Tyler, The Creator was the special guest on Pharrell‘s OTHERtone Beats 1 radio show yesterday (August 16). In the program, the rappers explain how to make a performance set based on the audience. Tyler, The Creator describes having to maintain a certain level of energy when sharing the stage with Eminem.

“When you’re performing for a crowd overseas of motherfuckers who only wanna see Eminem and you have to be on stage for like 40 minutes, it’s certain songs that you have to bring out,” he says, explaining that some of his favorite songs have arrangements that don’t work well for large performances. “I’m just lucky enough that I have an energy where I can win people over. I’ve learned the hard way, early on, like ok, although this is the greatest song I’ve ever made, I can’t, these chords and this saxophone does not translate well to 100,000 people.”

Pharrell encourages the 24-year-old to hold on to his signature energy, saying, “you need to start a band.”

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“Live up to the intensity that everyone’s ever felt,” the producer says. “Back when I came out with you guys at Coachella and you had on a ski mask, that’s the lead singer. That guy.”

“I only wore that outta stage fright,” Tyler the Creator confesses. “It was a cool little thing. The green ski mask, but I fully wore that just ’cause I was going out in front of like 30,000 people. I don’t know, so I put that on so they couldn’t really see my soul. Then, after the first song, if it worked, I took it off because now it’s not a weird wall. They kinda have a connection with me ’cause they fucked with the first three minutes of being introduced to me.”

The rappers also explain their Rock & Roll influences and Pharrell plays an unreleased N.E.R.D track, “Locked Away.”

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