Tyler, The Creator Says Getting No. 1 Album Over DJ Khaled Was Like ‘Watching a Man Die Inside’
Tyler, The Creator recently opened up about his 2019 battle with DJ Khaled for the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 chart and the Igor rapper didn't hold any punches.
On Hot 97's Ebro in the Morning show on Friday (Aug. 6), Tyler, The Creator sat down with cohosts Ebro Darden, Laura Stylez and Peter Rosenberg to discuss his new album, Call Me If You Get Lost. During the 90-minute conversation, the incident when Khaled appeared to slight Tyler when Igor beat out Father of Asahd for No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart in 2019 also came up.
Peter Rosenberg asked Tyler a question about Khaled and Tyler's battle for No. 1.
“Bro, that Khaled thing was like, it was fun, it was just watching a man die inside,” Tyler said around the 51-minute mark of the interview. “The weirdo was winning. I was moonwalking in a wig. This nigga had everyone on his album. Everyone."
Tyler went on to say Khaled's ego was damaged after coming in second. "For some guy like that to kind of indirectly be like, 'That ain't real rap, that ain't real Black music,' that's what it felt like," Tyler said. "And I was like, my nigga, don't do...but I didn’t say nothing, I just let that No. 1 speak. Nigga’s ego had to deal with that because his whole identity is being No. 1. And when he didn’t get that, that sat with him longer in real-life time than that moment. I moved on.”
Tyler added, "That nigga ego was deflated, he’ll probably never admit [it]." The former Odd Future frontman said he now has no hard feelings toward the We The Best boss.
Khaled initially appeared to throw shade at Tyler around the release of their albums in a May of 2019 video that surfaced on the internet. “I make albums so people can play it and you actually hear it,” Khaled said in the since deleted-post on Instagram. “You know, driving your car, you hear another car playing it. You know, go to the barbershop, you hear them playing it. You know, turn the radio on, and you hear them playing it. It’s called great music. It’s called albums that you actually hear the songs. Not no mysterious shit that you never hear it.”
Tyler took the comment as low-key shade and started trolling the Miami-based producer after Igor outsold Father of Asahd. A few days later, Khaled responded to the drama on social media. “Fan Luv thank you for all your love and support. We got the #1 Hip Hop album in the country this week!” Khaled wrote, referencing FOA reaching No. 1 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. “I’m in the music bizz not bundle bizz.”
Tyler later directly addressed the beef.
Watch Tyler, The Creator address DJ Khaled's remarks about Tyler going No. 1 at the 51:00-mark.