Tyler, the Creator - IGOR
Written by Nathan Evans
Additional Editing by Anouska Liat
Pharrell was a game changer for hip-hop. Even first starting out, his commitment to self-identity made many far-reaching waves and connections of influence at a time when mainstream rappers and hip-hop personalities were homogenised under the same culture. Everyone was neatly fit under one of the few rapper archetypes: hard gangster rapper, slick drug rapper or aspirational ladies man, sometimes all three at once. Then along came Skateboard P, with his ghetto rock band and love of skate culture, and changed the perception of rappers to something that could be far more versatile. Suddenly, Eminem was drawing from rock music to grace his bars and Lil Wayne had a Baker Skateboards tattoo. It inspired a generation of kids to not be afraid of their love for alternative culture and hip-hop culture; they should be embraced together, which is exactly what alt-rap collective Odd Future did in the early 10s.
Blowing up like few other artists have before, or since, the Wolf Gang caught attention from both the hip-hop scene and the indie scene, as well as a mountain of blogs neverendingly talking about their sewage-grade lyrics and punk rock-esque live shows. It was all spearheaded by four figures: Left Brain, Hodgy Beats, Jasper Dolphin and Tyler, the Creator. That last name is now one of the biggest in hip-hop today, and one that has undergone a complete transformation from his horrorcore days.
Upon the release of ‘Flower Boy’ in 2017, it was evident that Tyler finally had become the artist that was bubbling inside him, delivering a lavish haze of jazz rap, bedroom pop and neo-soul, pollinated by confessional themes and lyrics that were a refreshing show of maturity from an artist best known for his lack thereof. Dense on all fronts and as colourful as a multi-pack of Skittles, ‘Flower Boy’ would be a tough album to follow. Ty has been gearing up to do so since announcing ‘IGOR’ a month before release.
At just 40 minutes it’s his shortest project yet, far removed from the 70+ minute records he was releasing at the inception of his major record deal. Favouring concision over elongation and with no lead-up single or visuals, the whole release build-up has such a bewitching sense of mystery and alternative-dimensionality to it all. This alluring nature, thankfully, translates into the music itself.
As Tyler said himself in an instruction tweet just before the record’s release, ‘IGOR’ should not be treated as a rap album. This sentiment was bolstered by how comparatively little rapping happens compared to previous efforts, instead choosing to sing or let the instrumental take centre stage; he has gotten so much quieter since the days of stabbing Bruno Mars in the throat. It’s initially jarring that Ty doesn’t rap a lyric until the third track but, then again, he has never been one to box himself in. After all, he’s not a rapper - he’s a creator.
Stemming from ‘Flower Boy’, ‘IGOR’ feels like an organic yet audacious progression, a major advancement in the complexity and density of its ideas, however one can still pick seeds from the last LP. Take the epic opener “IGOR’S THEME”, which has Lil Uzi Vert singing on wax and features such as the contorting synth and arcade-like electronics fluttering at the back end of the song, springing ‘Flower Boy’ into mind. Sonically it’s just as cohesive, using instrumentation and sounds that are so close to each other, yet every track manages to feel so individual. As Tyler rubs his hands together with glee on the introductory track, the abrasive synth that pulses the album into life makes many appearances in different forms across the 12 tracks, as does Tyler’s boyish vocals, which could be a turn-off for those who aren’t used to its… amateurish qualities. All these elements sum up to a record that matches the unabashed aggression of his early material with the newfound soul of newer releases. Though his last record was thought to be the last of the vestiges of his undomesticated youth, Tyler sees fit to bring it all back.
Choosing to title this project ‘IGOR’ also marks a subtle return to his former self, relating back to the ghoulish ‘Bastard’ and ‘Goblin’. It is no less apt however because like the bedlamite seen in Young Frankenstein, Tyler has created something that is para-human; an alienating experience designed to unsettle with an army of voices. The way in which the many feature guests are presented is in such a way that they could all pass the listener by if they weren’t paying stringent attention. Everyone has some effect or distortion placed over them to convincingly incorporate them into the world of the album, as evidenced by the track “EARFQUAKE”. Peppy synths and a gliding piano sets the song in motion, transforming into a G-funk-flavoured breakdown with hits of resonant bass and heavily-arpeggiated electrodes. Playboi Carti comes through with his minimal, baby-voiced rapping for the second time this year on such an artful album - after Solange’s magnificently puzzling LP, ‘When I Get Home’ - further adding to his dexterity as an artist with a Woah Vicky reference to boot. He wonderfully caps off a pleading love song set to the tune of today’s hip-hop music that, in turn, pairs Tyler with the Igor character even more, since it seems that after beginning his career as far away from the topic as is conceivable, he has found love.
‘IGOR’ is a break-up album, with each song being a different stage in the falling-apart of a relationship. As the arc of unrequited love fires the torch that guides the record along, it is a fascinating, almost scientific insight into Tyler’s reaction to this newfound situation. Singing is his way of communicating with love, as seen on tracks like “See You Again” and “FUCKING YOUNG / PERFECT” from his catalogue, thus, on his most lovelorn album to date it makes stylistic sense for him to turn focus towards this way of expression. “RUNNING OUT OF TIME” is the point at which Tyler is drowning in his love for his interest, punctuated by the watery chromatic chords and claustrophobic buzzsaw bass. A flurry of vocal alterations join him in betwixt the percussion-heavy drums, with high pitching that makes his voice seem so small as Tyler sings about the desperation he feels. All soundtracked with a parallel musical backing, a running theme through the LP.
The fragmentation of his love is painted with rapid changes and unexpected shifts, similar to Solange’s aforementioned new record. She features as backing vocals on three tracks here (“I THINK”, “A BOY IS A GUN” and “I DON’T LOVE YOU ANYMORE”), but her influence on the project goes far beyond. The snaking flow seen on ‘When I Get Home’ are also present on ‘IGOR’, as Tyler darts and turns to keep the listener alienated and in a state of reaction rather than prediction. Songs on here don’t end so much as they are interrupted by the next and many tracks feature instrumental switch-ups within them, such as the ego-driven rampage of “WHAT’S GOOD”. The vocals and bass that headline the first suite are tuned like King Crimson’s “21st Century Schizoid Man” and the composition itself is equally schizophrenic, bonding tense bell tones, saccharine synth flutters and a growling bass that gets to its most violent apex when the second suite comes in.
Sprawling maximalism fuels every facet of the album, every gap is filled with little ad libs or sonic details. This busyness results in multiple moments that simply stun, and is comparable to what went wrong with his widely-criticised album ‘Cherry Bomb’. Tyler still proudly stands by the album, but the release of ‘IGOR’ now shows what it could have been if enough attention was paid to the balance between experimentalism and accessibility. In this second swing of the bat he undoubtedly succeeds, producing near infallible moments like “NEW MAGIC WAND”. A maniacal laugh spells the track’s fate in the beginning surrounded by grimey bass, clanging bottles of percussion, and grainy drums that all exemplify the monstrous history behind the Igor character. As effectively chilling as the Jaws theme was in the mid-70s, Tyler’s shrill voice and accompanying keyboard can just about be heard over the tsunami of sound, calling into the ether about his jealousy over his love interest doing so well, subsequently transforming his intentions to murder. The last verse in particular is a true snap-back to the excessively violent thoughts of old-school Odd Future, delivering an album highlight through face-melting hardcore hip-hop that ends as tensely as it begins, with strained strings fading out and being cut off before being able to completely dissipate. Perhaps Tyler’s vicious side will never fade away.
The next edition of Tyler’s usual double-billed tenth track “GONE GONE / THANK YOU”, is a candy-flossed cool-down track that refresh the palate after the previous onslaught of meaty distortion that is “WHAT’S GOOD”. Decorated with gospel chorus vocals and proggy sound effects, Tyler reminisces on what love used to be, but now that it’s gone he is grateful for the experience that will stay with him. It allows him to calm down and let go, shown musically through the minor key change that feels like falling back down to Earth with descending vocal harmonies, all the while Tyler pens a machiavellian verse with great weather-based/real estate-based wordplay. Transitioning into the second act with intergalactic synth arpeggios (a la Daft Punk’s “Superheroes”), muddy jackhammer drums cut straight through the mix, while a prepubescent voice hangs in the back sings “thank you for the love / but I will never want to fall in love again”.
Though initially ‘IGOR’ is a perplexing and impenetrable listen, its influences can be slowly picked out. Kanye West plays an integral roles in a handful of tracks, such as the whirlwind of recycled sounds that makes up “A BOY IS A GUN”. Sampling the same Ponderosa Twins Plus One song as Mr. West did on ‘Bound 2’, Tyler pleads for anything but rejection. He wishes not to be shot down by this boy, resulting in one of the best pieces of wordplay on the record; “'Cause this parka is Comme, you're my favorite garçon”. Ultimately, in a twist ending, Tyler is the one who shoots him down, ending in a breakdown that fuses intricate jazz piano with a fuzzed guitar line, seemingly in tribute to Ye.
Other moments have the ‘Kanye touch’ to them, such as the smothered electric guitar solo on “I DON’T LOVE YOU ANYMORE”, highly reminiscent of the ‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’ era, or “I THINK”, which interpolates the flow from one of his greatest hits, “Stronger”. His most direct contribution, however, comes in the form of a vocal feature on “PUPPET”, a song indebted to the rock music of the 60s and 70s that concerns the positive and negative feelings on the obsessive, controlling nature of being in love. The music that scores this has the same mode of duality, springing into life with dreamy keys that references the druggy rock organ of the Beatles’ “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”, all before adding a thick bass to propel the song into its moment of realisation, Tyler is being puppeted.
But the man who has the most overlooking presence on ‘IGOR’ is Pharrell. The osmosis of music appears everywhere; it’s in the off-kilter funk drums of “I THINK” and “WHAT’S GOOD”. It’s in the beady bass that pumps lifeblood into the Neptunes’ production on “PUPPET” and “EARFQUAKE”. It’s in the trademark four-count start on “GONE GONE / THANK YOU” and “I DON’T LOVE YOU ANYMORE”, the latter track being a bold declaration of Tyler finally getting over his love interest. There’s a positive tinge to the tone of the music; a gooey bass sinks into Tyler’s crushed vocals, smooth vocal harmonics melt either side of the unorthodox chorus line, it’s as wild as the most maddening of Pharrell productions.
After being so thoroughly impacted by him over the course of the record and his life, it only makes sense that Pharrell would guest star on the closing track “ARE WE STILL FRIENDS?”. Similar to N.E.R.D’s “Sooner or Later”, one of Tyler’s favourite songs, it’s a slow swinging ballad that acts as a slow come-down with jazzy chords, buoyant keys, and guitar rocking from side to side. All the while he sings to his former lover one last time. In the wake of everything he’s been through, he asks the titular question to maintain contact. Who knows what the response was from the other character, but the final distorted, clipping scream from Tyler leaves everything up in the air.
Despite spiritual direction from multiple artists more direct than ever, ‘IGOR’ is a showcase of feats that only Tyler, the Creator could do, presented in a way that feels brand new. Almost 10 years on from the explosion of Odd Future, Tyler has attained a mythical level of notoriety and has now learned how to channel it into a star-studded, yet uncomplacent body of work. To contrast it to his other sparkling achievement in ‘Flower Boy’ would admittedly do disservice to both projects, however the fact that Tyler has been responsible for both earns him the final definition of Igor - an urban colloqualism for genius.