In this blog post, we mention some of the best hip hop rap songs by Tyler, the Creator. There are few artists who represent the devil-may-care and do-it-yourself attitude better than Tyler, the Creator.
Bio: Who is Tyler, the Creator?
Prior to hitting it big, Tyler, The Creator was just Tyler Okonma (born March 6, 1991). He was a regular teenage kid from Ladera Heights, California – whose rap aspirations were fueled by jobs like a brief stint working at FedEx in addition to a two-year stay at Starbucks as a barista.
Tyler Okonma is a lot of things — rapper, singer, songwriter, producer, fashion designer, video director, and cartoon creator. He has evolved into a dynamic, adventurous, and occasionally experimental artist. In truth, there’s even a case to be made that the Grammy-winning rapper has undergone one of hip-hop’s most notable musical transformations.
Tyler, the Creator, first emerged on the music scene in 2007 with his Odd Future collective. With Tyler at the helm, OF dropped their debut project, The Odd Future Tape, in November 2008 and continued cranking out content at an unprecedented rate. Though they have since disbanded, the staying power of Odd Future is evident in the survival and success of their members and trendy clothing brand.
His breakout solo studio album “Goblin” set the tone for his outspoken style, once again proving that he was unafraid to push the envelope further than his Odd Future counterparts.
With Earl Sweatshirt and Frank Ocean finding their own success and the group facing internal tensions, Odd Future broke apart around 2015, although no formal announcement ever came from the Tyler or other members.
It was around this time that Tyler dropped Cherry Bomb, which was his first foray into the Neo-Soul and R&B styles of his current musical phase. He still brought some hardcore hip-hop bars, but his newfound freedom served him well overall. The 2017 release of Flower Boy was another level of success for Tyler, and he finally got the recognition he deserved with a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album.
Later on, IGOR his fifth studio album won the Grammy for Best Rap Album. He also won his second Grammy award as his album Call Me If You Get Lost edged out projects from Nas (King’s Disease II), Kanye West (Donda), and J. Cole (The Off-Season) to win the Best Rap Album category at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards.
Tyler still remains true to his clever, chaotic nature while introducing new sounds and themes that both display his maturation and setting the stage for succeeding eras to come.
Best Hip Hop Rap Songs by Tyler, the Creator
1. Yonkers
“Yonkers” was the first single from rapper Tyler, The Creator and his debut album “Goblin”, which was released in 2011. It served as his coming out party to the world. Dark, twisted, offensive to some, and packaged like a bomber’s manifesto with a baritone delivery, with its eerie video conjuring a refreshing dose of horrorcore vibes.
Stream “Yonkers”
2. EARFQUAKE
“EARFQUAKE” from his album Igor features vocals from Charlie Wilson and ad-libs from Playboi Carti, has become quite the fan favourite, with Tyler’s blonde wig and blue suit combination, as displayed in the song’s video, also proving to be iconic amongst fans.
Stream “EARFQUAKE”
3. Who Dat Boy
Tyler, The Creator dropped “Who Dat Boy” and he recruited A$AP Rocky for it too. It sees Tyler and Rocky exhibiting their new-found creative chemistry as they trade frightening bars with one another, with Tyler at one point declaring It was his first drop since 2015’s Cherry Bomb. The song comes with a next level video that has Rocky stitching a white face to Tyler before they have a boogie in the backyard.
Get Song Lyrics: “Who Dat Boy”
Stream “Who Dat Boy”
4. SEE YOU AGAIN ft. Kali Uchis
“SEE YOU AGAIN” is part of the rapper’s fourth album Flower Boy and features Kali Uchis. Directed by Tyler (under his long-running Wolf Haley alias), the clip begins with Tyler and ASAP Rocky aboard a large ship. Kali Uchis is also at sea on a nearby boat. Toward the end, the visual shifts to Tyler rapping while wearing a ghost costume.
Get Song Lyrics: “SEE YOU AGAIN”
Stream “SEE YOU AGAIN”
5. She ft. Frank Ocean
“She” is one of the many tracks by rappers Tyler, The Creator and Frank Ocean. The track appears on Tyler’s debut studio album “Goblin”, which was released in 2011 through Odd Future and XL Records. The music video shows Ocean play as a lover, a father and a lead policeman for a young woman in the video. Tyler plays a crazed stalker, who breaks into the lover’s house to start at her in a goblin mask and black contacts.
Stream “She”
6. IFHY
Tyler, The Creator unveiled “IFHY” off his album Wolf. In the cartoon-y video, directed by Tyler himself (under his Wolf Haley alias) we see the rapper in some sort of eerie toy house with a female doll. Tyler, wearing an Elephant Man-looking makeup job that makes him look like an evil Frankenstein-doll version of himself, harasses a fellow living doll in a gigantic dollhouse. Pharrell, who sings on the track, does not appear in the video, but at the end, the song turns into a brief mini-video for the Hodgy Beats collab “Jamba,” and Hodgy does show up.
Stream “IFHY”
7. Tamale
On “Tamale,” Tyler shows off his most insane and wacky bars, with references to the eighth song from Wolf “48,” his controversial major label debut, and tons of celebrity references. In the video, an orange background focuses attention on three disembodied Tyler heads as the rapper spits out rapid-fire verses before the scene shifts to him riding a cat (as you do), leading a marching band and hanging out with Pharrell.
Stream “Tamale”
8. 911/ Mr. Lonely
Technically a two-parter, “911/Mr. Lonely” looks at the overarching theme of loneliness, on two contrasting, but equally intriguing beats. On his collaboration, “911/Mr.Lonely,” with Frank Ocean, Tyler opens up about his empty days with just fancy cars to keep him company. “911” also features Steve Lacy and Anna of the North, and you can hear some words from ScHoolboy Q on Mr. Lonely.
Get Song Lyrics: “911/ Mr. Lonely”
Stream “911/ Mr. Lonely”
9. OKRA
Tyler, the Creator unveiled an eye-popping video for his surprise new song, “Okra”. The track marks the rapper’s second new song since the release of his 2017 album, Flower Boy. As well as the Chalamet shout-out, “Okra” also sees Tyler reflect on the uncertain future of Odd Future.
Stream “OKRA”
10. POTATO SALAD
Tyler, the Creator and ASAP Rocky have shared a new song called “Potato Salad.” They rap over Monica’s 2003 song “Knock Knock,” which was co-produced by Missy Elliott and Kanye. The collaboration was released as part of A$AP Rocky’s creative collective AWGE’s latest long-form video AWGE DVD Vol. 3.
Get Song Lyrics: “POTATO SALAD”
Stream “POTATO SALAD”
11. PERFECT ft. Kali Uchis & Austin Feinstein
Tyler, the Creator’s Cherry Bomb track “Perfect” features Kali Uchis adding supporting vocals, before Austin Feinstein joins the duo with some licks from the guitar (and some vocals of his own). . Directed by Wolf Haley (aka Tyler, the Creator), it features Kali Uchis, Austin Feinstein (of Slow Hollows), and a bunch of butterflies crawling all over Tyler’s body.
Stream “PERFECT”
12. BEST INTEREST
“Best Interest” finds Tyler jumping between a pitch-shifted croon and raspy bars over a soulful groove whose sweet chimes, strings and horns are tinged with the occasional surreal synth flourish. The “BEST INTEREST” video features Tyler paddling through an unnamed swamp.
Get Song Lyrics: “BEST INTEREST”
Stream “BEST INTEREST”
Honorable Mentions
- ASAP Rocky & Tyler the Creator – POTATO SALAD
- Kali Uchis – After The Storm ft. Tyler, The Creator, Bootsy Collins
- Hodgy, Domo Genesis And Tyler, The Creator- Rella
- Odd Future – Oldie
- Pusha T – Trouble On My Mind feat. Tyler, The Creator
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