Masuk Free Press

Tyler, The Creator has been an influential figure in music for a while. From his first Grammy nomination for his work on Frank Ocean’s project Channel Orange to his first win for the album Igor in 2019, he has shocked the industry with his iconic sound and versatility. From Goblin’s harsh lyrics to Flower Boy’s melodies, his impact cannot be understated. With his eighth record, Chromakopia, being released to widespread praise, one can’t help but wonder what his best album really is. 

“I think Tyler really blew the world away going from Goblin to this album. It tells a little fun story where you delve into musical adventures in every song,” said Masuk sophomore Aiden Cronk, who chose Wolf as his favorite album. “It’s one of Tyler’s most iconic albums, behind Igor of course.” 

Specifically, the album Wolf follows one of Tyler’s various personas, Wolf Haley, as he is sent to a camp for troubled kids called Camp Flog Gnaw. Another persona, Sam, tells Wolf to stay away from everybody else at Camp Flog Gnaw and becomes overly protective of his girlfriend Salem. It’s common practice for Tyler’s works to have these personas since usually the main character acts as a stand-in for Tyler, The Creator’s real experiences and feelings. Wolf also demonstrated a significant change in Tyler’s sound. Gone were the days of Goblin’s overly dark lyrics and harsh sound, and in came a slightly more lighthearted LP, although scars of Goblin’s influence remained. 

Most students agree with Wolf’s dominance as Tyler’s best project. 

“It’s Wolf, because it has the [deepest lyrics], and it’s the end to the trilogy of Bastard, Goblin and Wolf. It also has some fire songs like 48, Rusty, and Treehome. It blesses my ears,” said Josh Diaz, another sophomore. “[Wolf] tells a very unique story.” 

Judging from these two opinions, it’s clear that a main part of Wolf’s favoritism is the rich story. However, there is also a distinct record with a beautiful story that students seem to enjoy.

Masuk sophomore Reilly Lippert chose Igor as his favorite work. He explained, “[Igor] combines the pop genre and the rap genre in ways that I really enjoyed. It’s really well produced, and I like his use of lighter sounds.” 

Igor follows Tyler in the shoes of Igor, a man stuck in an awkward love triangle with a man whom he is in love with and a woman that his crush is attracted to. This album was widely praised by critics and is widely regarded as one of his best works ever, while Tyler had questioned his sexuality in previous works such as Flower Boy, this was a landmark for the artist and LGBTQ+ music as a whole. 

“It has to be Igor. It has the perfect amount of songs, all of them have beat switches, and [Tyler] uses so many different voices. It can’t be topped,” said Alex Wullinsky, a sophomore. “It has Gone, Gone / Thank You, and many other good tracks.” 

And as for my own opinion, it would have to be Igor. Igor is an example of years of hard work, trials and tribulations embodied into one record. Its sound is rich, switching genres from hip-hop to psychedelic rock, and dealing with heart-wrenching themes such as falling in love, heartbreak and moving on. The features on the album are well used, too; Playboi Carti on “Earfquake,” Kanye West on “Puppet,” and Lil Uzi Vert on “Igor’s Theme.” Each of these star-studded additions stack onto the project like layers on a cake and along with that, their influences on the actual production itself, which is phenomenal, are felt throughout the entire 12-track adventure. Each song is rightfully memorable, and it simply stands out amongst Tyler’s various other records.

But in summary, the good thing about Tyler, The Creator’s music is that there is no right answer to the question of his best work. Each album has something to remember about it that you never forget, even if the lyrics are overly obscene at best on some. His work will forever be remembered as some of the best the rap game has seen, and we are yet to see what else The Creator will put out.