You are sucked in by his persona or repelled by it. You understand where his lyrics come from or you don’t. There’s just as much of a chance that you’ll hate him and his music. However, after giving any one of his three solo albums a few listens, there’s a chance that you’ll settle into it and perhaps realize that Tyler is a talent in his own terrifying, evil way. It’s all very troubling for the listener the first few times around. Murder, sex, and rape are commonly and graphically described, and Tyler describes the influence of many alter egos on his actions.
However, his lyrics are often violent and could be construed as misogynistic and homophobic.
Tyler is extremely deft in producing his unique sound and creating something hypnotizing. On first listen, the obscenities hinder the listener from really settling into the beat of the song. Frankly, on first listen, most of his music is frightening. I appreciate rap music to a degree, and I do appreciate Tyler very much, but he took some time to get used to. He has his hands in the rap collective Odd Future ( Frank Ocean is also a member), along with a record label he created ( Odd Future Records), directing music videos, acting in the television show Loiter Squad, and graphic art.įor a 22-year-old kid from LA, that’s not bad.įrom the moment my little sister introduced me to him by showing me his “Yonkers” video (Disclaimer: this video contains haunting imagery and the lyrics of the song are very graphic), I have been wondering what he is about. Tyler Gregory Okonma, better known as Tyler, the Creator, is a cruel enigma.