Tyler, The Creator (as of 2025)

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Tyler gets photographed.

Before music, Tyler as a child took CD cases and designed his own album covers with track lists for imagery albums and this influenced his future career to come. Tyler, The Creator is an American rapper, song writer, producer, and designer known for co-founding Odd Future (OF), his unique aesthetic and evolving sound, launching successful solo careers with auteur in music and culture. Tyler, the Creator’s most famous album IGOR, and he was inspired by Pharrell Williams at first. Now he inspires millions of different people. 

Tyler the Creator‘s early life

According to Rolling Stone,Tyler, the Creator, or Tyler Gregory Okonma, was born on March 6, 1991 in Hawthorne, California and later lived in Ladera Heights. Tyler was raised by his single mother, Bonita Smith, who is the owner of “Inside Out Restorative Spa” in Woodland Hills (his dad wasn’t in the picture and this would help him throughout his career). When Tyler was young he taught himself how to play the piano. He was inspired by the music and videos of Pharrell Williams and also by Kanye West. The name Tyler, the Creator came from his old profile on MySpace, where he would post his early beats and arts.

Tyler’s early career 

Tyler co-founded the alternative hip-hop group Odd Future (OF) in 2007, which included aspiring underground artists like Tyler himself, Jasper Dolphin, Casey Veggies, Hodgy, Left Brain, Matt Martans, Travis “Taco” Bennet, and Syd. Later members included Domo Genesis, Mike O, Earl Sweatshirt, Frank Ocean, Na-kel Smith, L-Boy, and Brandon. They all made famous songs like “Up”, “Drop”, “Pimp Slap”, and the “Tape Intro.” Some main things OF would do is create disruptive DIY hip-hop, develop unique brands (Golf Wang, OFWGKTA), launch pop-up shoes, produce skate videos, and release controversial music/ TV shows (Adult Swim’s Loiter Squad) using a rebellious, entrepreneurial ethos. 

Tyler’s impact on hip-hop

Pushing boundaries: According to the Miami News Times, Tyler’s free choice to experiment with different genres and sounds has encouraged other artists to push boundaries of what is possible within the hip-hop and rap genre. He has been a key figure in the arrival of the “alternative rap” and “experimental hip-hop” sub-genres, which emphasizes artistic experimentation and innovation.

Embracing Individuality: Tyler’s music promotes individuality and self-expression, encouraging people to embrace who they are. He has said that he supports LGBTQ+ rights and often challenges traditional gender norms through his music. His message of authenticity has strongly connected with young listeners who value authenticity and creativity.   

Building a community: Tyler has built a strong, dedicated fan community through his social media presence, his Camp Flog Gnaw festivals, and his collaborations. This community has helped his work grow beyond music alone, turning it into a longer cultural movement.

Winning critical acclaim: Tyler has earned strong critical acclaim for his music, with praise for his lyrics, production, and willingness to tackle challenging themes in his songs. This critical recognition helped solidify his status as a major figure in the music industry.

Here are some of Tyler’s albums (According to Genius.)

Bastard 2007-2009: Bastard is the debut mix tape of rapper and producer Tyler, the Creator. This is an alternative hip-hop and horror-core record, it was recorded from 2007-2009. Then, it was self-recorded free of charge on December 25, 2009. Tyler talks about his hatred for his father’s relationship, and he talks about a very controversial topic (Rape) that carries over to his major label debut, Goblin. People didn’t like Tyler’s lyrics to the point that he got banned from the U.K. for the vulgar lyrics he says in this project and Goblin.

Goblin 2011: Goblin is Tyler’s persona, Tyler’s major label debut and technically his second album overall but really his first, Goblin was released on May 10, 2011. This album is a story between him and therapist, Dr.TC, where he also appears on his solo project Bastard. This album features Tyler’s most controversial lyrics/line that has to do with homophobia and misogyny, which is dislike or ingrained prejudice against women, which are in his songs like “Tron Cat.” Also this album includes Tyler’s breakout single “Yonkers,” his most famous song on the album with about four million listeners. 

Wolf 2013: Two years after Goblin, on April 2, 2013, the album Wolf was made. This album is focused on gorgeous instrumentals. Tyler takes a lyrical focus that takes aim at the band’s critics and the toppings of fame. Wolf is mainly about a personal project for Tyler to transition into maturity, explore themes of fame, and his absent father, also solidifying a narrative through his alter-egos like Wolf Haley, Sam, and Salem to represent different aspects of himself as he tries to evolve from his past. Also their conflict around loving the same girl named Salem. This is Dr. TC’s last appearance on the final track “Lone.” There are strong hints that the story laid in the record takes place before the events in Bastard and Goblin. This album is also a sequel to Goblin in the Wolf trilogy story time. There were rumors about a different Wolf that was supposed to release in 2010, but this would’ve been his darkest album with lots of horrible topics so it didn’t get released for the obvious reason.

Cherry Bomb 2015: Cherry Bomb is Tyler’s fourth studio album and was released on April 13, 2015. This is Tyler’s personal favorite album from his discography. The entire album was produced by Tyler himself, with some additional production by Mike Einziger on two tracks. Cherry Bomb is easily Tyler’s happiest album with dual singles “F*cking Young/ Perfect” and “Death Camp”, which may sound wrong but is actually right. Tyler re-released the album on October 13,2018 and it was Cherry Bomb+ instrumentals. Tyler, the Creator stated that he forced himself to make the song “Buffalo” because he felt pressured to please his fans who enjoyed the older, more aggressive Tyler, even though he hated the song.

Flower Boy 2017: Flower Boy, also known Scum F*ck, is Tyler’s fifth studio album and was released on July 21, 2017. This album was mostly produced by Tyler. Some features included Frank Ocean, Rey Orange County, and A$AP Rocky. This album revolves around themes and topics like depression, loneliness, sexuality, love, friendship, materialism, and fame. Flower Boy was leaked on July 9, 2017. Almost instantly after the leak, the album received lots of attention as people thought Tyler was coming out as gay, through some of the songs on the album “Garden Shed.” The album was faced with universal acclaim from critics and fans  liked it. This album debuted at number 2 on the US billboard 200 with 106,000 album equivalent units which 70,000 were pure album sales.

Igor 2019: Igor was released on May 17, 2019, and this is Tyler’s sixth studio album. This album contains features from artists like Kayne West, Charlie Wilson, CeeLo Green, Solange, Lil Uzi Vert, and Playboy Carti and includes lots of different voice samples from comedian Jerrod Carmichael, although none were credited as features. Flower Boy tells a story of falling madly in love but eventually breaking up and trying to accept that the relationship is over while battling the mental hardships of trying to stay friends, and after all that the cycle starts over again. The music reflects that process because the last note of “ARE WE STILL FRIENDS?” perfectly transitions into the first track “IGOR’S THEME.” The album received a Grammy Award for “Best Rap Album” at the 62nd annual Grammy awards. This choice stirred up some controversy, as some believed that this album shouldn’t be considered a rap album and the people thought the nomination was racially motivated. This album really helped Tyler grow as a producer and song narrativity. People like the album’s narrative of love, heartbreak, and emotional growth and how the album’s praised for its great flow and how everything works together to tell a complete story. 

Call Me If You Get Lost 2021: CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST or CMIYGL is Tyler’s seventh studio album and it was released on June 25, 2021. This album was teased by a tag on a trunk that accompanied Tyler at the 2020 Grammy Awards. However, CMIYGL wasn’t supposed to be an album until a billboard was found in Los Angeles in June 2021, which said the album’s title as well with a phone number. Over the next few days, calling the number would play snippets of several tracks on the album, including some tracks that were later on scrapped. Fans discovered the album’s website. On June 16, 2021, Tyler released the album’s lead single, “LUMBERJACK” alongside its video. The next day, Tyler officially confirmed the album’s title and released a date on Twitter. The album shows great respect to 2000’s-era mix tapes that were hosted by DJ Drama, who is the host of this record. It brings a full circle from a late 2010 tweet in which Tyler said that he wanted a Gangsta Grillz mixtape. On April 3rd, 2022, CMIYGL was awarded the prize “Best Rap Album” at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony, becoming Tyler’s second consecutive album to achieve this milestone in the process, after “IGOR” had won the category at the 2020 edition of the Grammys.

Call Me If You Get Lost: The Estate Sale 2023: CMIYGL: The Estate Sale is the deluxe version of the album CMIYGL, an album hosted by DJ Drama. The announcement of the album came as a surprise to many fans when on March 27, 2023, Tyler took to Twitter to announce the album title,date, and cover. Tyler would later follow the announcement with the surprise release of the single “DOGTOOTH” along with a portion of its music video. After the announcement of a vinyl for the album, fans were able to read the credits and figure out that the deluxe had features like Vince Staples, A$AP Rocky, and YG. This is the second deluxe edition in Tyler’s career, with his first being 2011’s Goblin. 

Chromakopia 2024: Chromakopia was released on October 28, 2024. This is Tyler’s eighth studio album, ending his unusual pattern of releasing albums every two years on odd-numbered years. This album was first teased on October 16, 2024, this project focuses on Tyler examining materialism. His mother Bonita Smith’s advice plays a guiding rule throughout the album. Unlike his past albums, this album doesn’t introduce a new persona, but rather reflects Tyler’s true self moving away from personas. Leading up to the album, he stayed quiet publicly while working on fashion collaborations and dropping CMIYGL: The Estate Sale. The album’s art and release date were revealed on October 17 along with the announcement that Tyler wrote, produced, and arranged the entire project. Singles like “Noid” and “Thought I Was Dead” were released before the album, and the night before launch he premiered the full project at a release event in the Intuit Dome.

Don’t Tap The Glass 2025: Don’t Tap The Glass was released on July 21, 2025, this is Tyler’s ninth studio album, following his release “Chromakopia.” This also broke the two-year project release on odd-numbered years. The album was first teased by Tyler on his social media pages on July 18, 2025, where he posted a picture of himself holding a trumpet with text overlapping it, saying July 21st. At first fans thought it was the release of the “Sticky” music video, which was teased by Tyler back in January 2025, or maybe they thought it was a deluxe version of “Chromakopia.” It wouldn’t be until July 18, 2025, when “golfwang.com” was locked under a password. A few hours later, the website was open again, with all the merch being taken down from the site, and the only merch available was for Don’t Tap The Glass. Later, a new website would be discovered, called donttaptheglass.com, that had merch for the album as well as rules at the bottom of the page. A rumored track list for Don’t Tap The Glass was posted by Complex Music on July 18/19, claiming the album would feature artists like Kendrick Lamar, Lil Wayne, Pusha T, Earl Sweatshirt, and Brent Faiyaz. The next day, Tyler retweeted the post and denied its accuracy, confirming that none of the listed features were on the album. After this, Complex Music deleted the tweet.