Tyler, the Creator is an extremely successful hip-hop artist, comedian, and clothing designer from Los Angeles, California, and the creator of alternative hip hop group Odd Future. He rose to prominence in the early part of the 2010s, performing and producing multiple extremely popular albums, namely his sophomore LP “Goblin.” 

Hip-Hop

Tyler established himself in the hip-hop community in 2007 with the founding of his label and rap group Odd Future. Along with a few of his closest friends, Tyler began creating music, and in 2008 they released their first project “The Odd Future Tape.” 

Tyler’s first real taste of the spotlight, however, came after his 2009 solo album “Bastard.” He began earning some buzz throughout the blogosphere and other online communities for his bombastic and controversial lyrical style, comical presentation, and rap and music production skills. 

But it wasn’t until 2011’s Goblin that Tyler was really put on the map. Through its hit single and music video “Yonkers,” Tyler’s sophomore project launched him into near super-stardom, garnering him fans and critics in the millions alike. Whether they loved it or hated it, people could not ignore Tyler’s violent and colorful lyricism along with his wild and bold style of presenting his art to the world. 

Tyler continued this trend with his third record, “Wolf.” A bit less controversial than some of the more violent lyrical content in Goblin and Bastard, Wolf focused a lot on comedy. Songs like Tamale along with their music videos were vibrant, colorful, and changed quickly, giving a jumpy and fun impression to the listener. 

In 2015, Tyler released “Cherry Bomb.” This fourth studio album was met with mixed reviews, a lot of which came from Tyler’s newfound deviation in style from some of his older material. This record also had very notable features on it, namely Kanye West and Lil Wayne.

Still, this record was not without controversy, as Tyler was unable to tour through the United Kingdom and Australia due to some of the perceived misogyny in the music he’d created. 

Still, Tyler pressed on. His next two releases, “Flower Boy” and “Igor” were radically different in scope than any of his former music. He continued his trend of constant evolution, incorporating more than just the stripped-back horror beats of old. He delved into Jazz-hop, R;B, and bedroom pop more than ever.

This, along with a notable shift in lyrical content to include more thought-provoking verse while still retaining his aggressive and violent lyrical rhythms and stylings on some tracks, made Tyler or a more complete songwriter, rapper, and musician. 

Comedy

Up to and during the release of “Wolf,” Tyler and his Odd Future friends created, wrote, and starred in the Adult Swim sketch comedy series “Loiter Squad.” Similar in style to shows like “The Eric Andre Show” and “Tim and “Eric,” Loiter Squad’s main draw was surrealist comedy and public stunts performed by the charismatic and hilarious Tyler along with his friends. 

Clothing

For as long as Odd Future has been around, Tyler has been the chief designer for all of their merchandise. His bold use of color, patterns, logos, and lettering allowed his work to stand out not only in the world of hip-hop merchandise but in the larger fashion community as well.

Tyler’s work as a visual artist started with clothing but has moved even further to drawing, painting, and other artistic endeavors. 

Personal Life and Gayness

One of the most commonly asked questions about Tyler is: Is Tyler the Creator gay? For a long time, there was criticism of Tyler that his lyrics were extremely homophobic, and included slurs that he had no business using. 

After some time, however, Tyler’s jokes about being gay became less and less like jokes, and especially on “Flower Boy,” It seemed Tyler was dropping some serious hints about coming out of the closet. 

It is confirmed that Tyler the creator is gay. This is a major subject of “Flower Boy” as well as “Igor.” 

Tyler the Creator’s musical ability, artistic vision, and bombastic personality have all made him quite the public figure. His constant evolution is truly something to behold, and we can’t wait to see what he does next. 

 Photo by Wallpapers Printed