The Evolution of Tyler the Creator & Rating of Flower Boy By Justin Mandel
Panorama Music Festival
New York
Rating of album: 4.5/5
Dear viewer,
My name is Justin Mandel and I am a 17 year old musician from Los Angeles, California. I identify most with alternative/ indie but truly enjoy all genres. I met Aryana in a practice room at NYU, where we filled the room to capacity each night and had a jam along. I have absolutely no experience with blogging, so I hope you enjoy.
Tyler the Creator is known for being a very strange person and with that, he was able to construct a brand that is currently thriving. He began his journey in 2007, seeking excellence within the rap community and ultimately creating an image for himself. Over time, he gained a following not only in the rap industry but also in the fashion industry, creating strangely patterned clothing to appeal to the masses and to construct his overall image as an artist. For an artist, I believe it is necessary to carry a brand and Tyler does so from the beginning of his career until the present day by simply being himself. His character truly plays a role within this album as well as how he presents himself.
The unofficial title given to this album is ‘Scum F**k Flower Boy,’ creating two personas for Tyler; the first half, ‘Scum F**k,’ being his old past, and the new title ‘Flower Boy’ being his new present. Personally, I believe this is an album that must be listened to as a whole without interruption rather than playing one song in specific because of the correlation amongst each song, tying the one masterpiece together. The idea behind it is to return things to the way they used to be by listening to records as entire albums. It truly is a masterpiece and is similar to but different than his other album Cherry Bomb. I did not enjoy Cherry Bomb as much as Flower boy simply because Flower Boy offers more of Tyler. What I mean by that is that in Cherry Bomb, Tyler the creator has many featured artists, leaving him with one song that he did all by himself. Not to say that collaborations are bad but that album didn't give me an idea of who Tyler is but in contrast, Flower Boy takes you on a journey of the evolution of Tyler the Creator. The first song of Flower Boy is ‘Foreword (feat. Rex Orange County),’ which starts off with a hip-hop vibe but evolves into an alternative/indie vibe through the fantastic vocals of Rex Orange County, thus allowing a smooth transition for the next song ‘Where This Flower Blooms (feat. Frank Ocean).’ In ‘Where This Flower Blooms (feat. Frank Ocean),’ rap is very prevalent but Frank Ocean truly adds his own spin on it and again gives an alternative vibe which I enjoy; being that alternative, indie, and rap are my favorite genres I am able to enjoy this lovely fusion and look at him as a role model within the alternative rap community. Following this song is an interlude better known as ‘Sometimes…;’ This 36 second song puts us, as listeners, into a new dimension, thus transforming our location into somewhere such as a car, being that it sounds like a radio broadcast. This peaceful interlude serves as a smooth transition used to make the next song even more prevalent. ‘See you Again (feat. Kali Uchis)’, possibly my favorite song on this album, begins with rap but then transitions to a synth driven indie song that makes you want to sing and dance. My favorite thing about this song is that the lyrics and they roll off the tongue; before this album, I never truly heard Kali Uchis, but after listening to this song, I will continue to listen to her because her voice is beautiful! Something about the lyrics in this song just hit me every time, especially when Kali comes in saying “can I get a kiss? And can you make it last forever? I said I’m ‘bout to go to war and I don't know if I can see you again.” These lyrics are very simple yet profound and add more texture to the song, as this technique is used multiple times within the album. In contrast, ‘ Who Dat Boy (feat. A$Ap Rocky)’ is very aggressive and exudes anger, and it is completely different from the rest of the album; when seeing him in concert, I found that song to be the most hype and it truly got the crowd energized! Following this is another hip-hop track, ‘Pothole (feat. Jaden Smith),’ that, towards the last minute, dilutes to a jazz influenced track of excellence; this is an excellent transition because ‘Garden Shed (feat. Estelle) is a true medley of instrumentation, mostly guitar and synths, with a snippet of rap in the last minute of the track; however this song is a new version of Estelle and truly gives her a new image that we as listeners haven’t heard before. If I recall correctly, her most famous track is ‘American boy (feat. Kanye West)’ and I find it interesting that Tyler decided to use Estelle, someone who had a one hit wonder and has been in the shadows ever since; because it ends on a jazz vibe, I believe that this is perfect transition for the following song, ‘Boredom (feat. Rex Orange County),’ which gives the listener a completely new atmosphere and allows us to be transported into a southern california beach environment. Boredom is my second favorite song on this album and is similar to the vibe of see you again but instead uses the voice of Rex Orange County to produce profound vocals in a beautiful alternative-esque tone. There are many songs within this album that I did not discuss simply because I would be writing a novel if I did.
Overall, the transitions on this album are absolutely breathtaking and the difference among the tracks in this album are thought provoking. This album is overlooked by many, but in truth, it should receive more recognition as it attempts to reach multiple audiences. Also, Tyler the Creator has reached new heights in his fashion line, collaborating with Converse and selling out in seconds. Previously signed with vans, Tyler decided to make a change and, as a result, was beyond successful. The Converse One Star was released in 4 colors on August 3rd. On top of this, he had many different strategies to release the shoes as well as shirts, jackets and more. When posted on his website, he sold out instantly, thus making the resell value sky-rocket, as his merch is in his demand currently. Although he appeals to skater community, his clothing can be worn by anyone!
As an artist, Tyler has created an outstanding brand that has a long lifespan. Not only can he continue to generate revenue through excellence in music, but also within his clothing line, Golf Wang. On top of this, he has his own music festival, Camp Flog Gnaw, which is Golf Wang spelled backwards. He is also known for being a director with an amazing eye; most people don’t know that he directed the music video for the song ‘Glowing.’ Either way, he is an artist who will always remain true to himself and for that I respect him. If you haven’t heard his new album, Flower Boy, go check it out. It is truly a work of art.
You can listen to the album on Spotify and Apple Music.
Rock On,
Justin Mandel
Follow me on Instagram! @ babymandel
Picture: Mass Appeal
