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$10.99 CD
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Deluxe Edition
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Deluxe Edition
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TYLER, THE CREATOR
Goblin
(XL)
 "Yonkers"
"She"
Los Angeles native Tyler Okonma along with his crew, Odd Future Wolfgang Kill Them All, have become instant indie stars and internet darlings over the last two years. They did it new-style, with free mixtapes and tracks littering the web, and their sonic seeds began to grow like weeds, blowing up SXSW and the late-night TV circuit earlier this year, and with the crew now signed to Columbia, their leader Tyler is releasing Goblin, the first major release for the collective, on XL. Surely due to all this early praise and expectation, let's just say that I thought I wouldn't like the album; as addictive and enjoyable as their exploits were/are, I was a hater in waiting. So I listened, and I'm not too proud to admit, I was wrong -- I'm a believer. I'm reminded of Kool Keith's Dr. Octagon, MF Doom, Gravediggaz, Anti-Pop Consortium, and turn-of-the-century Def Jux and Anticon -- think El-P's necro fantasies meets in-their-prime Wu-Tang bleakness. And while the young hopeful is a self-professed fan of GZA, Waka Flocka Flame, Pusha T, and Plain Pat, musically these productions are informed by Broadcast, Joy Division, Washed Out and Best Coast as much as anything. Goblin is a mind fuck in the best possible way.
Heavy and exhausting, this is the deep voice of a young, lost generation of African American males -- fatherless, bored, angry, restless, resentful, horny, comical, volatile, self-aware, creative, imaginative, filled with complexities and riddles, unresolved history and uncertain future. Like it or not, Tyler and crew are tilting the scales, and while these are definitely not typical street rhymes, don't call Odd Future role models. Far from gangsta rap, though no less grimy, this is repressed nerd rap, black skater rap, emo-hop, potty-mouth angst bubbling up to the mainstream with little regard for choruses or hooks or eventual radio airplay. It would be hard to imagine a clean version of the album, since so much of the language relies on four-, five- and six-letter profanity/slang (fuck, bitch, and faggot, to be exact), yet that's not the point, and from Tyler's mouth, it's hard to be offended; he doesn't seem to be pointing these words towards a certain demographic, aside from his father and "those" haters. The language -- and maybe the message -- is a tribute to aimless, bored urban youth; this is surely how the kids talk, and maybe it's how they think too.
Yet while the album is filled with seemly shocking words and harsh imagery, Tyler seems in control of every element, and he's clearly having fun with his wordplay and imagination rather than playing thug for glory. Throughout he calls attention to the fact that he would never do any of the terrible things he says, and doesn't advise others to either, and he always reminds us that everything is fiction. A track like "Transylvania," where he screws his voice to recreate himself as a havoc-wreaking vampire, is the kind of thing a band like Salem wishes they could make, simply horrific, terrifying, and kinda amazing with the freaky refrain, "It's beecaaause, I'm Dracula bitch." Maybe more emblematic of Tyler's vibe is this verse from the single "Sandwitches:" "Full of shit, like I ate that john/ Come on kids, fuck that class and hit that bong/ Let's buy guns and kill those kids with dads and moms/ With nice homes, 401ks, and nice ass lawns." Aimless slacker babble or something more, is the proof in the pudding and is Goblin worth all the praise and attention? I say yes, and maybe. If you are into raw, dark, personal, and real modern day outsider hip-hop, then yes. Is it really all that? Well maybe.
This is the next step in the latest evolution (or devolution perhaps) that began with Pharrell and N.E.R.D. and through the last decade includes, in order of releases, Lil Wayne (who started at 11 years old), Clipse, Lupe Fiasco, Kid Cudi, B.O.B, Lil' B... the list could go on. Tyler delivers and differentiates by presenting a conceptual and solidly skewed yet focused, darker musical vision of black skater rap than his elders, maybe purposefully designed to distill his followers to the hardcore and the diehard, and less of the flighty hipsters that have and will no doubt support him. Throughout, Tyler's realist rhymes fill the seventy minutes with dense lines, tons of metaphors, tales of modern living, various dis-associations, and even if he's "not the best," he's magnetic, fresh, interesting, and much needed in the current game. Musically I can't begin to describe the sound, full of melody and chord changes, yet sparse and choppy, from the soft and minimal to the truly chaotic, referencing chillwave and psych soundtracks, jazz, hyphy and juke. It's been a long time since a crew (Wu-Tang, cLOUDDEAD) or solo artist (Kanye West) made such a fuss and fury across indieland, yet Odd Future has stepped in and made everyone's eyes and ears perk up. Though it's definitely NOT FOR EVERYONE, especially those with weak stomachs, for those that dare to enter the twisted no-not-fun house that is Odd Future, this may be the best underground to overground movement in current hip-hop history. Believe me, you've heard nothing quiet like it, even if you have all the free stuff. Guaranteed to create a visceral reaction and, today, that's saying a lot. (Delxue Limited Edition includes three bonus tracks.) [DG] |
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