Hip-Hop legend Erick Sermon is pushing back against critics questioning his recent embrace of artificial intelligence tools and his longstanding relationship with music executive Lyor Cohen. In a new conversation with AllHipHop’s Chuck “Jigsaw” Creekmur and DJ Thoro, the EPMD icon laid out his perspective on the future of AI in music creation — and addressed the online backlash that erupted after he was seen at Cohen’s home.

Sermon, who has publicly experimented with AI-powered production tools in recent months, stressed that technology cannot replace human creativity. “AI is a tool,” he said. “You use it for what you want it to work for. I’m not there yet letting it make beats for me… AI can’t work unless you’re telling it what to do. The human aspect is always there.”

His comments echo earlier debates in Hip-Hop around producers like Timbaland, who publicly championed AI collaborations, and Sermon himself, who received criticism earlier this year after testing AI-assisted sample creation. Some fans accused him of diluting the craft; others felt he was helping legitimize a technology they feared would exploit artists. Sermon maintains those concerns misunderstand how AI actually functions.

“For me to create that sample, I’ve got to say, ‘Make a beat that sounds like J Dilla…’ I told it what to do,” he explained. “Do I use it fully? Or do I get ideas from it? That’s where I’m at.”

Sermon said he studies emerging tech not to chase trends but to stay competitive. Citing Mark Cuban, he noted that ignoring new tools is a fast track to falling behind. “Your phone is AI — you’re already using it,” he said. “People act ignorant. Just learn it.”

The conversation shifted when Creekmur addressed the online criticism that erupted after Sermon appeared in photos at Lyor Cohen’s home, prompting speculation that E-Double was aligning himself with controversial executives.

“People were like, ‘Look at Erick next to Lyor, he looks like the Get Out movie,’” Sermon said. “Of course I want to be there. I want to learn so I can tell y’all what I know.”

Sermon offered a firm defense of Cohen, who has faced decades of scrutiny over his time at Def Jam and later positions at Warner Music and YouTube Music. While artists such as DMX, Dame Dash, and others have publicly criticized Cohen’s leadership, Sermon says his experience has been different.

“How can I be mad at somebody who helped me?” he said. “Whatever people’s experiences were, that doesn’t mean it happened to me. I’ve been in this game 37 years. Don’t look at me as somebody who’s being a puppet.”

He emphasized his long track record as an executive, label head, and business operator — not just an artist. “I always had groups, labels, publishing… I’m not the regular artist. I’m a business person too.”

The Green-Eyed Bandit also acknowledged that today’s digital culture fuels outrage regardless of his intentions. “The internet is a different animal,” he said. “If I do good, they hate me. If I do bad, they hate me. It’s a catch-22.”

Still, Sermon made clear he refuses to let online noise derail his evolution.

“People are saying whatever,” he said. “Do you want to be behind, or do you want to know what’s going on?”