I’ve recently discovered Tyler, The Creator, and I’ve been blown away.
I’m starting out from his most recent project Flower Boy, which seems to be his most mellow album to date based on some research and a quick listen through the whole tracklist.
His production is very original– when I listened to “Who Dat Boy” and “I Ain’t Got Time!” for the first time, I was like, “This is it. This is amazing.” I would even go as far as to say that those two songs have some of the most original beats in recent years. And knowing that Tyler’s a multitalented titan, directing his own videos, producing his own beats, creating the artwork for all of the Odd Future releases (not to mention his clothing company Golf Wang), he is just that much more impressive.
Those two songs are perhaps the most attacking tracks on the album; the rest are laid-back with dreamy vibes of summer afternoons. The atmosphere seems to be just right for the July 21 release date, and all of his beats fit very nicely with the warm orange and the buzzing anticipation of bees on the cover art. Because I play cello, I can’t help but give Tyler a nod for his noticeable use of strings, piano/keyboard, and other classical-sounding instruments in some of his instrumentals. There seems to be a nice variety in the inflection of his voice as well as a fair share of singing rather than straight rap, which is appropriate for the lovestruck and vulnerable narrative of the album.
I gave some of his earlier songs a listen, and they were pretty dark and twisted… like “Yonkers”? I get chills down my spine. But his talent was unmistakable. All that’s making me think that Tyler may be one of the most innovative rappers in the game right now. I’ll keep my eye on him.
Tracks to listen to:
Nadia Jo 