Any longtime Tyler, the Creator fan understands the implications of him shying away from his old impulsive, unapologetic, musical expression, which might discourage them from listening to his new music. In this day and age however, you cannot chant, “Kill people, burn s*** f*** school.” and be successful in any sense. One thing that Tyler will alway maintains however, is the exposure of his various alter egos which take us into the creative, dreamy, and unstable world that lies within his head. On May 17, Tyler, the Creator released his sixth studio album, IGOR. This is a detailed excursion introduction to his softer alter ego and in all, is far from disappointing. The album tells a story of a drifting love affair and features albums including Playboi Carti, Charlie Wilson, and Kanye West. In this album, Tyler directly channels N.E.R.D. through his fabricated instrumentation and raw, storytelling style of rapping. This album clearly conveys his sense as he maintains his same daunting use of repetition to personify melody. Along with this is the use of his same metaphoric language to tell a story that we are not directly told, but can directly understand. One of the best elements about the album is the distinct melodies that positively allow the song to take you on a musical rollercoaster. Though the tempos are rather upbeat and more pop-like compared to previous albums, I believe this is simply a tool. Through this, Tyler wants us to understand the distinct differences of his IGOR in his purest and most expressive form as compared to other characters like Flower Boy or Wolf. Furthermore, all the songs within the album though they tell a single story, stand on their own as mini masterpieces from the production to the instrumentation, to the intricate execution. Overall, this album gives me hope for the future of hip hop. Through Tyler returning back to his old authentic self and expressing himself in a way that does not appear to stereotypical commercials values, I believe originality might once again return to the top charts. So go give it a listen!
-DJ Bulma