Bob Dylan Says He's a 'Fan' of Rappers Including Eminem and Wu-Tang Clan

Bob Dylan has shared some hip-hop artists of whom he considers himself a fan.

The singer-songwriter, 81, told The Wall Street Journal in a new interview that he is a "fan" of "anybody with a feeling for words and language" and "anybody whose vision parallels mine," a group of artists that he says includes Royal Blood, Nick Cave and Leonard Cohen. He also said it includes rapper Eminem and hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan.

This isn't the first time the "Like a Rolling Stone" singer has mentioned Eminem in an interview. Two decades ago, he expressed a distaste for modern music in an interview with Time, saying that "the radio makes hideous sounds."

He also told the magazine that he hadn't really listened to Eminem, who was topping charts at the time. He did give the "Without Me" rapper some flowers, though, saying, "I almost feel like if anything is controversial, the guy's gotta be doing something right."

While Dylan changed his tune about Eminem in his recent WSJ interview, praising the rapper along with Wu-Tang Clan, he also said that hip-hop musicians make "music for the establishment."

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"Who is going to write standards today?" the 10-time Grammy Award winner asked. "A rap artist? A hip-hop or rock star? A raver, a sampling expert, a pop singer? That's music for the establishment."

"It's easy listening," he continued. "It just parodies real life, goes through the motions, puts on an act. It's a computer model."

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His favorite genre of music, Dylan told the WSJ, is "combination of genres," including "slow ballads, fast ballads [and] anything that moves." "Music historians would say when you mix it all up it's called rock and roll," he said. "I guess that would be my favorite genre."

When asked how he discovers new music today, Dylan said that it happens mostly "by chance." "If I go looking for something I usually don't find it," he said. "In fact, I never find it. I walk into things intuitively when I'm most likely not looking for anything."

"Performers and songwriters recommend things to me," the "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" singer continued. "Others I just wake up and they're there. Some I've seen live."

In an expanded version of the interview shared to his website, Dylan named Julian Casablancas (lead singer of The Strokes), Metallica, Grace Potter and Oasis' Liam and Noel Gallagher — "I like them both" — as other artists he likes. "I've made special efforts to see Jack White [White Stripes] and Alex Turner [Arctic Monkeys]" he continued. "Zach Deputy, I've discovered him lately. He's a one-man show like Ed Sheeran, but he sits down when he plays."

The singer-songwriter also shared some "obscure" artists he's been enjoying, including Tiny Hill, Teddy Edwards and Janis Martin, who he called "the female Elvis."