I nearly forgot that this blog existed. Luckily, my friend Corey has not and has been regularly updating the B.E.A.R.D. with great reviews!
Anywho...
Tyler the Creator and the era of
OFWGKTA
Everyone seems to be riding hard on the collective dick that is Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All. The LA based hip-hop collective has seen an immense amount of popularity in 2011. This is mostly because of the group's head, Tyler the Creator.
I first heard Tyler the Creator in January of this year. Yeah, so I'm a little behind. Nevertheless, upon first listening, I looked at my girlfriend and said, This guy is going to blow up. I guess I wasn't aware that he already had.
Now having made appearances on Jimmy Fallon's show, MTV and even the mother fucking BBC, Tyler the Creator and his crew of extremely clever misfits are on their way to the top. Which seems a little strange given the deviancy of his lyrics and the suggestive nature of his live show. Let's face it, the majority of Americans don't seem to be very interested in the pent up aggression of a young black man like Tyler. But if I can empathize to some degree, I guess others can too. Even if the subject matter isn't what people are latching on to, I can see several other very viable reasons for loving Mr. The Creator.
For one, his 'flows' are retarded solid. He's not obsessing over AB rhyme schemes which 95% (not a real stat) of popular rappers seem to be enamored with. Tyler ventures around in a lyrical wonderland of half-rhymes and dead end sentences that drop you off in the most unusual places. For instance, in his single 'Yonkers' from his latest album Goblin: "I'm a fuckin' walkin' paradox, no I'm not
Threesomes with a fuckin' triceratops, ReptarRappin' as I'm mockin' deaf rock stars
Wearin' synthetic wigs made of Anwar's dreadlocks
Bedrock, harder than a muthafuckin' Flintstone
Makin' crack rocks outta pissy nigga fishbones
This nigga Jasper tryna get grown
About 5'7" of his bitches in my bedroom
Swallow the cinnamon, I'mma scribble this sinnin' shit
While Syd is tellin' me that she's been gettin' intimate with men
(Syd, shut the fuck up) Here's the number to my therapist
(Shit) Tell him all your problems, he's fuckin' awesome with listenin' "
This obviously isn't the latest Lil' Jon hit. There's a deep understanding of writing at play here that, I would venture to say, most people his age just can't grasp. Tyler is terribly imaginative and intelligent. Yet, it seems that most people that I talk to who have listened to his stuff seem to think that it's awfully childish. I don't necessarily disagree, or agree for that matter. Most young men have an affinity for potty mouth musings. This is nothing new. Still, you can't deny the skill.
Tyler seems to have a troubled past. Among many other issues, he lacks a relationship with his father and that truly bothers him. But, I'm not here to psychoanalyze the guy. I merely appreciate his honesty. I wish that more artists were capable of saying exactly what they feel. Instead, most rappers these days tend to indulge in "I've got more money and bitches than you" rants and dick measuring contests. On that level, if you have any love for hip-hop, you have to at least appreciate where Tyler the Creator is coming from.
What can I say about Tyler or his group of godless heathens that Pitchfork or STUPIDDOPE hasn't? I have nothing truly original to say so I'll leave it at this (because I'm too tired to give a shit about writing eloquently), Tyler the Creator and Odd Future are most definitely going places and if they can keep a tight grip on who they are and not allow money to blind their creativity, they will go down as gods of the hip-hop game. They're extremely talented young people with a lot of room to grow into extremely talented and respected old people. Good luck to OFWGKTA in their future musical endeavors. Oh and Tyler, kick Kanye's ass like you promised.
Your friend,
DHAGZ
