The hip hop world took sides recently, when Tyler, The Creator announced that he had to cancel his Australian tour following pressure from feminist group Collective Shout, led by Coralie Alison, who claimed that Tyler had “songs advocating rape and extreme violence against women”

Last week, Tyler had to cancel four UK appearances, including sets at Reading and Leeds festivals.

There was a niggling feeling about the reasons for these cancellations, so soon after those in Australia, and now it seems that the verdict has been made clear.

Tyler took to twitter to share the news that, although he was in the UK eight weeks ago, he’s now banned for three to five years. In fact as DJ Booth point out, Tyler has visited the UK more than 20 times in the last five years.

Christian Clancy, Tyler’s manager, posted the following message on Tumblr blog The Phuckery. He explains the situation – that he was contacted by the Secretary of State for the Home Department. Cited reasons included lyrics from 2010 and 2011 albums Bastard and Goblin, respectively, which promote violence and homophobia. He goes on to explain that Tyler’s old lyrics are not a reflection of Tyler as he is today:

“tyler has been banned from entering the UK for somewhere between 3 to 5 years per a letter from the secretary of state for the home department of the united kingdom. the letter specifically cites lyrics he wrote 6-7 years ago for his albums bastard and goblin – the type of lyrics he hasn’t written since… highlights from the letter include that his work “encourages violence and intolerance of homosexuality” and “fosters hatred with views thats seek to provoke others to terrorist acts..” i grew up on NWA, eminem and rage against the machine, so its hard to me to fully wrap my head this thought process and its implications. 

to say that i am confused would be an understatement. can you imagine being beholden to things you said when you were 18? tyler has been to the UK over 20x in the last 5 years without incident (shows, in stores, meet and greets). we rented out a movie theatre last month in London for a private showing of napoleon dynamite for his fans. literally last month.

more importantly, this is a broader issue of free speech, with new lines being drawn that include reaching back in time without acknowledging growth. in fact, punishing growth. what i do know is tyler is part of an argument that is counter to who he has become. how do you punish someone for growing up? since the letter acknowledged he was writing from an alter ego perspective does this then apply to book writers? the fact that he has evolved into someone who has acknowledged and grown out of that is simply lost in the narrative. is he not worthy of the pat on the back for becoming aware and making changes? what message does that send? is race a conscious or subconscious factor at all? 

theres a lot to absorb and understand, but while he gets painted as some sort of anti christ i want to make sure people know the facts, which are that he hasn’t delved into those lyrics in years – he writes songs about cars and spreading your wings. he doesn’t drink or smoke, he owns his own businesses, he takes care of his family and friends, he’s honest, grateful, aware, fearless, intelligent, and inspiring. his shows serve as a release, not acts of aggression. 

is he perfect? absolutely not. he’s a human evolving like the rest of us, and evolution is a process, not a light switch.

im not defending his OLD lyrics. to be honest they make me cringe, but i stand beside him because of who he actually IS. our 8 year old daughter, who is constantly inspired by him, said it best;  “why would they ban tyler? that makes no sense.“

 

 

 

If you missed the news, Tyler The Creator asked Former One Direction member Zayn Malik to collaborate with him. Tyler tweeted with his instrumentals and Malik’s voice, they could “figure something out”.

Apparently, Malik agrees. He responded, saying he is keen to “do some shit”.

Malik broke thousands of tween hearts worldwide when he abruptly left the boy band to be a “normal 20 year old”.

You know, because normal 20 year olds spend all their time in professional recording studios.

His work with producer Naughty Boy was made public when a track of Malik singing with an acoustic guitar was posted online. This collaboration may be over after Malik called him “a fat joke”.

Malik’s solo career has caused friction between him and some of former his band mates, as well as the Directioner community. Twitter has been a storm of tweet exchanges, rants and trending hashtags ever since he left in March this year. As the resident bad boy of the group, he and Tyler might get along well.

Tyler has announced that his Australian tour has been cancelled, despite the fact that his request for a working visa not yet rejected. This was due to the work of a feminist group called Collective Shout, stating that his music encouraged violence against women.

What do you think of the upcoming collab? Or better still, do you think it will actually happen?

Stay tuned to find out.

After much speculation over the past couple of weeks, Frontier Touring have now officially announced that Tyler, The Creator’s Australian tour has officially been cancelled.

Controversy is not new to the OFWGKTA alumnus, who has been at loggerheads with local activist group Collective Shout since his last visit in 2013. The group has taken particular offence to Tyler’s lyrics, claiming he promotes misogyny and violence against women, and has recently led a campaign to have the rappers visa revoked.

Tyler has issued a brief statement to fans saying “We would much rather come to Australia when it isn’t surrounded in controversy. I love my fans there and hopefully I’ll be back soon. Don’t do drugs.” It is unclear whether the cancellation has any direct link to the visa application at this stage. Either way, it is a decisive win for Collective Shout and a big loss for fans.

Refunds are available from the point of sale and you can daydream about what might have been while checking out our review of Cherry Bomb here.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCcVrLcGD7k]

Tyler, The Creator tour

Thursday, September 3 – The Tivoli, Brisbane (AA)
Saturday, September 5- Luna Park, Sydney (AA)
Sunday, September 6- Forum Theatre, Melbourne (18+)
Tuesday, September 8- The Capitol, Perth (18+)

Odd Future captain and unapologetic antagonist Tyler, The Creator has reached out to One Direction outcast Zayn Malik on Twitter today, evidently seeking some kind of collaborative effort between the two.

ZAYN-MALIK-TYLER-

As with most everything Tyler says, ever, it’s kind of difficult to tell just how far he’s taking the proverbial piss here. In the past he has made little secret of his disdain for One Direction and their legion of fans who are borderline psychotic in their devotion to the pop music, calling out those same fans on the Earl Sweatshirt cut Sasquatch and then with a thinly-veiled threat towards the group itself on his own 2013 track Domo23.

Perhaps Tyler feels some kind of kinship with Zayn, the pair of them having distanced themselves from their respective groups this year to one degree or another. Maybe he feels working with Zayn would be to flip One Direction and its saccharine fans the ultimate bird. Who knows.

At the end of the day, I’m not entirely sure how well Zayn’s teen-pop voice would mesh with Tyler’s ‘BEAUTIFUL INSTRUMENTALS’, but it would certainly make for a fascinating, odd couple style collab, one that could be even more interesting if the pair were to spend a couple of ‘EPIC ALBUM CUTS’ dragging One Direction.

Stay tuned.

Nardwuar is one hell of an interviewer. If you are unfamiliar, “The Human Serviette” is Nardwuar’s alias, and he provides some of the most in depth interviews with everyone from Jay-Z, Blur, Sonic Youth and of course Tyler, the Creator. If you are an up and coming journalist or music lover his story is one that you cannot help but be jealous of. Starting out as an independent interviewer, Nardwuar managed to land an interview with N.E.R.D and proceeded to scare the living daylights out of Pharrell Williams by detailing insignificant and minute details from the bands beginnings and their home town. Blown away by the research and work ethic of Nardwuar, Pharrell arranged the famous Jay-Z interview, and soon enough everyones favourite horribly dressed Canadian was a part of the iAmOther movement.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RKbSi87J5Q]

Having interviewed Tyler and the rest of the Odd Future collective way back in 2011, the chemistry between Nardwuar and the rest of the group is a match made in heaven, although it is slightly upsetting to see that Taco and Jasper Dolphin are the only two members left to accompany the interviews. The style of the interviews provides a fascinating insight into the love and knowledge that Tyler has for music, as he speaks on several of the fusion funk tracks and artists that he so often samples in his own music.

Of course it would not be a Nardwuar interview without some horribly inappropriate gifts, including a scratch and sniff MF DOOM album,  a Ja Rule special edition condom and some bacon flavoured lube, a must have for any bacon enthusiast.

Peep the entire interview here:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNrrzQ6_zh0]

 

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.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCcVrLcGD7k]

So you just read our feature on the worst songs of 2015 so far, and I know that you heard some things you can never un-hear. You might be wishing that you’d googled the crimes of a serial killer instead – it might have been less disturbing. You might have even preferred to read about this creepy thing going on in Sweden right now. But, just like that time you drank a bottle of Passion Pop and vomited all over your best friends favourite shoes, some things just can’t be undone. Turn off that Ed Sheeran track you have been listening to on repeat to heal your pain. You’re better than that. We can get through this together.

Our “worst of” list gave you six tracks, and I am a strong believer that there must be at least twice as much good in the world, so let’s look on the bright side with the 12 best songs of 2015 so far.

12. Holy Holy: You Cannot Fall For Love Like a Dog (Album: When the Storms Would Come) 

Holy Holy are already making massive waves and their debut album isn’t due out until the 17th of July. If this track is anything to go by, it is going to be expansive and powerful – a crowning achievement for the Brisbane/Melbourne duo. The pair, who we interviewed last year, produce a sound that is sophisticated and effortless, with sublime melodies, amplified by driving guitars.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrVadO8BHRk]

11. The Chemical Brothers: Go ft. Q-Tip (Album: Born in the Echoes) 

Daft Punk did it with their album Random Access Memories and The Chemical Brothers do it again with Go. Listeners are transported to a sleazy jaw-clenching nightclub in the best possible way -The kind of place where open chested shirts and questionable facial hair choices are not only accepted, but encouraged. And it sure as hell is better than the goddamn Salmon Dance

If it was a club from Saturday Night Live character Stefon, it would be the one called: “Thank You! Located inside a crashing blimp, this Eurotrash utopia is the creation of beatnik doctor Soul Patch Adams. This place has everything: Zip lines, fish food, that fat Hawaiian guy that no one invited, an old Pakistani woman that looks like a California Raisin…”

Stefon

From album Born in the Echoes due out on July 17, I’ve got my dancing shoes ready for a marathon. Pre-order it here.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO2RPDZkY88]

10. Gang of Youths: Vital Signs (Album: The Positions) 

Australian indie rock outfit Gang of Youths are just killing it with their vibrant chorale sound. They have all the weight and depth of bands like The National or Arcade Fire, but with far fewer collective years – so just imagine where they’ll end up! Vital Signs is an epic track spanning seven and a half minutes with a pulsing drumbeat and an anthemic build that reminds me of everything good about indie music. As wonderful, if not more so live than on record, make sure you get to a GoY gig as soon as you can.

9. A$AP Rocky: L$D (Album: At.Long.Last.A$AP)

To be honest, I wasn’t sure about A$AP Rocky’s latest release until I heard this track (but read our album review here to judge for yourself.) My best advice: turn it up loud. Real loud. You don’t just want to hear those sweet opening bass notes, you want to feel them right down in your toes. Overlaid with some saucy vocals from A$AP it’s enough to make a nun hot under the collar. It’s slick, smooth and surprisingly lovely. Considering it’s the only non-rap track on a sprawling rap album, we’re thinking A$AP could even consider a career move to making indie-psych music in the future. Oh, and for a stunning live rendition of this track, check this video out from A$AP’s recent performance on Jimmy Fallon’s late night talk show.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feDLr_e4v5A]

8. Torres: Sprinter  (Album: Sprinter) 

Torres weaves a story with her voice in a way that evokes PJ Harvey or Fiona Apple, but has a sadness that is all her own. Considering that Torres, aka Mackenzia Scott worked with PJ Harvey producer Robert Ellis and Portishead’s Adrian Utley, it’s not surprise that this is one hell of a gorgeous sound. Sprinter is a complex, emotional and enthralling track that makes you feel everything. I may be a glutton for punishment but I can’t stop listening.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6SIw30IOt8]

7. Alpine: Foolish (Album: Yuck) 

The first taste of sophomore album Yuck, Foolish (which was appropriately released on April Fool’s Day) is very much the opposite. Sweet, syrupy and delicious, it’s a track that will no doubt leave you on a sugar high. Foolish sails you down a little river of good vibes and leaves you feeling toe tappingly blissful. The follow-up to their chart topping debut album A is for Alpine, Yuck officially dropped last week – purchase it here.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6I4MZUtCCo]

6. Editors: No Harm (Album TBC)

Some songs just can’t be summed up in words. I could try and say it’s like the genetic recombination of Nick Cave and James Blake but it still wouldn’t sum up the cold, dark, haunted beauty in a way that does justice. Having been around for a lot longer than other artists on this list, it’s pure bliss to see bands who can consistently release songs of this calibre, four albums and more than a decade into their musical career. Deep, rich and seriously powerful, you need to listen to this track.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/200911419″]

5. Tyler, The Creator: The Brown Stains of Darkeese Latifah Part 6-12 (Remix) (Album: Cherry Bomb)

Sometimes he can be hard to love, but when Tyler the Creator is on, he can also be hard to hate. The Odd Future ringleader, (who will be visiting our fair country later this year) just dropped his new album Cherry Bomb, and this is easily our favourite song from the release. On The Brown Stains… he is all the way on. It’s not ground breaking, sure, but it doesn’t need to be. Loud and obnoxious and raw in a way that’s really quite unique to the gravel-voiced rapper, there’s so much to love about this track.

4. Tame Impala: Cause I’m a Man (Album: Currents)

Kevin Parker and co. keep on dishing out their own brand of chill psychedelic licks that melt faces like ice cream on hot pavement. If I had to sum this track up with a picture it would look like this:

icecream

Their HIGHLY anticipated new album, Currents, is due out July 17th (the same day as the Holy Holy record, so it’s going to be a great day for Aus music!) If you need me, don’t, because I will be very much unavailable. Let’s hope that they actually see money from the sales this time. The internationally renowned psych-rockers will also be headlining July’s Splendour in the Grass, meaning that we’ll be among the first in the world to hear the new material performed live!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hefh9dFnChY]

 3. Courtney Barnett: Pedestrian at Best (Album: Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit) 

I love our homegrown rock poet Courtney Barnett with a big heart and a healthy dose of jealousy. Who doesn’t? We love her so much that we’ve not just taken photos of the Melbourne artist rocking out, but we’ve reviewed her live show twice.
I often find myself wondering why I can’t be witty and profound while making catchy ballads about smoking weed and tending to my garden. Why can’t I be a modern female Bob Dylan with a great haircut? The answer is because she already does it so well, and deep down I think I am ok with that. Pedestrian At Best was one of our first tastes of her brilliant album Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit, which has gone on to become one of our absolute favourite albums of the year so far.  

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-nr1nNC3ds]

For now I will just make do with singing the lyrics really loud. Do it with me: I’m a Scorpiooooo!

Feels good right?

2. Alabama Shakes: Don’t Wanna Fight (Album: Sound & Color) 

Brittany Howard can do no wrong. When the first single off Sound and Color, burst onto the airwaves in February I was a little nervous. I loved the band’s debut Boys & Girls so much I wasn’t sure they could live up to the hype. But all my expectations were turned on their head with that husky squeal, that soft growl, that old soul bursting from her 25 year old body. It’s pure ecstasy. If you loved their first album, you’ll love their second offering even more. Brilliantly complex and overwhelmingly diverse, it’s another one of our absolute highlights of the year so far.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nin-fiNz50M]

1. Kendrick Lamar: King Kunta (Album: To Pimp a Butterfly)

Was there ever any question that this would be at the top of the list? Kendrick Lamar is the golden goose with the Midas touch in 2015. Yes, that’s a lot of references to gold, but probably not enough to summarise how amazing this song is. It is smart, soulful, catchy and everything you want from a “song of the year.” Plus, if that isn’t enough it also incites some amazing dance moves, even from a rhythmically impaired white girl like me. As politically and culturally powerful as it is musically brilliant, this was a shoe-in for our top choice.

Try NOT dancing like Taylor Swift every time it comes on.

taylor

2015, I’d dare you to release a better song, but I am not sure my heart could take it.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRK7PVJFbS8]

Tyler, the Creator sparked a frenzy on twitter yesterday when he started reminiscing about OFWGKTA. In just 140 characters, he made us all think that the beloved group, which counts Earl Sweatshirt and Frank Ocean as members, is “no more.”

He had Odd Future fans in despair with this mildly cryptic tweet that he failed to explain:

However, Tyler clearly didn’t realise the storm he’d created regarding the future of his collective and was quick to downplay his tweets as just a bit of sentimentality:

Yet things took another unexpected turn when Tyler’s one time partner in crime, Earl Sweatshirt weighed in:

Although it isn’t necessarily clear whether Tyler is claiming the group to be finished together, or more reflecting on the group drifting apart, Earl’s comments make it look unlikely that Odd Future are planning anything soon. Whilst Tyler just sneakily dropped Cherry Bomb via Odd Future Records, it is his first release not to feature any of the Odd Future crew. Earl’s similarly surprising launch of I Don’t Like Shit I Don’t Go Outside was released by Columbia and, like Cherry Bomb, does not have any collaborations with the group. Frank Ocean has revealed that Tyler has worked on his new album, which is set to release in July. Whatever the case may be, with three albums out this year by the integral group members, we can at least be thankful that Odd Future’s influence still lingers on.

It is a sad day for your inner rebellious teen skater. It would appear that today Tyler, the Creator has finally said goodbye to the Odd Future group, ending the presence of the rowdy group of teenagers who burst onto the scene, wreaking absolute havoc for fans, media, and the music industry in general. Their rambunctious antics and carefree attitude will never be forgotten.

Tweeting out to his fans early this morning, Tyler stated rather solemnly, “Although it is no more, those 7 letters are forever.” Those 7 letters are of course the moniker adopted by the group, Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All (OFWGKTA). The news itself is not entirely surprising, as the group had long been drifting in a multitude of directions, with some of the members going to far greater success than they had with Odd Future.

As we saw from his latest album, Earl Sweatshirt is clearly focusing on a dark and depressing style of music; Frank Ocean has established himself as one of the most promising names in R&B (and reportedly has a new album out soon,) while groups such as MellowHype are heading in a different direction entirely. Of course Tyler himself has branched out into many a side project, recently dropping his third album, and seems heavily focused on the production aspect of music. There is simply too much going on individually for the group to exist anymore.

It’s time to pull up your multi-coloured odd socks, grab your skate deck littered with pictures of cats, and pay tribute to Odd Future one last time. Here are a few of my own personal favourite Tyler, The Creator/Odd Future moments to get you in the mood:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OG1yX7NgMcI]

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzi24Nssiow]

Tyler, The Creator is set to make his return to Australian soil this September, in what could be said is his biggest year yet, and it’s not even half way through.

Having dropped one of the best albums of 2015, Cherry Bomb, (in this writer’s opinion anyway), he not only headlined Coachella, but will be touring the US, UK and Europe before heading Down Under.

Of course, a Tyler tour is never without controversy. Last time he came to Oz in 2013, he was constantly the subject of outspoken protests about his sexist, misogynistic and violent lyrics, with some lobbyists even asking for him to be deported. Thankfully he wasn’t, and was one of that year’s best gigs for me. There’s no doubt this year will be the same.


Tyler, The Creator tour dates:

Thursday 3 September — The Tivoli, Brisbane
Saturday 5 September — Big Top, Luna Park, Sydney
Sunday 6 September — Forum, Melbourne
Tuesday 8 September — The Capitol, Perth

Tickets on sale Tuesday 26 May local time HERE