This is an opinion article piece. Colleen McMenamin is a senior at Mendham who writes for Arts and Entertainment. All opinions expressed in the following editorial are her own and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Patriot. 

Tyler, the Creator, who jumped into the music scene through the rap group OFWGKTA or Odd Future in 2007, has come a long way since his early beginnings. Although his fame has expanded fashion, food, tv-series, even making his own music festival, Tyler’s incredible creativity with his brand sets him apart at sight, let alone once you listen to his experimental music, first shown on Cherry Bomb and continuing on his albums to follow. Igor, his newest release is best understood through its theme– the main character of the album has fallen for someone who won’t commit fully, and leaving themself confused and played with emotionally until the main character realizes what is happening and moves on. This is clearly shown in the lyrics and even in the song titles, some of which being ‘EARTHQUAKE’, ‘PUPPET’, and ‘I DON’T LOVE YOU ANYMORE”. 

Tyler, the Creator himself, even said in a tweet before releasing Igor- ‘Igor. This is not B*****d. This is not Goblin. This is not Wolf. This is not Cherry Bomb. This is not Flower Boy. This is Igor. Don’t go into this expecting a rap album. Don’t go into this expecting an album.” This album could be the most surprising to date- which is saying a lot compared to past albums. This album doesn’t feature rap until halfway through the third song, and less than 30% of the album is rap. So why would this album be labeled as rap? This can easily be credited to racial injustice. At the 2019 Grammys, when Igor won rap album of the year, Tyler focused his research on this subject. Many African American artists are categorized into the ‘urban’ categories of music genres, such as R&B or rap. Although he did make sure to say he appreciated his Grammy nomination and win, he also said he felt it was backhanded. Many other African American artists have felt the same way, such as Kanye West and Frank Ocean. Many of these artists create music in genres other than as the Grammys refer to is- urban, but are placed in these categories without a doubt. Igor contained almost no rap, somehow winning over completely rap albums, whose creators also call them rap!

Tyler’s music style was changed throughout the years, his first solo project was aggressive rap with raunchy lyrics, grabbing attention. His first shot at solo fame was through his first studio album, Goblin, which held the song ‘Yonkers’, winning him the best new artist at the VMA’s. Tyler has only experimented more with his music. This type of experimental habit can be seen in Tyler’s other works other than solo albums as well. In the rap collective Odd Future, they created six subgroups that created different styles of music, the most successful being The Internet. Tyler has only branched outside of music, creating an Odd Future clothing line, then his own successful and heavily sought out clothing line named Golf Wang that has only continued to evolve with his music. Tyler has been as much known for his style as his music, in an interview with Vogue for the Golf Wang fall collection, Tyler said “Ever since I was a kid my favorite class was art because there were no rules. There are no rules to anything, really. You can make whatever you want. That’s the freedom I get from making things. That’s why I like drawing it out, because my mind can go anywhere.” Tyler has never listened to the ‘rules’ or social norms, which is easily reflected in his clothing line, past musical collectives, and musical expansion- making it impossible to classify him into a genre of music. In Tyler, the Creator’s early music days he could be classified into the single subgenre horrorcore, like most artists, however now Tyler, can even be classified into the rap genre. His music is now classified as Alternative hip hop- jazz-rap- R&B- Neo-Soul Horrorcore, being quite possibly the most widespread an artist can get. 

Although many can argue Igor is not a rap album, there are promising qualities that provide otherwise. The features of this album are rappers, such as Playboi Carti, Lil Uzi Vert, and Kanye West. Tyler also created his fame as a rapper, starting in rap groups, then transitioning into a solo artist- however as a rapper. His first three albums are all rap, then transitioning into experimental and alternative rap at Cherry Bomb, continued at Flowerboy. Igor is Tyler’s first album where there is less rapping than music, melodies, and singing. Although there is less rapping than usual in Igor, Tyler’s rap voice is still shown on almost every single song. He makes his first rap appearance on the third song on the tracklist, “I THINK” and afterward, more verses are apparent. Tyler’s deep and very recognizable voice defines his songs as well. Without these verses in Igor, the songs would not be the same and have much less of a storyline and theme to them, which defines Tyler, the Creator’s entire style of music. The raps in Igor defined the album, making it memorable and truly another experimental Tyler classic. 

Tyler, the Creator, who made an entire brand for himself through his defining rap melody and music style, has ventured into many different music genres over the course of his career. Although it may be a mystery where Igor can be placed on the genre spectrum, his talent can not be ignored. Each album, single, or even single versus released by him are captivating and pushes the usual units of music that once were not dared to be crossed. Not only has he done this in music but also fashioned in the television industry. Tyler has a knack for thinking outside of the box, and his creativity is inspiring.