Paul McCartney reveals why he stopped listening to hip-hop and names his favourite modern pop stars
Paul McCartney has spoken about his love for early hip-hop, why he stopped listening to the genre, as well as naming the female modern pop stars that he admires most.
McCartney, who previously collaborated with Kanye West, made the comments to BBC Radio 2’s Tracks of My Years ahead of the release of his new album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane, on May 29th.
When asked by host Vernon Kay about keeping his ear to the ground regarding new musical trends, McCartney shared, “I keep my eyes open, so you can’t miss it if you do that. First, when hip-hop came in, and rap, I’d known Jamaican rap, so I thought it was a modern take on that.”
However, he did concede, “I went off it because the lyrics went a little off-putting.”
But nevertheless, he does have admiration for those who have mastered the craft, sharing, “I think there’s some good classic stuff in there, some great musicians, and you know, it’s not easy to do.”
McCartney continued, “Going more to modern day, I like a lot of… there’s a lot of girl singers, and there wasn’t when we were kids. It was all guys for a long time, I’ve met a few of these girls and admired what they’re doing. I think they are good singers, Taylor (Swift) is very good. She’s very clever.”
As much as McCartney admires Swift, he doesn’t believe that she needs any advice from him, but did admit while comparing her success with The Beatles, “You do see the parallel, you know like, fame and the amount of fame, and the worldwide fame that Taylor Swift has and that we had. But, I don’t think she needs any advice, to tell you the truth.”
While also on the topic of the current female stars dominating pop music in 2026, McCartney revealed that he met Swift, as well as Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish and Sabrina Carpenter at a party hosted by his daughter Stella.
He shared, “They’re really cool people, they’re very good, so basically, I like their voices. If they needed any advice, I’d be happy to give it. I don’t think they do.”
Elsewhere on his Tracks of My Years appearance, McCartney picked out the ten tracks which have soundtracked pivotal moments through his life from the ’50s to the modern era, including everything from Chuck Berry to The Human League.
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