This month, with a week between the announcement and the release, we were gifted with a surprise new album from Odd Future front man Tyler the Creator, his third in four years. Unfortunately, I wish this gift had come with a receipt.
Left to his own devices, given the creative freedom to do whatever he wants and still sell records, Tyler's returns have been diminishing steadily. Now, Cherry Bomb, his most ambitious artistic effort yet, represents the absolute nadir of Tyler's short career. What has happened to the most promising rap artist of 2009?
The issues with Cherry Bomb have been mounting for years, so let's rewind the tape a bit. Tyler debuted his solo work with Bastard on December 25th, 2009. He's big into gifts, you see. Many were overjoyed by this Christmas miracle, a new, exciting young rapper expelling his angst over some of the most interesting beats the hip-hop world had seen in years.
The best part was that it was underground, self-produced, and exclusively released on the Internet. It was a story for the ages: a kid not even old enough to drink blowing up on the Internet with nothing but raw emotion and talent.
For fans of underdogs and the underground, Tyler was a hero. With his extensive knowledge of rap, his idolization of Pharrell and DOOM and Trash Talk, his melding of hardcore and hip-hop like nothing we had heard before, Tyler blew the fuck up.
When it came time for a major-label debut, Tyler even managed to exceed the expectations of many with the lengthy, artsy Goblin. Yes, it had your dumb rap bangers like "Bitch Suck Dick," his take on mainstream rap, but it also had deeply heartfelt and emotional hip-hop anthems like "She" and the massive single "Yonkers," which became a sensation.
"Yonkers" captured the imagination of the youth. Tyler was nothing more than the kid you hung out with in high school who came from a shitty home and listened to way too much music. The only difference was that he forged his talents and interests into a sound which took hold of the zeitgeist.
Then he made Wolf. Fully cemented in his place as one of the reigning kings of hip-hop, surrounded by yes-men in and out of his crew, Tyler went full on self-indulgence. Who wouldn't, given his position? Wolf was an ambitious record, but one marred by long, boring tracks, lazy rapping and subject matter, and all the marks left by being essentially a child star. Being a prodigy can only take you so far, as Wolf proved.
Story continues on the next page.
