Number 40: Call Me If You Get Lost by Tyler, the Creator
Release: June 25th, 2021
Genre: Hip-Hop
Favorite Tracks: Lumberjack, Sweet / I Thought You Wanted to Dance, WusYaName
Where I heard it:
Before I knew anything about the music of Tyler, the Creator, I was down with the Odd Future gang from their wacky Adult Swim show Loiter Squad that aired in 2012. Produced by the same studio as the Jackass franchise, the show featured a mix of skit comedy and man-on-the-street pranks that occasionally played reels of Odd Future concert footage. Following the high-profile release of The OF Tape Vol. 2, I began to dig a little deeper into the solo careers of each individual member. This period of time during my junior year of high school exposed me to great artists like Frank Ocean and Earl Sweatshirt, but neither captured my attention quite like Tyler, the Creator. His shocking, over-the-top lyrics were perfectly tailored for an edgy teenager. I closely followed Tyler up to his release of Cherry Bomb two days short of my 19th birthday, even attending a couple live shows where he absolutely brought the house down. After that, my music tastes began to drift in other directions, and my love for Tyler began to fade over time. Not even the hype around his next two albums could reel me back in to check it out. However, that all changed in 2020 when I caught wind that Tyler's latest album Igor won Best Rap Album at the Grammy Awards. I remember being completely floored that an artist as crass and offensive as Tyler managed to win one of music's most prestigious awards. Igor was a departure from the style I expected of Tyler, but it showed me the growth and maturity he experienced as a person and a musician. When whispers of a new album began in 2021, I was right back to keeping a close eye on Tyler again like I had in years past. Call Me If You Get Lost was one of the first hip-hop albums I anticipated and subsequently obsessed over in the months after its release. Looking back, that enjoyment still hasn't faded away.
When I turned 23, that's when puberty finally hit me
My facial hair started growin', my clothing ain't really fit me
That caterpillar went to cocoon, do you get me?
See, I was shifting, that's really why Cherry Bomb sounded so shifty
My taste started changing from what it was when they met me
But first impression is everything, ain't wanna let me go
~ Massa
What to expect:
Despite Tyler's reputation of inappropriate and at times malicious behavior, there have been flashes of greatness dating back to his first major release Goblin. It's clear Tyler deeply connects with the emotions in his lyrics, conveying himself as a troubled kid with violent and suicidal tendencies. Underneath this hardened image, Tyler isn't shy about expressing his feelings about personal struggles like living with an absentee father and wrestling with his own sexuality. In earlier albums, these moments of substance were like hidden gems revealed between bombastic and childish rap verses. By Flower Boy in 2017, there's no doubt that Tyler's production style had matured, shifting to heavier jazz influences with more introspective dialogue that was easier to stomach. Call Me If You Get Lost isn't necessarily a return to form for Tyler, but rather a fusion that integrates the totality of his career into a comprehensive mix. Tyler's collaboration with DJ Drama's involved backing beats and frequent ad-libs helps guide the listener across a wide variety of influences. I was excited to hear certified bangers like Lemonhead and Juggernaut that echoed past singles like Domo23, while also maintaining the recent trend of modern releases with Hot Wind Blows and Safari. In addition, there's songs like WusYaName that emulate old-school hip-hop classics and I Thought You Wanted to Dance that experiment with reggae, a first for Tyler. Narratively, Call Me If You Get Lost follows the semi-biographical character of Tyler Baudelaire, a rags-to-riches rapper that shares comparisons with the explicit French poet Charles Baudelaire. Like Charles, Tyler Baudelaire found success in provocative art; a quality that many see as a hindrance, but Tyler has chosen to embrace despite his new world view. Both conceptually and musically, Call Me If You Get Lost flows perfectly from cover-to-cover, leaving a sense of fulfillment come the album's conclusion. The album's musical IQ balances perfectly with nostalgic homages to the abrasive sound that rose Tyler to prominence in the first place.
I got hurt, it's a shit situation
All the morals and power you have just vanish when a certain energy is nearin'
And those feelings got so much gravity
And it's out of your control
It made me realize adults don't know what they doing either
We're all just children
~ Wilshire
Why it's my favorite:
I was so happy for Tyler when I learned about his Grammy win. Sure, the Grammys are a hollow representation of musical achievement, but that level of notoriety was unheard of for an artist I'd consider underground. I saw Tyler perform at a packed local 2,500-person theater in 2015; now he was selling out arenas across the globe, and I got to witness that growth first hand. While Igor was able to redefine Tyler, the Creator's career, I commend Call Me If You Get Lost for embodying the spirit of a traditional album by Tyler. I think winning that Grammy helped Tyler relax and eased the pressure of creating new material that would be critically lauded. Instead, Tyler opted to make Call Me If You Get Lost the way he envisioned, without fear of losing his audience. In fact, Tyler has been branching out his enterprises beyond music, finding his passion for fashion with the release of his Le Fleur brand line. It's just so great to see this guy happy, and I feel Call Me If You Get Lost reflects that joy in its songs. Compared to the pessimistic perspective of his early works, even the more serious songs like Massa and Wilshire maintain a positive focus on Tyler's catharsis from addressing past issues and learning from them. Along with its range of genre influences, Call Me If You Get Lost elicits a plethora of complex emotions throughout its runtime that span jubilation, exhilaration, repentance, and sorrow. Tyler, the Creator's evolution as an artist has been nothing short of inspiring, and he's only just begun to hit his stride in the entertainment industry.
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