Taken by Nathan Fertig, from Unsplash

An Introduction to Tyler:

Tyler Gregory Okonma, more famously known as “Tyler, the Creator”, is one of the most influential rappers of our generation. His label as a “Creator” isn’t limited to just Hip-Hop, he a has dipped his toes into acting in his Adult Swim series “Loiter Squad” and fashion design through his brands “GOLF WANG” and “GOLF Le FLEUR*”. He even founded an annual music festival “Camp Flog Gnaw”.

Though his other work is impressive, the most iconic is his music. Early in his career Tyler founded the rap collective named “Odd Future”, which had some other notable musicians, such as Frank Ocean and Earl Sweatshirt. Over ten years later Tyler, the Creator has six studio albums, two of which were awarded a Grammy for Hip-Hop album of the year… but how do his projects rank against one another?

Rankings:

Now that we’ve gotten through the Honourable Mentions, we can get into the rankings. Keep in mind that these rankings are my personal opinions, so feel free to leave your own opinions and rankings in the comments.

8. Bastard (2009)

Bastard is Tyler’s first “Album”, though he considers it to be a mixtape, Bastard is a back and forth between Tyler, who was called “Ace, the Creator” the time, and his therapist “Dr. TC”. The gritty and grungy songs go over some of Ace’s deepest and darkest thoughts and some extremely explicit topics. This was released at a time when a lot of Tyler’s popularity stemmed from the shock factor of his music, so if you want to listen to this album, be warned.

7. Goblin (2011)

Goblin, released May 10^th, 2011, is Tyler’s first official album. It sounds like a more refined version of Tyler’s Bastard mixtape, even being set as a second therapy session between Tyler and Dr. TC. Its use of synth in throughout the album creates eeriness in the songs and makes it an interesting and refreshing listen. This is especially true in songs like “She” and “Yonkers”. This album is still very explicit, being extremely uncomfortable to listen to at times. Despite this, the album still is an important steppingstone in Tyler, the Creator’s discography.

6. Music Inspired by Illumination & Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch (2018)

In 2018, Tyler was inspired by his work on Illumination’s 2018 movie “The Grinch”, as such he made this, mouthful titled ‘EP; Music Inspired by Illumination & Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch’ also known as “The Grinch EP”. This EP is short and sweet, featuring many elements of his albums Flower Boy and Cherry Bomb, his previous two albums. Regardless of if it’s Christmas or not, this EP is always a fun listen.

5. Wolf (2013)

Wolf, released April 2^nd, 2013, is a very mature and refined album, it ditches a lot of the shock factor elements from earlier work and feels much more like a typical Hip-Hop album. Wolf follows the story of a love triangle between three characters: Tyler’s two alter-egos, Wolf Haley, the main character of the album and representation of Tyler’s “good side”, and Samuel Patay Lavi III, or just “Sam” who is the main antagonist and representation of Tyler’s “bad side”. The third character is Salem, Sam’s love interest. This album is a part of the same world as his first two album’s story, being a sequel to Bastard and a prequal to Goblin, the last album released in the “Wolf Trilogy”. It follows this love story of betrayal while also mentioning Tyler’s emotions in a much more mature way compared to his other music, like his relationship with his father in the song “Answer” and his issue with overly obsessive fans in the song “Colossus”.

4. Flower Boy (2017)

Flower Boy, released July 21^st, 2017, is the album that cemented Tyler, the Creator’s popularity. This album is his most mature and introspective. It tackles some of Tyler’s biggest issues, being his bisexuality in tracks like “Garden Shed” and “Pothole” and the longing for love in songs like “911/Mr. Lonely” and “Boredom”. This album received a Grammy nomination in 2017, but didn’t end up winning, but that doesn’t detract from this album’s exquisite use of orchestration and piano. The song “See You Again” featuring Kali Uchis is Tyler’s most popular song, with over a billion listens of Spotify alone, and it’s no wonder why. This whole album is an incredibly fun listen and if you haven’t heard any of Tyler, the Creator’s music, I highly recommend this as the first thing you listen to.

3. Cherry Bomb (2015)

Cherry Bomb, released April 13^th, 2015, is widely regarded as one of one of Tyler, the Creator’s “worst” albums, but I don’t think that’s the case. This album was released in very much a transitional period for Tyler. It’s elements of Jazz, Rock, and R&B make the album a mixed bag. I find the variety of the album refreshing with songs like “2SEATER” and “SMUCKERS” being stand outs for me. Tyler talks about his struggles with fame in this album, with the motif of “finding your wings”, basically saying to follow your dreams. The biggest issue with this album is the mixing, a lot of the songs sound a bit choppy or loud, but regardless, this album still holds a special place in my heart.

2. IGOR (2019)

IGOR, released May 17^th, 2019, is no doubt one of Tyler, the Creator’s best albums. Its style and overall sound are almost unrecognisable when compared to any of Tyler’s other musical projects. It’s heavy use of synth and pitched-up vocals make this album unlike any other. The album follows Tyler’s alter-ego “Igor”, who’s in love with another man, but soon the boy he has fallen for begins dating someone else. Songs like “EARFQUAKE” and “I THINK” set the tone of the album, while more emotional songs like “NEW MAGIC WAND” and “PUPPET” shows the slow progression of Igor’s feelings from hatred towards his crush and their lover through to his eventual acceptance in the song “ARE WE STILL FRIENDS?”. This album is unlike any other, and it is obvious why it won Tyler a Grammy.

1. CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST / CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST: The Estate Sale (2021/2023)

‘CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST’, or “CMIYGL”, Released June 25^th, 2021, as well as the deluxe version of the album, ‘CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST: The Estate Sale’, released March 31^st, 2023, is Tyler’s most recent, and absolute best album. It received a Grammy for best Hip-Hop album of the year, and rightfully so. In this album Tyler dawns the alter-ego of “Tyler Baudelaire” and follows the motif of travel throughout. This album is very reminiscent of other Hip-Hop artist, such as De La Soul, being a whimsical and fun album. Its use of orchestral, wind elements and over the top Hip-Hop lyrics makes it a peculiar but amazing match up. Tracks like “HOT WIND BLOWS”, “MASSA” and “SAFARI” are easily some of the best, though the crown jewel is easily “WILSHIRE” an eight-minute ballad about how hard it can be to deny your feelings for someone else. After this album received a Grammy Tyler decided to release a deluxe version of the album, with eight extra songs that were cut from the album, as well as some other new and unreleased songs. This whole album is an amazing listen, I would highly recommend it t anyone who is at all interested in getting into Tyler’s stuff.

Conclusion:

Tyler’s entire discography is amazing, just because some were lower or higher than others does not mean they aren’t all great. Regardless of who you are or what type of music you like, there is most definitely a Tyler, the Creator song out there for you.