Bruce Springsteen, who’s currently on the heels of his 18th studio album, High Hopes, has professed an affinity for hip-hop, saying he’s able to find kindred spirits in the rap world, and heaped praise on contentious hip-hop star Kanye West, particularly for his skills in the studio.
“[Old school hip-hop] was stuff that was talking about what was going on in the streets and in the inner cities with people who were struggling,” Springsteen told NPR. “And that was something that, I mean, I had my own context for that, you know, that I wrote about it in my own way.”
“But it was the music that came along and gave voice to those things outside of what was then considered a protest music context…and did so really beautifully.” The Boss confessed that he isn’t “well-versed” in hip-hop, but listens to artists like Public Enemy, The Notorious B.I.G., and Tupac.
“I listen to Kanye West,” he added. “Kanye West is incredible, you know. I mean, the record-making facility, you know, there’s a lot of hours in those records.” Interviewer Ann Powers pointed out that West and Springsteen share a trait in both having reputations as notorious perfectionists.
“I mean some of these, there’s like, just the production,” said Springsteen. “I saw him on television, he did the song called Blood on the Leaves on the Later…With Jools Holland. It was fantastic, you know. He’s a very, I still find him very interesting…it’s just fascinating record-making.”
