Tyler, The
Creator can be a tough guy to like. He has buckets of childlike-enthusiasm and
excitement for everything he does (just check out his Twitter feed to see how
sincerely endearing Tyler on a tear can be), and he has a workman's dedication
and focus when he's working on a project he cares about.
At the same time,
he's one of those rappers who still uses the word "faggot" as an
insult quasi-regularly and is as likely to make a shit joke as he is to knock
you out with a great lyrical punchline.
His first
recordings with Odd Future, and even his first "official" albums
stayed mostly in this goofy shock-rap lane, with glimmers of gorgeousness
shining through (see "She" on
Goblin), and while he can be offensive, he's always maintained its because
he wants to take the power out some of these slurs and shine a light on issues
people don't think about. Whether or not you still find his use of
"faggot" or some other words offensive comes down to each individual,
and I certainly wouldn't presume to tell anyone how to feel about such a
charged word. It still bothers me, but I don't see him stopping any time soon.
While Tyler still
uses the word on Cherry Bomb (albeit much less than in previous recordings)
and still has some maturing to do, he also shows himself capable of extreme
personal and sonic growth, and has made his answer to Odd Future-mate Frank
Ocean's channel orange – an
oftentimes beautiful expedition through one uniquely creative mind.
After listening
to the album several times, the thing that stands out most to me is how fucking
gorgeous it sounds. Tyler joins Kendrick Lamar in making another thoroughly
high-quality hip-hop album in 2015 that fully embraces the nebulousness and
experimentation of jazz. Lamar used the atonal and unstructured nature of free
jazz to explore some of the darker aspects of his world, but Tyler worked with
greats like Roy Ayers, Charlie Wilson and Alice Smith to add layers of shimmering
beauty to his.
For example,
check out "Find Your Wings," easily one of the best songs on Cherry Bomb, if not in Tyler's catalogue
as a whole. It starts out all sweet soul, with some deliciously funky bass and
Ayers' vibraphones leading the way through a summer evening – there aren't even
any vocals until nearly a minute-and-a-half in. When the vocals finally do kick
in, its Tyler singing along with Kali Uchis, instead of rapping, and it works
wonderfully. I would never have thought Tyler was capable of pulling something
like this off even a year ago, and it’s a testament to how much he's growing as
a musician.
Tyler has also
clearly listened closely to channel
orange, and picked up Ocean's interest in letting a song change as it goes
(another trait Lamar employees on his album). Most of the tracks here, like
standout "Buffalo," go through some pretty interesting modulations
(both lyrically and sonically) before they reach their end.
"Fucking
Young/Perfect" tells the story of a girl Tyler falls for that's way too
young from both perspectives, and gets to show off his storytelling skills
while letting the music morph along with the perspectives. Tyler notes "mentally
you're older than me and that shit doesn't help," but knows it's wrong and
can't bring himself to pursue anything until she is older. Again, Tyler is
taking the opportunity to show both is musical and lyrical growth from the
irresponsible teen he was when he first got into music.
That growth also
shows in his pull in the music industry, as seen by the fact that he has Kanye
West and Lil Wayne together on "Smuckers" with him. The track doesn't
do anything new, but it's a blast if for no other reason than hearing Yeezy and
Weezy relaxing and just shooting lyrical free throws with Tyler. Kanye sounds
like he's smiling the entire way through his verse, which sounds the more like The College Dropout than he has in ages,
and Wayne trades some introspective verses back and forth with Tyler. It's the
most laid back any of these guys have sounded in a while, and a delight to
hear.
Tyler can still
go in when he gets a hold of a beat, as he proves on "The Brown Stains of
Darkeese Latifah Part 6-12 (Remix)," a 90s-throw back that features
tinkling keys and 808s and partners Tyler with ScHoolboy Q to fantastic effect.
Q is easily the hardest member of Top Dawg, and his delivery is the perfect
companion to Tyler's dead-eyed lyrics. I'm officially starting a petition for a
mixtape with just these two.
Not all of his
experiments work, like "Keep Da O's," which takes his deep-seated
love of the astro-funk of N.E.R.D. and The Neptunes and puts his own dark spin
on it. Even here though, there's a beautiful soul breakdown that shows Tyler is
learning every chance he gets.
Cherry Bomb
is probably a little longer and more eclectic than it needs to be, and will no
doubt be an exhausting trek for people who aren't already fans of Tyler (or at
least find his music interesting). There's a lot to love about Cherry Bomb, and it ably shows Tyler is
not a talent people can easily write off, no matter how disagreeable they may
find parts of his personality. He's given us an electrifying document of the
beauty he can create, and I hope this is just the beginning.
Cherry Bomb is
out on Odd Future.
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