"If I want it, I go get it
I'm always on go mode; I just go
I don't know what fear is
When they talk about, 'That nigga,' I'm him, I'm him, I'm that nigga...”
Just a few months after the 10th anniversary of his debut studio album Goblin, Tyler, the Creator drops arguably his most audacious project to date in his seventh project, Call Me If You Get Lost. From his early years as a tenacious angsty teenager to his solidified place of rap stardom, the album serves as his coming-of-age story.
“I want a Gangsta Grillz tape so fucking bad got damn,” a 20-year old Tyler, the Creator, said on his Twitter on December 17, 2010, just a year after he dropped his debut mixtape Bastard. 11 years later, DJ Drama hosts the entirety of Tyler’s album, contributing his conspicuous ad-lbs, popularized in his Gangsta Grillz mixtapes in the early 2000s.
Tyler starts the album blazing, rapping over Conductor Williams and Westside Gunn's “Micheal Irven,” in the album’s intro “Sir Baudelaire,” where he raps a cynical verse as his newest alter ego, Tyler Baudelaire. Baudelaire is a Rolls Royce driving, woman stealing sociopath that gives Tyler space to unapologetically talk his shit. He continues to introduce us to this new character in the following track, “Corso,” where he and Drama establish that Tyler came here to rap!
“Okay, now you understand what we came here to do, right?” Drama exclaims on the track. Coming off the heels of the critically-acclaimed Igor, which focused on songwriting and melodies, it is refreshing to hear a hungry Tyler spit on every beat, from lo-fi jazz-inspired beats to trap bangers. He continued the braggadocios theme with "Lemonhead,” with a feature from Detroit rapper 42 Dugg.
In "WusYaName," Tyler croons over a woman in a relationship over an H-Town sample from their record, "Back Seat (With No Sheets)." He promises to spoil her by taking her on trips, flaunting his money and accolades to her. With “Stop playing and let me pay yo mama's debt off," he ends the song with a generous flex.
"Hot Wind Blows" gives us another Lil Wayne and Tyler collaboration. The two trade verses about luxury living and traveling. In the following track, "Massa," Tyler expresses that his passport is his most prized possession. “The greatest thing that ever happened to me was being damn near twenty and leaving Los Angeles for the first time,” Tyler says on the intro to the track. “I got out of my bubble, my eyes just widened, my passport is my most valuable possession.
In "Massa," Tyler reflects on his career in the past 10 years; growing out of his angsty, give-no-fucks attitude into a polished artist and tastemaker. “I’m not the little boy y'all was introduced to at 1-9.” Tyler references the "Yonkers" video, where a then 19-year-old Tyler would famously eats a roach and hangs himself.
Coming a long way from the de-facto leader of misfit collective Odd Future, Tyler went from the oddball of rap to an Alternative Hip-Hop superstar. Tyler has proven himself to be a multifaceted artist, through the massive success of his Camp Flog Gnaw Music Festival, his clothing label Golf Wang, and television shows. As he works on his first feature film and after dropping his most ambitious album to date, it seems like Tyler is just getting started.
In the triumphant "Rise," Tyler celebrates his success after ten years in the game. A groovy breakbeat and neo-soul melody paired with vocals from Daisy World gives us the most danceable track on the album.
On the album’s second single, "Juggernaut," we get animated features from Lil Uzi Vert and Pharrell Williams, Tyler’s mentor and long-time collaborator. Tyler has always worn his influences on his sleeve, taking heavy influence from Neptunes production and chords inspired by Robert Glasper. Tyler influenced an entire movement following him when the Soundcloud era of rappers would take over the industry. Tyler's DIY attitude inspired now rap megastar Lil Uzi Vert.
The 8-minute track, "Wilshire," tells Tyler’s story of falling in love with one of his friend’s girlfriend. The two sneak around behind his back, and although Tyler does have his reservations about the situation, he concludes that he still loves her.
In the final track, "Safari," Tyler devotes another song to his passion for traveling. True to the themes throughout the album, Tyler, The Creator celebrates the life he made for himself from a young age while flexing more than we have ever seen him do.
Call Me If You Get Lost is Tyler, the Creator's most triumphant record to date. He solidifies his spot as a hip-hop juggernaut after 10 years in the industry.
Since he manifested his Gangsta Grillz mixtape in 2010, Tyler has shown to be one of the most persistent artists of our generation, as he evolved himself from the ostentatious skateboarding loudmouth to the flourishing Hip-Hop mogul, Tyler Baudelaire.