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Jaden Smith’s rumored romantic love interest, Tyler, the Creator, gave him significant advice regarding one of his music albums. 

In addition to starring in roles such as The Pursuit of Happyness and The Karate Kid, Smith began his music career young. After releasing multiple mixtapes, the rapper published his debut album, Syre, in 2017. Smith named the album after his middle name. 

THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JIMMY FALLON -- Episode 1303A -- Pictured in this screengrab: Musical guest Jaden performs on August 6, 2020
Jaden Smith|NBC

Jaden Smith’s ‘boyfriend’ Tyler, the Creator, didn’t like his album, ‘Syre’

Smith and Tyler turned heads regarding their relationship in 2018 after Smith declared he and the “Earfquake” rapper was in a relationship. While performing at Tyler’s music festival, Camp Flog Gnaw, Smith announced on-stage that he is enamored with Tyler. 

“I just want to say, Tyler, the Creator is the best friend in the world, and I love him so f–king much,” Smith said. “Tyler doesn’t want to say, but Tyler’s my motherf–king boyfriend, and he’s been my motherf–king boyfriend my whole f–king life,” he continued. “Tyler, the Creator is my f–king boyfriend. It’s true.”

Although Tyler laughed off Smith’s comment, Smith referred to Tyler as his “boyfriend” again after Tyler won a Grammy in January 2020. While they’ve never confirmed their relationship, Smith did consider Tyler to influence his music. Smith shared with Big Boy TV that Tyler wasn’t a fan of Syre and gave Smith his honest opinion of it. Tyler’s words were something Smith considered when he worked on music again in 2018. 

“Tyler said that he didn’t really like my last album,” Smith said of Syre. “I love that he said that. I was just more like, ‘Yo, tell me why! Help me. Then get in the studio and be a mentor for me!’”

Jaden Smith said Tyler, the Creator, mentored him through his 2018 album ‘Erys’

After Syre, Smith released a follow-up album, Erys. According to Rolling Stone, the album instantly went to Billboard’s Hot 100 and had an eclectic mix of sounds, including emo rap, punk rock, and trap music. 

Smith shared with the outlet in July 2019 and explained his inspiration behind the album. The actor shared he wanted a more mature sound for Erys and implemented help from his peers to get it. Smith said Tyler encouraged him to experiment with new sounds for his project. Tyler also gave Smith an exclusive feature on Smith’s song, “Noize.” 

“Tyler told me that I needed to start listening to more old music because he’s pretty much like my taste in music wasn’t there and that I needed to listen to old music, and I needed to educate myself,” Smith said. “If I really am going to be an artist, I need to know who came before me.” 

Jaden Smith’s ‘boyfriend’ Tyler, the Creator, isn’t the only rapper who inspires his music

Throughout his career, Smith has shared his admiration for several artists within the music industry. One of the rappers Smith looked to for inspiration is rapper Kanye West. Smith developed a bond with West over music, and he considered him a friend.

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Smith told Complex in 2017 that West’s musical style was something he considered while he recorded Syre. Smith said he was one of three artists specifically inspired his sound for his project.

“I think the noticeable influences are Frank Ocean, James Blake, Kanye,” Smith said. “There are a lot of people that you can feel in there. But for the most part, I’m really trying to create my own sound that’s never been heard. When I hear somebody else’s song and there’s different pieces in that song that I really like, my whole goal is to try to make a song where I love the whole thing, and this is my passion, this whole song has been perfectly made for me, you know?”

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