The Wolf howls as a true connoisseur; a distinguished artist above all else.
Following on from his stand-out Coachella headline slot, we take the time to sit down and take a look through every colour, every alter-ego and phase of his solo career since his early Odd Future days. Each phase – Goblin (2011), Wolf (2013), Cherry Bomb (2015), Flower Boy (2017), Igor (2019), CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST (2022) re-shapes and re-defines Tyler’s stylistic reach in an ever-expanding hip-hop universe.
GOBLIN (2011)
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Goblin in 2011 was Tyler’s first solo debut outing from his outlandish teenaged alternative rap crew of Odd Future, and it’s certainly a far cry to what we see now. Gone are the swinging staggerings of crude and distasteful lyrics into sexual violence with a beaming grin on his face. Gone are the aggressions of a young, frustrated rap prodigy into an aspirational artiste with so many other styles to dabble into. Jarring radiator-clanging YONKERS became a key figurehead for many country tour bans, with crude sex permeations surfacing, while he also took many a-swing at numerous artists (“stab Bruno Mars in his goddamn oesophagus” comes to mind). Tron Cat made vulgar suggestions of splattering in one’s chatterbox while She keeps up appearances with an appearance from one’s own Frank Ocean, as it alludes to Tyler touching himself at her window.
Although seeped in controversy, it still was highly lauded featuring on many year-end lists – despite Tyler himself now distancing away from his early shock-value days. Hardly surprising considering Tyler’s now-mainstream redemption arc.
WOLF (2013)
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The second LP of Wolf saw a stylistic change in the Creator’s creativity – a more-sedated sweltering-synth offering of sweetened lyrics in his equally iconic gravelly voice, as his alter-ego Wolf sheds his old, hurting self into a more confident character he wishes to undertake for himself. It’s a turning point for Tyler’s creative mindset and future outset to his global outreach, as the likes of Answer and IFHY draw resemblances of the Tyler we see and hear today. Another equally enthralling entourage of features are seen here, with Frank Ocean, Pharrell Williams, Domo Genesis and Earl Sweatshirt receiving merit.
CHERRY BOMB (2015)
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Erratically diverse third seedling Cherry Bomb delivered when it was leaked online before its official April release. At 24, Cherry Bomb saw the rise of Tyler’s stoic production deliverance – now matured – following his first two. The album found its wings in FUCKING YOUNG / PERFECT and SMUCKERS but was set to take flight irregardless.
FLOWER BOY (2017)
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The widespread embrace of fourth entry Flower Boy – boosted by OF collaborations by the likes of The Internet and Domo Genesis – was powerful, as it saw Tyler take a more superlative stance as the allure of melodic pop-liquid offering See You Again reached unfathomable heights. Mellow beats with lyrical ingenuity filled the pores as the likes of Boredom and 911 / Mr Lonely were seemingly cut from the same cloth, tying in a well-deserved Grammy nod. Tyler adds bark back to his bite though with Who Dat Boy harking back to the more abrasive days. To many, it was the flawless album we’d all been craving for from Mr Okonma as the change-up drew more attention from hip-hop muses worldwide. To others, it was merely the start.
IGOR (2019)
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Thoroughly heartsick and emphatically rich in colour, Tyler found relief in Igor via both commercial gratitude and artistic servitude. The Grammy-awarded fifth swirls with sophisticated class as we’re lulled with ARE WE STILL FRIENDS? and whipped with NEW MAGIC WAND into an all-encompassing record of explosive thrills equipped with some of his most magnetic beats to date.
CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST (2022)
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Gorgeous, hip, outlandish and perfectly Tyler, the seamless album transitions from one breadth to another, with the outros blending perfectly into another deflective motion of an album dialogue bereft with Tyler-isms. This time, it’s the bodacious star of Sir Baudelaire that tells his piece. The wacky, indigenous instrumentals and the lyrical ingenuity that we hear in Hot Wind Blows, MANIFESTO and RISE! is the perfect radio soundtrack riding in our Cadillac’s and Pegassi’s in Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto.
In what may have been a difficult turnaround for Tyler to adapt from after writing the stellar concept of Igor, Tyler has made the executive decision of blending the elites of Goblin, Cherry Bomb, Flower Boy and Igor into a fantastic apotheosis of lugging your best briefs in a suitcase to a fanatical resort of splendour.
CMIYGL has glimpses of old Tyler and new Tyler that is beneficial to all fans of the artistic evolution that is .. Tyler, The Creator. Untethered to the extremes, Tyler’s approach merely reaffirms his devotion to hip-hop and his alternative stylings to it all.
As we mourn Tyler’s past alter-egos to their brutal killings, what outlandish phase or era will we be given next?
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