Bob Dylan Changed George Harrison’s Negative Opinion on Rap 

While in The Traveling Wilburys, Bob Dylan shared his appreciation of rap with a skeptical George Harrison. According to Harrison’s son, Dhani, the former Beatle was not a fan of the emerging genre. Dylan, however, believed rappers were the only artists saying anything worth hearing.

Bob Dylan gave George Harrison a greater appreciation of rap

In the 1980s, Dylan worked with rapper Kurtis Blow on the song “Street Rock Duet.” This kicked off his appreciation for rap music.

“These guys weren’t standing around bulls****ing,” Dylan said, per American Songwriter. “They were beating drums, tearing it up, hurling horses over cliffs. They were all poets and knew what was going on.”

Dylan brought his appreciation of the genre to sessions with the Traveling Wilburys, a supergroup made up of himself, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, and Roy Orbison.

“My dad didn’t really like rap music,” Dhani told the Line of Best Fit. “But then I remember when he was doing the Traveling Wilburys, Bob Dylan used to like wearing his hat backwards, and my dad would be like, ‘Why? Why are you wearing your hat back?’ Until Dylan answered, ‘Because that’s what rappers do, and they are the only ones saying anything!’”

Dhani said Dylan’s interest in the genre softened Harrison’s negative feelings towards it.

“Bob Dylan was listening to NWA, Public Enemy,” he said. “Since then, my dad had more respect for it and left it alone.”

Dhani Harrison believed his father would have gotten along well with 1 artist

Dhani Harrison went on to befriend RZA, a founding member of the Wu-Tang Clan. He believes RZA would have gotten along well with Harrison. 

“Later in life, RZA became a dear friend, and I think my dad would have gotten on really well with him,” he said. “They’re both very respectful people who embrace all cultures and are well versed in different forms of spirituality. They would have had a really good conversation.”

George Harrison respected Bob Dylan

Harrison greatly admired Dylan, which is likely why he listened to the other artist when he talked about rap.

“When the Wilburys started, George was so reverent of Bob,” Tom Petty told Rolling Stone (via The Petty Archives). “At the end of the first say, he said, ‘We know that you’re Bob Dylan and everything, but we’re going to just treat you and talk to you like we would anybody else.’ And Bob went, ‘Well, great. Believe it or not, I’m in awe of you guys, and it’s the same for me.’ I said to George, ‘That is really amazing, how you said that to Bob.’ George goes, ‘I can say those sort of things. But you can’t.’”

According to Petty, Harrison believed Dylan was one of the strongest writers in history.

“George adored Bob Dylan, like ‘Dylan makes Shakespeare look like Billy Joel.’”