By now, everyone has likely heard of Tyler, or at least one of his songs, whether you were aware of it or not.
A lot of Tyler, the Creator’s songs have been used for viral trends and he has had major surges in popularity throughout his career, from his business ventures like teaming up with clothing companies and hosting festivals, to his and his friend’s hilarious show, “Loiter Squad.” Their show gained a loyal following and some of his friends who moved on to the music industry such as Frank Ocean and Earl Sweatshirt.
Tyler started the show with an episode of some of his friends under the name “I Smell Panties,” which demonstrates how Tyler’s style was already forming. A song from this show is “Hi to Me,” which has him and Jasper messing around in a way that Tyler carries onto his first solo mixtape.
His first independent album, “BASTARD,” is where we see Tyler really step out and start to show his skills and lyricism. The mixtape has a great flow throughout and introduces some alter egos with a weighted tone. This shows how there has been growth and that he will explore darker topics later in his career.
This album has some classic Tyler songs including “Bastard,” “Blow,” “VCR Wheels,” “AssMilk” and “Sarah.”
His first studio album, “Goblin,” had the song “Yonkers” that had first launched him into the spotlight, gaining tons of traction and recognition. It dives further into the mentality of Tyler and some struggles with relationships. This album featured a much darker theme than newer fans were used to and a lot of people were shocked it was the same person.
Some songs I recommend off this album are “Fish,” “She,” “Transylvania,” “Tron Cat” and “Analog.”
Then came “Wolf,” which dives even deeper into alter egos and includes a storyline between the egos and characters which is explored throughout. This album has some topics of love and disappointment in relationships, and conflict with his father. Songs I recommend off this album are “Awkward,“ “Answer,” “48,” “IFHY” and “Rusty.”
Then came “Cherry Bomb,” the end of the “Wolf” trilogy which kills off many characters from earlier albums. This one is more experimental and criminally underrated as Tyler starts to explore different genres and overall sound. Songs off this album I recommend include “DEATHCAMP,” “PILOT,” “FIND YOUR WINGS,” “BLOW MY LOAD,” “2SEATER” and “FUCKING YOUNG/PERFECT.”
Moving on to “Flower Boy,” we really see the softer, lighthearted side of Tyler and it really dials in on relationships and hardships of love, especially when the feelings are not mutual. This is when Tyler started to open up about feelings he had alluded to in “Cherry Bomb.” Songs from this album I recommend are “Where This Flower Blooms,” “SEE YOU AGAIN,” “Garden Shed,” “Boredom,” “Glitter” and “911/Mr. Lonely.”
More recently in 2019, “IGOR” relaunched a completely differ Tyler. It continued to explore love, but as a concept this time, and how it’s anything but easy. This album was insane and packed with songs he knew would be his best and most influential.
I’d recommend “NEW MAGIC WAND,” “ARE WE STILL FRIENDS,” “GONE, GONE/THANK YOU,” “RUNNING OUT OF TIME,” “PUPPET” and “I THINK.”
Lastly, “Call Me If You Get Lost” sealed the deal with finding oneself as a topic and not following others, but rather the importance of searching for yourself if you get lost in life. Songs I’d recommend are “SAFARI,” “HOT WIND BLOWS,” “RISE!” and “JUGGERNAUT.”
Tyler, the Creator has shown tremendous growth. I can’t wait to see what he does next if this is how far he has come in such little time.
