Tyler the Creator - Goblin

The internet has spawned several music success stories, but none as big as Tyler, The Creator. It seems as though he and the Odd Future gang crawled out from under a sewer somewhere in Los Angeles right onto the stage of Coachella. And while he has a steady group of haters, his movement has a cult- forget “cult like”- of followers waiting on every Twitter post and Youtube video Wolf Haley puts up. The appeal of Tyler was based upon the concept of the unexpected, but now, we as fans have some sort of an … ...Read the full album review

Fans can also check out Tyler, The Creator's previous albums: Tyler, The Creator - Wolf

The internet has spawned several music success stories, but none as big as Tyler, The Creator. It seems as though he and the Odd Future gang crawled out from under a sewer somewhere in Los Angeles right onto the stage of Coachella. And while he has a steady group of haters, his movement has a cult- forget “cult like”- of followers waiting on every Twitter post and Youtube video Wolf Haley puts up. The appeal of Tyler was based upon the concept of the unexpected, but now, we as fans have some sort of an idea of what to expect on the sophomore release, Goblin. So what do you do when the expectation is to do the expected and deliver the unexpected? It seems Tyler had to deal with this frustration as well.

The first signs of frustration appear on the intro, Goblin, when Tyler raps, “Pressure’s on me like this top-hat Bastard intro/ How the @*#$! I’m gonna top that?” It’s a valid worry, as the intro isn’t better than Bastard’s, and while only time will tell, the initial impact, or better yet shock value, of Goblin does not equal that of Bastard. But this is a different album, it’s more mature. Not mature enough to stop calling counselors “f**gots”, but developed enough to tell a cohesive story throughout the album that entices the listener into the mind of the Odd Future leader.

To quote Blu, “They say use it as inspiration, the best of them did…” and when Tyler does manifest this frenzy of thoughts in the right manner, he is one of the best. The albums hit single - and I mean hit in the most abrasive way possible- Yonkers is a masterful song filled with the brash non-sequitur lines all his fans fell in love with him for. Both Sandwiches and Tron Cat have razor sharp rhymes that are sure to impress just off the lyricism, with the first rapping, “Those privileged f**ks gotta learn we ain’t taking that s**t/ Like Ellen DeGeneres’ clitoris playing with dick” and the later with, “Brag about the actions and the rhyming pattern/ Matter, then proceed to sat her down/ When I go splatter in her chatter box”. If the first album didn’t convince you, Goblin reassures the notion that Tyler is one of the most dangerous lyricists around. If MF Doom and Eminem had a love child, Tyler would claim that the child bit his style. The best song on the album, Nightmare, combines all of Tyler’s strong points; ominous bass thumps with revealing lyrics with edge. With guest interjections and voice distortion, Ace lashes out at basically everything- which he does throughout the album, but never better than here. “Now you ni**as want to be nice/ Because the labels want to sign me/ But before the co-signing/ You @*#$! couldn’t find me.” Most of these quotes need multiple exclamation points after them.

However, the album contains questionable songs such as B**ch Suck Dick and Fish/ Boppin’ Bi**h that are simply ignorance with a megaphone. But with Odd Future, you know to expect this. The same way Tyler could care less about raping a chick in a song, he could care less about screaming “Getting’ money ni**a!” Truthfully, if he could have said this on his first album, when he was broke, he probably would have. Contrastingly, Transylvania is about Dracula smacking females, but is ignorance done right. The licking drums and eerie production complement the careless and catchy lyrics; something only Tyler could do. When he tries to crossover to a relationship subject-matter, the emcee is hit or miss. Her is an honest tale about teenage lust, but She just sounds awkward from the production to the hook sung by Frank Ocean. Unless you’re a die-hard, zombie Wolf Gang follower, the LP has a handful of tracks that will either repulse or confuse you. But I doubt Tyler, The Creator cares.

One of the best things about the album is its honesty; No he’s not Dracula, but the array of emotions displayed here are completely true. Tyler makes music that he believes in, which counts for something. Radicals isn’t the best mixture of sounds, but the progression of the song represents the process of Tyler’s, and thus a great number of youths, thoughts. Radical, and then reflective of what it’s done. To finish the quote by Blu, “See that’s them, see I can’t handle this pressure for shit”. On the album’s closer, Golden, Tyler metaphorically (well we think) snaps, screaming at his therapist that he “didn’t sign up for this shit”, that he misses his brother Earl, and that he hates the fame. Goblin showcases rap’s Sigmund Freud in a glass display for the world to see. At first listen, you’ll think this album is a disappointment and didn’t live up to the hype. And maybe it didn’t, but this isn’t Bastard- it’s an album with a much deeper theme and message, with just enough blood-thirsty lines and misogyny to hold the kids over.

Listen to More: Tyler, The Creator     Written by Jon Garcia