![]() ![]() Dugg sounds right at home, a testament to Tyler’s increasing ability to not only bring other artists into his world, but build worlds around basically anyone. The beat sounds like a B-side from Outkast’s Aquemini filtered through Tyler’s Golf Wang lens. Just listen to 42 Dugg’s appearance on “Lemonhead.” The hard-nosed MC floats over Tyler’s boisterous production. Tyler Gregory Okonma (born March 6, 1991), better known as Tyler, the Creator, is a Californian rapper, musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, visual artist, designer, and comedian. On Call Me If You Get Lost, you get the sense that it’s coalescing. Similarly, his production remains as lush and dynamic as greats like the Neptunes or Swizz Beats. He’s always been a legitimately skilled MC, nevermind how unserious he appears to have taken the craft in his early years. More than anything, Tyler appears to have found a certain equanimity. Although Tyler would later create Wolf in 2013, it was very different compared to the. However, due to the record deal, Wolf 2010 was scrapped with some songs from Wolf being moved onto 2011's Goblin. On “Massa,” Tyler complains about his taxes (“Eight figures in taxes, takin’ that shit is stupid / A flower gets its petal, they pluck it but never use it”), and pairs it with a reasonable critique of the government wrapped in a sly boast about being rich enough to utilize tax havens (“It’s still potholes in the schools, where does it go? / It’s still loopholes that I use, nobody knows”). Before Tyler, the Creator got signed to XL, he had planned to create an album titled Wolf in 2010 to succeed his debut mixtape, 2009's Bastard. It’s not an unfamiliar story: an indie darling making it big and their content suddenly shifting from the relatable to the aspirational. Tyler remains the lonely misanthrope that arguably changed the face of rap - just a lot wealthier and wiser. “One minute, it’s a beautiful scene / Then it probably end with me bein’ took off, woah-oh,” he croons. It’s still unrequited love that haunts him, but he’s no longer in a rage. YoungBoy sounds as pleasant as ever while Tyler’s brooding romanticism finds itself confronting his own success. The production is signature Tyler, bright and ebullient, reminiscent of golden-era R&B. On “Wusyaname” YoungBoy Never Broke Again and Ty Dolla $ign show up like the real life NBA stars in Space Jam, cavorting with colorful creatures that defy physics. The rapper’s signature self-awareness has matured into some of the more compelling rap music being made today, and as such Call Me If You Get Lost proves to be Tyler’s best effort to date. But it’s hard to stay mad when, as Tyler reminds us on “Corso,” you have “other-other-other-other” homes (“That’s my AKA / Hurricane-proof all the views, shit like ‘A Bay Bay,’ ” he continues). On “Manifesto” he raps, “I was canceled before canceled was with Twitter fingers,” possibly referencing the protests outside of early Odd Future performances, the open letter penned by Sara Quinn of Tegan and Sara, or his banishment from the United Kingdom. ![]() Tyler’s latest, Call Me If You Get Lost, contends with the dual-edged sword of growing up in the public eye. His career is a blueprint for internet-bred fame, making the now 30-year-old musician something of an elder statesman in the game.Īll of which isn’t to say there weren’t growing pains. But, as the story goes, Tyler has achieved those peaks and more. They seemed outlandish for the ascendant star, fresh from jumping on an unsuspecting Jimmy Fallon’s back during Odd Future’s live TV debut. He still hasn’t quite made it back to the list of my 10 favorite rappers, but if he continues releasing music on the same level as Flower Boy, he’ll be there in no time.It certainly must feel good to say “I told you so.” Back in 2011, a then 20-year-old Tyler, the Creator routinely took to social media to profess a slate of ambitious goals. In celebration of IGOR, Tyler, the Creators first number one album, theres no better time to take a ride through the rambunctious Flower Boys production. That album definitely affected my ranking of him positively in my list of favorite producers. I was already impressed by the rate at which Tyler was developing his production skills, but I never thought he’d singlehandedly construct an album like Flower Boy. The concept of Flower Boy doesn’t contain a blatant narrative like his first three albums did, but the way he illustrated the spiraling descent of depression was ingenious. I think Flower Boy takes everything I’ve ever liked about Tyler and pushes it to the forefront. ![]() In my original, pre-Flower Boy reflection on Tyler’s discography, I mentioned that his growth as a producer was really impressive, and that I was hoping for him to go back to his original style of telling interesting stories with his albums. ![]() Note: This was written after the release of Flower Boy. CHERRY BOMB : 52% BASTARD : 72% GOBLIN : 77% WOLF : 83% FLOWER BOY : 97% IGOR : 77% CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST : 75%
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