I have conflicting feelings about Tyler the Creator.
On one end I really admire and respect his growth as a black man in society. His openness about himself and vulnerability have without question inspired young men everywhere to be their true selves no matter where they fall on the sexuality spectrum. I think his sneakers are dope and his social media is hilarious.
On the other end, I‘m not crazy about his music.
I’ve always wanted to love Tyler’s music. But every time I listen, I find one song that I like a lot and then I get bored with everything else. I enjoy Tyler’s music the same way I buy LaCroix, I’m excited at all the possibilities but after I experience a little bit I’m good for a few months.
I keep waiting for that one album to change my mind, I thought it was gonna be Flower Boybut I found myself more entertained by Tyler talking about the album than the album itself. So now that IGOR’s out, I’ll give it another shot.
First things first, I think it’s really funny that Tyler started out as such an over the top toxic masculine dude and now he’s this shy gay. I understand that in discovering yourself there are moments of extreme vulnerability because its hard to have confidence in an identity that you’re still building BUT there were mad times on this album I was screaming “Tyler, just kiss the nigga”. If you close your eyes listening to this you can see two gay boys in high water jeans and creased up Air Forces awkwardly stand close to each other on the train.
Igor sounds like a dude who’s overthinking everything cuz he really likes someone and its making him question himself in ways he usually doesn’t. So instead of dealing with the issue, he’d rather just try to think his way to a solution. This album feels like a long cryptic AIM away message. If you need an album to listen to while you wait for someone to text you while you pretend you aren’t waiting for that text, listen to this shit. This is “yea I got 100 likes on that IG pic but ____ didn’t like it so whats the point” music.
I like this album a lot, admittedly I don’t think I’m the exact target audience for it, but I wear flowery shirts and dangly earrings so I’m target adjacent. May is a very transitional month, people are graduating from school, the seasons are changing and Six Flags is finally open. It’s hard to be confident when everything is shifting. This album is about transition, discomfort and growth. I feel a bit of anxiety when I listen to it but it’s outweighed by optimism.
Overall IGOR is a good album, I had a good time listening to it. I do miss rapping Tyler but I know that he’s in the same place as bloated Gucci Mane; hopefully they’re having a cypher. I give Igor 4.5 fake nose rings out of 6.