Hardcore rock snobs can be especially thorny towards hip-hop. Back in the day, people scoffed at it as if it wasn’t “real music.” Eventually, hip-hop became the premier genre in pop culture, and rock slowly faded out of the zeitgeist. Still, some maintain it could never compare. But one of rock’s all-time stars, Bruce Springsteen, advocated for the genre and culture, highlighting two artists who defined music in the 2010s.

During a Q&A at an Apple store in New York, Springsteen spotlighted Kendrick Lamar as a rapper he absolutely loved. One thing he loved most was that he’s “intense” above all else.

But perhaps the rapper he was kindest towards was arguably the most controversial, especially today. “I like Kanye West,” Bruce Springsteen said, per Billboard. “He makes great records. They are creative, amazing records.”

This wasn’t the first time he shared his love for Ye either. Back in 2014, he told Ann Powers for NPR that his Yeezus classic “Blood On The Leaves” left him particularly intrigued. Ultimately, his relationship to hip-hop allows Springsteen to keep his fingers on the pulse of music and culture.

Bruce Springsteen Shares Why He Loved the Controversial Kanye West

“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. I still find him very interesting,” Springsteen shared. “I’m not necessarily driving [to] it in my car, you know. I probably fall back on the stuff that I listened to as a kid or something if I’m driving around. But I do listen. I listen to a lot because there’s a lot of information in it and it’s just fascinating record-making.”

Kanye West has always wanted to be a rockstar like Bruce Springsteen anyway. Back in 2007, his only way to do that was to settle down with someone he loved.

“I think real rock stars get married and have little rock star kids. At some point, you have to add some sort of stability to your life,” Ye said. “You have to have something real that you can hold on to. There can be a point where your records don’t sell as much, or you’re not as popular as you used to be. The best thing that any of the Backstreet Boys could have had was a really good woman in their life.”

Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images

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