John Cale reveals his favourite rappers
In a new interview, The Velvet Underground founder John Cale has revealed a selection of his favourite rappers.
Fans of Cale will be familiar with his fondness of hip-hop, a genre which has infiltrated his work in recent years, and many times over the years, he’s expressed his enthusiasm for some of rap’s greats. The Welsh musician has always adopted a progressive approach to his artistry, and unlike most elders from the rock business, Cale has continued to look forward with his projects rather than stick to what he already knows.
During a previous interview with Loud and Quiet, Cale said: “I don’t know, I think a lot of the people I’m already fascinated with are already doing it [by themselves]. I mean Eminem is really outrageous, he’s so strong, and Snoop, I always get a giggle out of Snoop.” He added: “There’s this other guy who works with Snoop called Kokane, and he’s outrageous – he’s got this voice, it’s very much like Sly Stone; it can be very deep and soulful one minute and then very high and beautiful and romantic the next.”
Now, when speaking with The Fader, Cale has once again spoken about his love of the genre and explained how it influenced his new album, Mercy. “I’m always listening to Kendrick Lamar,” he said before explaining how it influenced the production of his track, ‘Story Of Blood’, which features Weyes Blood. “A lot of the new artists have really stuck to their guns. I mean, I love Snoop and Dre… Earl Sweatshirt has a strange and wonderful atmosphere about him,” he added.
In a four-and-a-half-star review of Mercy, Far Out’s Jordan Potter wrote: “Mercy is an impressive mixture of young, old, popular, experimental, day and night. It contains an eclectic spread of familiar styles, all seamlessly arranged under one roof. In this long-awaited release, Cale shows an undying thirst for musical exploration, a sentimental connection to the past, and, perhaps least surprisingly, his virtuosic production and instrumental talents.”
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