Igor is Perfect

Tyler, The Creator might be one of hip-hop’s, maybe even one of music’s most interesting contributors. From his early works with Odd Future all the way to his most recent studio album, Call Me If You Get Lost, there have been many different “eras” of Tyler. Starting out with a raunchy, humor driven style used to deliver some more nuanced messages, Tyler set himself apart as one of the key figures of rap in the early 2010’s. Bastard, Goblin, and Wolf were albums* that found tons of commercial success, propelling Tyler into rap stardom. Tracks such as Yonkers and Tron Cat really pushed against the limits of what society deemed acceptable, but nonetheless built Tyler and audience. The overall sound from these albums can be summed up as edgy and in some cases outright distasteful. That would stick with Tyler throughout the release of Cherry Bomb, his 3rd studio album. A cult classic beloved by most of his core fanbase, the album stood alone outside of the complex story woven between his other productions. While the actual quality of the sound was maybe not mixed properly, the album still received praise from fans. Songs like SMUCKERS ft. Lil Wayne and Kanye West still receive love to this day. However, a major shift would occur following a fan interaction that changed the course of his career.

*Bastard was a mixtape

“I like your music, your songs are funny.” – some fan back in the day. Tyler realized how people viewed him and his music. He realized that his music, his art, wasn’t taken seriously. Tyler was well known for his comedic value, having multiple viral videos with him just being a funny guy. He wanted to stray away from this, however, and have his art be taken serious. So, he wrote See You Again featuring Kali Uchis. This wildly successful song headlined his album Flower Boy, which struck a much different tone than before. More singing, more instrumental beats, all while still feeling like a Tyler album. Familiar faces such as Frank Ocean and Lil Wayne had features, but the inclusion of artists like Rex Orange County, Estelle, and Steve Lacy allowed for more melodic, vocal parts to happen. This album showed a level of maturity, both as a person and artist, that Tyler hadn’t shown before.

With Flower Boy finding great success in 2017, Tyler released what many consider to be his magnum opus in 2019. Let me tell you, the Grammy winning Igor is nothing short of a masterpiece. From the very first note, it is apparent that this is another new version of Tyler. The album’s sound is far more experimental than his other works, still being fully produced and written by Tyler. The narrative and story telling was on a level of refinement and vulnerability that Tyler had never shown before (and that’s saying a lot). Singing had been introduced as a useful tool during parts of Flower Boy, but it became a core feature in Igor. Tyler let his creativity run wild and told a compelling, heart wrenching story in a way that can only be described as masterful. The somber tone through the album flows seamlessly from track to track. With a host of great features and attention to all the little details, Igor is a classic that can be described in only one word: Perfect.

Igor is a listening experience that all fans of music should enjoy. I wish not to spoil the story of this wonderful album because I do firmly believe everyone should listen to it on their own, but I will list my top 5 favorite parts about it below right here. So, if you haven’t listened, fix that and then come back here. Now, in no particular order:

1. I lied because GONE, GONE/THANK YOU is very easily my favorite song from this album. It’s a beautiful song that has lead to a lot of growth inspiring self reflection. I’ll sometimes listen to it when I need to cry.
2. I lied again because SPOILER ALERT The metaphor of the album being a cycle like the cycle Tyler is stuck in with his unnamed man-crush is really cool. The opening and closing cord are the same, creating that loop. btw LOVE that this album confirmed Tyler is a bicon. Big win for us.
3. “Sometimes you gotta close a door to open a window” is the intro line to NEW MAGIC WAND and inspired my first ever tattoo!
4. Short story time. I’m in marching band (clarinet). During lunch before a game, I was singing the Playboi Carti part in EARFQUAKE quietly to myself and a random saxophone player that I’ve never spoken to started singing with me. We got louder at the chorus. It was really fun.
5. The symbolism in the EARFQUAKE music video is top notch. In the context of the album, it fits perfectly.