Elron John has been building a close (and unlikely) friendship with Young Thug in recent years, taking a liking to the Atlanta rapper and collaborating on songs like “High.” Thugger is also featured on “Always Love You” with Nicki Minaj, a song that will be featured on Elton’s upcoming thirty-second studio album.
During a recent interview with Billboard, the legendary musician spoke about his relationship with Young Thug, including some of the advice that he’s given the rapper. He also touched on Thug’s strong freestyle skills, comparing him to a celebrated rap icon.
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“He wanted to meet me…and we shot the breeze for 40 minutes,” said John about Young Thug. “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.”
John also spoke about Thug’s freestyle verse for “Always Love You,” recalling that he was “blown away.” “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.”
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What do you think of the advice that Elton gave Thug, and do you think Thug and Eminem have comparable freestyle skills?