my music. Being from Queens and them being a form of completely different fashion than what the old-fashioned rappers earlier than them had been, I linked from leap. I simply have a lot pleasure after which to see how huge Run DMC bought and the way they conquered the world, they gave me inspiration, that hip hop, this factor I like with my associates in New York. It’s not only a native factor, it’s nationwide. There’s a child in Georgia, there’s a child in, you realize, Oregon, there’s a child in Japan that likes this, and Run DMC was to me the primary to interrupt it down. LL Cool J as a person proper after them. So having these guys from Queens, not not too removed from the place I grew up, they served as a variety of inspiration that I wish to get on this and I’m not I’m not adequate to rap however I wish to someway be linked to this tradition.
On his favourite period of hip-hop:
The 90s is our defining period, our Motown you realize and I’m glad to say I used to be a contributor, a author and editor in that part. I began writing in 1992 for impartial magazines, ego journey, Beat Down after which ego journey, Supply. I bought The Supply music editor job in ’96. I did that for 1998 after which XXL was 99 to to to 2008. So the 90s I used to be working, and we documented — I might say the
’90s was dope as a result of we beloved the ’80s a lot that we felt we might by no means match that, or fill their sneakers so we went further exhausting and in some ways we did. So I have a look at the ’80s now form of a pioneering period. I bought to nonetheless be a fan however the ’90s to me just isn’t solely the best period as a result of the music’s nice, however I additionally was within the enterprise of it, studying about it in actual time and you realize doing issues proper and making errors too. I positively really feel just like the 90s remains to be like our defining period.
On Busta Rhymes Being Honored At The BET Awards:
I like that they’re paying tribute to my man Busta Rhymes. I all the time say Busta, guys like Busta, Fats Joe, like they’re just like the heartbeat of the tradition. I came upon later. I didn’t know Busta was being getting a tribute and I’m simply so excited to see him getting again within the highlight and getting the love he’s getting. I do know he’s engaged on the album with Swizz and Timbaland and Pharrell, so I’m Group Busta. There’s additionally gonna be nice – with HipHop50, a variety of artists, just like the Child and Performs, and so forth can be within the constructing. Quite a lot of nice artists that don’t get the sunshine that they deserve, giving them an opportunity to showcase HipHop50 form of makes the whole lot related, giving everyone a platform, so I’m excited to see artists I haven’t seen a very long time. I’m actually excited for Busta Rhymes getting his due and getting revered as a result of you realize he’s such a superb passionate dude. He’s bought the strongest daps in hip hop and the largest hugs. We’ve had robust occasions when it you realize it might go one other approach however we bought by means of them as grown males and like there’s nothing however love and blessings to him.
We’ve bought nothing however respect for this OG and hope he and Drake are capable of work by means of their variations the identical approach Elliott talked about he has with different artists.
