Album Study: IGOR by Tyler, The Creator (2019)
MEDIA: Music/Album
ARTIST: Tyler, the Creator
RATING: 9/10
FAVORITE SONG: GONE GONE/THANK YOU
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Tyler Gregory Okonma, also known as Tyler, the Creator, released IGOR on May 17th, 2019. This being Tyler's 5th studio album- the 12-track album follows the story of an individual going through the transitions of love. The viewer is given an up-close look at the character "Igor" finding the highs of wanting someone and the deep pit of heartbreak. Tyler posted a tweet before the release of the album which stated:
"Don’t go into this expecting a rap album. Don’t go into this expecting any album. Just go, jump into it. I believe the first listen works best all the way through, no skips. Front to back. No distractions either. No checking your phone, no watching TV, no holding convo; full attention towards the sounds where you can form your own opinions and feelings toward the album."
This is the best way to intake this album. This masterpiece which was produced solely by Tyler himself is an incredibly immersive and personal experience that deserve the amount of praise it gets and more
𐔌՞. .՞𐦯 Song Breakdown 𐔌՞. .՞𐦯
The album starts out with IGOR’S THEME, an intro to show listeners what specifically they’re getting into. It’s followed by EARFQUAKE which gives a first look into the person Igor is. Listeners hear about the lover that he needs. He admits he isn’t the best lover but is codependent on him. The third track is I THINK where Igor begins to question his own mentality and obsession with his partner. He questions his own vulnerability but by the end begins to believe in love. The next track EXACTLY WHAT YOU RUN FROM YOU END UP CHASING is a segway containing a vocal sample from Jerrod Carmichael stating the title and that “There’s always an obstacle.” Next, we hear RUNNING OUT OF TIME. Igor speaks about his failing relationship and he’s running out of time with his partner. Track six, titled NEW MAGIC WAND, we hear the extremes Igor is willing to do to keep his lover from a woman that he previously dated. We hear his shattering dependency on his lover as he states “Please don’t leave me now” over and over again. Next in A BOY IS A GUN*, he compares his lover to the dangers of having a gun. He notes how dangerous and violent his lover can be and how disgusted he is with it. This marks the beginning of his heartbreak, moving into the breakup stage of anger. This is followed by PUPPET, a perfectly titled track, that discusses the obsessive and controlling nature of love. The ninth track, WHAT’S GOOD? Is the only track that Tyler raps for its entirety. It uses heavy bass and synth to create a very aggressive atmosphere. GONE GONE/THANK YOU is the tenth track on IGOR and my personal favorite. It’s a two part song representing the healing stages of a breakup. GONE GONE feature Igor thinking about the love he has lost for his partner. THANK YOU is a much more emotional heavy track, using samples and melodies from “Fragile” by Tatsuro Yamashita. The main sample used perfectly describes its purpose stating “Thank you for the love. Thank you for the joy. But I don’t ever wanna fall in love again.” Track 11 is titled I DON’T LOVE YOU ANYMORE, which presents itself as Igor seemingly over his lover when in reality it’s just him pretending and lying to himself to avoid feeling pain. The last track of the album is titled ARE WE STILL FRIENDS?. This is the perfect ending track to IGOR. In the track, listeners hear Igor battle with the idea of staying in contact with his now ex-lover. He knows it will only cause pain but doesn’t “want the season to end on a bad episode.” and wants him in his life somehow. The track ends with a bass drone that causes the album to perfectly loop, representing the continuous cycle of Igor’s love life.
°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･Final Thoughts°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･
The IGOR album is one of Tyler's more personal albums. In each track, you see more and more of Tyler's own character shine through his character Igor. The album cover uses an edited black and gray image of tyler himself with certain features heavily edited. This is done to make him more closely resemble the character Igor from Frankenstein. There is no direct explanation as to why Tyler chose this character specifically to embody his album, but I have my own interpertation. I believe Tyler chose Igor because he sees himself as Igor in these kinds of relationships. Igor is a hunchbacked henchman. He is used over and over as a tool more than as a person. I believe in romantic situations, Tyler or his character Igor, is used as a stepping stone to his lover. The perfect loop of the album implies that this is a continuous cycle of getting together, being toxic in some way, breaking up but keeping contact, and repeat. He feels used by his lover and wants out but has the idea that he’s undesirable in some way, like how the character Igor is often viewed in stories. He feels like if he leaves he’ll never have a connection like that again and would rather be used and have purpose than be cast aside as a lonely unwanted being. Everyone that listens to the album has their own interpretation of its meanings and choices but that’s exactly what Tyler wanted to create. He made this album to have a main theme, a failing love story, but still allow listeners to interpret and internalize it in their own ways. He wanted it to be as personal to a viewer as it is to him. When I first listened to IGOR, I cried. I cried as I felt and relieved experiences similar to the song. Because of this, I think Tyler succeeded in his purpose for the album.
During the first week of its release, IGOR debuted at number one on US Billboard Hot 100. In 2019, it was nominated for Album of the Year at the BET Hip Hop awards but lost to Invasion of Privacy by Cardi B. It won Best Rap Album at the 2020 Grammys, even though Tyler stated that he felt it should be considered more Pop. Tyler also believes it should live in its own category. It combines so many styles of music and artists, which makes it almost a Frankenstein of artful emotions. Even today in 2023, IGOR still manages to make an impact on the industry and reaches virality through social media and is possibly one of Tyler the Creator’s most impactful and immortal albums to date.