Tyler The Creator has always been lauded as an immature, off-the-rails artist who simply doesn’t give a fuck. While these descriptions may ring true, there are times when he surprises us all, and gives us a real insight into the mind of such a young and gifted musical mind, producing a level headed response to a fan’s criticism of his latest release, Cherry Bomb.
Online vitriol and critique is something that all artists are subject to, and is for the most part drowned out amongst a sea of admiration and positivity, particularly in the case of Tyler, who has an almost cult-like following across all forms of social media. It is rather interesting then that Tyler has taken the time out to pen such a heartfelt response to this fan, and give an explanation regarding his own personal influence, and his musical direction.
The criticism of the fan centred on the subject matter of Tyler’s current work; that he was too focused on rapping about conventional things such as jewels and cars, and had lost some of the emotion, anger and passion that his earlier projects such as Goblin thrived upon. Tyler’s response began with a breakdown of his new albums subject matter,
“the only songs i talk about my jewels or cars on is
1. 2 seater
2. brownstains ( rocks on rainbow, pink and yellow on my neck, is that diamonds on ya neck, thats mclaren)
3. opening line on smuckers i say im tryna get the mclaren”
Reading the entire post, it is clear that Tyler is a young man who has pursued his dreams, and ultimately succeeded in establishing himself as a stalwart of the music industry, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Kanye West and Pharrell Williams. The sentiment here is one that we should all follow; we need to remember that our favourite rappers, our most beloved artists are indeed human. They grow, they evolve, their sound will change. It is a natural progression, and as Tyler so eloquently (or not) puts it:
“shit, that would be sooo sad if i was making the same album over and over again. and when i talk about depressed stuff, i know niggas who think its cool as fuck to be sad and negative. i remember being in a somewhat dark spot and now that im not there i understand that its not healthy and it sucks.”
Tyler The Creator is going to continue to not give a fuck. He is going to experiment with his sound and grow as an artist, and we should all be okay with that. You can check out his full reply here.
Tyler is coming to Australia later this year! Full date and ticket details here.