Tyler, the Creator is famous for two things, being provocative and then being sensitive. He was so provocative, in fact, that he was banned from both the UK and Australia. But whether or not he was provocative, he always switches up his style, from the obnoxiously violent Bastard to the serene instrumentals of Flower Boy, Tyler always manages to pull something from his sleeve. On May 17th his new album Igor is let loose unto the world. However, I won’t be reviewing Igor, because the artist requested the audience to enjoy his album and formulate their own opinions. So, I’ll be reviewing every album up to this point,.
Wolf (2013) (9/10)
Wolf is the most cohesive album out of the entire discography and started a trend of being more lighthearted with each release. By the time you hear the first track, you’ll know how this album will be like. Even so, Wolf is an album with a story. It’s about kids in a summer camp called Camp Flog Gnaw (an anagram for Tyler’s clothing brand Golfwang) dealing with the new kid, Wolf Haley. The story serves as a reflection of his mental health and as a way to look back on all of his past albums through a critical lens. He takes time to look back at all the crazy things he’s said and done during his time in Odd Future, and he seemingly regrets none of it but realizes the Tyler, the Creator we know from Bastard and Goblin, is dead and gone (listen to “Rusty” and “Trashwang”). While he does have an excellent last hurrah for the wildly obscene in “Tamale” Tyler finishes on a somber note with “Lone” a look into Tyler’s mind post-fame and opens up about his grandmother’s death, something he’s been mentioning throughout the album. He seems apprehensive to continue his musical career given the stigma his past work has had on his reputation, but he keeps doing it to support his family. It’s a haunting song to end such an upbeat album, and if you’ve been paying attention to the story, the very last words stick with you for a while.
Wolf is the most cohesive album out of the entire discography and started a trend of being more lighthearted with each release. By the time you hear the first track, you’ll know how this album will be like. Even so, Wolf is an album with a story. It’s about kids in a summer camp called Camp Flog Gnaw (an anagram for Tyler’s clothing brand Golfwang) dealing with the new kid, Wolf Haley. The story serves as a reflection of his mental health and as a way to look back on all of his past albums through a critical lens. He takes time to look back at all the crazy things he’s said and done during his time in Odd Future, and he seemingly regrets none of it but realizes the Tyler, the Creator we know from Bastard and Goblin, is dead and gone (listen to “Rusty” and “Trashwang”). While he does have an excellent last hurrah for the wildly obscene in “Tamale” Tyler finishes on a somber note with “Lone” a look into Tyler’s mind post-fame and opens up about his grandmother’s death, something he’s been mentioning throughout the album. He seems apprehensive to continue his musical career given the stigma his past work has had on his reputation, but he keeps doing it to support his family. It’s a haunting song to end such an upbeat album, and if you’ve been paying attention to the story, the very last words stick with you for a while.
Cherry Bomb (2015) (10/10)
Cherry Bomb is weird, noisy, extremely high energy, and I love it. When this album was first released, nobody liked it. Neither did I when I first gave it a listen, but for some reason I kept finding myself going back to it, and it’s my personal favorite of Tyler’s. Tyler didn’t get personal, but he also didn’t return to the shock value lyricism of his older works. He made the music that he wanted to make, and it is glorious. The production ranges from rock to neo-jazz to industrial shown in “DEATHCAMP,” “SMUCKERS,” and “CHERRY BOMB” respectively. Sometimes it just goes all over the place, but in the best way possible in tracks such as “THE BROWN STAINS OF DARKEESE LATIFAH PART 6-12 (REMIX)” Yeah, you read that right. This whole album is ridiculous, but it’s fun, it’s engaging, and it’s great to go wild listening to this album.
Cherry Bomb is weird, noisy, extremely high energy, and I love it. When this album was first released, nobody liked it. Neither did I when I first gave it a listen, but for some reason I kept finding myself going back to it, and it’s my personal favorite of Tyler’s. Tyler didn’t get personal, but he also didn’t return to the shock value lyricism of his older works. He made the music that he wanted to make, and it is glorious. The production ranges from rock to neo-jazz to industrial shown in “DEATHCAMP,” “SMUCKERS,” and “CHERRY BOMB” respectively. Sometimes it just goes all over the place, but in the best way possible in tracks such as “THE BROWN STAINS OF DARKEESE LATIFAH PART 6-12 (REMIX)” Yeah, you read that right. This whole album is ridiculous, but it’s fun, it’s engaging, and it’s great to go wild listening to this album.
Scum F*ck Flower Boy (2017) (8.5/10)
Scum F*ck Flower Boy more formally known as Flower Boy is interesting. It’s a complete 180 from Goblin or Bastard as it could technically be considered as his “coming out” album. This album is amazing, even though it does have its flaws. For one, there are times where it gets boring, then there’s the issue that this album reminds me of Wolf but more lighthearted, however, it could just be me. The rest of it sounds gorgeous though, where Tyler’s symphonic production is used to great effect. An example would be on the tracks, “Where This Flower Blooms” and “Who Dat Boy.” On the lyrical side of things, he’s still blunt, but he hides nothing from the listener, by coming out as queer in “Garden Shed” and later affirming it in “I Ain’t Got Time.” Listening to this album is a great experience, especially if you’re lazy or if it’s your first time hearing it. It’s extremely palatable, so much so that I think everyone could find some value in listening to it, even if it’s just once.
Scum F*ck Flower Boy more formally known as Flower Boy is interesting. It’s a complete 180 from Goblin or Bastard as it could technically be considered as his “coming out” album. This album is amazing, even though it does have its flaws. For one, there are times where it gets boring, then there’s the issue that this album reminds me of Wolf but more lighthearted, however, it could just be me. The rest of it sounds gorgeous though, where Tyler’s symphonic production is used to great effect. An example would be on the tracks, “Where This Flower Blooms” and “Who Dat Boy.” On the lyrical side of things, he’s still blunt, but he hides nothing from the listener, by coming out as queer in “Garden Shed” and later affirming it in “I Ain’t Got Time.” Listening to this album is a great experience, especially if you’re lazy or if it’s your first time hearing it. It’s extremely palatable, so much so that I think everyone could find some value in listening to it, even if it’s just once.