This album sounds full, multilayered and expertly mixed. Something that has always prevailed on the works of Tyler and his company are certain production elements. This is, more than anything, Tyler utilizing every tool in his now-immense toolbox. Each one adds something special to the song at hand, and while the album is actually relatively light on Tyler’s verses, each song is produced so smoothly that it becomes an afterthought. Lonely” (also starring The Internet’s Steve Lacy) respectively, with Jaden Smith, Lil Wayne, Estelle and more making appearances throughout. Particularly great this time around are Kali Uchis and Frank Ocean on “See You Again” and “911/Mr. Rich with narrative, the songs spin together effectively, ultimately painting a picture with creativity currently unmatched in this genre.Īs per usual, the many talented features help weave this story of loss, uncertainty and, overall, positivity. Indeed, several verses hint at potential romances Tyler has experienced (or maybe didn’t, there’s truly no way to know at this point) that open him up from fire-spitting rapper to a producer extraordinaire with a story to tell. Songs like “Where This Flower Blooms” and “Garden Shed” hint at a deeper part to this car-obsessed young mogul, one that had been either deliberately hidden or excluded from other works, bar some bits with Odd Future.
It succeeds at setting a definite tone that's unlike other Tyler albums - one of honesty and openness - a welcome direction, I must add. The whole thing is wrapped in dreamy space-aged synths and a trademark breakneck flow that’s elegantly laced with grounded supporting vocals from Rex Orange County. The album starts with “Foreward,” a reserved confession of life’s inevitable struggles and conflicts. It goes without saying that “Flower Boy” (alternate album title withheld for the safety of our younger audience) is Tyler’s most successful, vulnerable and conceptual album to date, and arguably, his strongest.
Gone are the record-breaking amount of slurs per album and the rhyming of “Paradox” and “Triceratops,” much to my immediate surprise.
The last thing I think anyone, particularly myself, expected was a somewhat emotional and revealing series of songs from the brusque and raunchy Tyler the Creator.