Tyler, The Creator Is the Artist of the Decade (2024)

Tyler, The Creator Is the Artist of the Decade (1)

Illustration by Alex Jenkins; Photo by John Lamparski/Getty Images

The 2010s were the decade where it felt like time sped up. As we reach a major mile marker during one of the most confounding periods in cultural and political history, we’re looking back at the artists, albums, and trends that best marked the changes over the past 10 years. Picking one singular artist of the decade proved difficult, because so many genres shifted, careers launched, and sounds grew—and frankly, there were a whole handful of musicians you could make the case for. So we decided to talk about all of them. Click here to see all of Noisey's Artists of the Decade, and here to read up on all of our end-of-decade ruminations.

Only a few minutes into Tyler, the Creator's third album, Wolf, released in 2014 when he was 22 years old, he asks for bets about "how quick [he] can reach maturity" before he offers to tip a restaurant server with his penis. (To maintain the rhyme scheme, he bounces maturity off a bastardized version of gratuity: gratiturity.)

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Tyler, The Creator Would Like to Reintroduce Himself

Shaad D’Souza

If you had to bet then, would you have guessed Tyler would close the decade with an unabashedly pretty and tender No. 1 album about same-sex love and heartache? When a teenage Tyler and his young, disaffected crew, Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, first emerged, it was difficult to see this turn away from shock coming, but in hindsight not impossible—especially when you consider the music, not the lyrics. In some ways, the challenge of writing about Tyler's journey is to refrain from making it unnecessarily shocking; nothing about IGOR, his sixth solo release, is without precedent. His interest in delicate, dreamy sounds is present on his first release, 2009's Bastard. He's made bashful love songs for years, across practically all of his albums (though he often undercut them with florid ugliness, like on "She," from Goblin); he's cared about beautiful chords and '90s neo-soul and the possibilities of orchestrating other voices from the jump.But in 2010, and 2011 especially, when the mainstream media began writing regularly about Odd Future, all conversations returned to questions of morality. Was this music too toxic to consume, let alone support? Was it playfully transgressive ("Kill people, burn shit, fuck school!") or simply misogynist and homophobic? Was it a case of white journalists going gaga for Black rage? Was it a group of young people agitating the sanctimonious, or was it hate speech that endorsed violence, raping women, and gay bashing? "I can't see them having a radio or video hit without them changing their style dramatically," Hot 97's Peter Rosenberg told the New York Times in November 2010. This year, Tyler's song "Earfquake" reached No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100, his highest-charting single ever.

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The story of Odd Future's rise, in terms of pieces filed across publications from Billboard to Pitchfork to NPR to Cokemachineglow to the Wire to the Root to New York magazine to the New York Times to Poetry Foundation, is also a story about media. It's hard to imagine so much ink being spilled around a new musical act in 2019, because there's less money to spend on this sort of coverage and fewer outlets to run it. The moral metric deployed in thinkpiece after thinkpiece in 2011 felt exclusive to the treatment of this particular group, especially for a generation of listeners and writers decades removed from the culture wars of the 90s. Now, taking stock of the moral character of a song or album or movie or TV show or book is practically a given in arts criticism. But it's not a lens that Tyler's recent output calls for. His new work no longer sets that particular antenna to twitching. At 28, he's mellowed.Let's talk about "AssMilk," though. Track nine on Bastard, available to the world on Christmas, 2009, features Earl Sweatshirt. The two teens trade short, four-bar verses as an eager tag-team—until the song comes to a halt because, from the sound of it, Tyler is hitting Earl in a game of uncle. "Say sorry," Tyler blurts, "Say sorry"; "I'm sorry as fuck," Earl cries. It's the last row of the school bus, the corner of the cafeteria where the aides can't see, the roughhousing of a carpeted basement broadcast into your ear. As the critic Nitsuh Abebe put it, on this song "you can actually hear the joy of people creating music because it doesn't exist yet, and they need it to." "Rihanna haircut, somebody tell Chris Brown to fuck me up," Tyler raps, accentuating the word "fuck" like it's a balloon to be inflated and popped. They're testing the limits.

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Sara Quin, of Tegan and Sara, wrote an open letter decrying Tyler in May 2011, after he released his first studio album Goblin on XL Records, home of Vampire Weekend and Adele. "Why should I care about this music or its 'brilliance' when the message is so repulsive and irresponsible?" Quin wrote. "The more I think about it, the more I think people don't actually want to go up against this particular bully because he's popular. Who sticks up for women and gay people now?" (On Twitter, Tyler responded: "If Tegan And Sara Need Some Hard Dick, Hit Me Up.")Tom Breihan, writing about the early Odd Future releases for Pitchfork in 2011, said that "morally, it's repugnant" and that while "the other Odd Future guys can come off like kids clowning each other when they talk about stuff like that…Tyler actually sounds demonic."Pitchfork booked the group to play its music festival that July, and in response Jim DeRogatis, the journalist best known for his relentless work chronicling R. Kelly's history of abuse, interviewed Pitchfork founder Ryan Schreiber and former president Chris Kaskie for a story entitled "Pitchfork & Odd Future: Endorsing rape or showcasing art?" The anti-domestic violence organization Between Friends handed out fans at the festival that read "COOL IT! DON'T BE A FAN OF VIOLENCE." From the stage, Tyler offered a winking "big shout out to the domestic violence group that's here—we love you guys" before MellowHype played "Igotagun." (Sample lyric: "I got a gun/I'ma kill that bitch.")Revisiting this chapter in 2019 can feel a bit like explaining to someone too young to know why Tyler is so angry with something called NahRight on the intro for Bastard. He changed. He grew. And now, everybody knows that—as the lyric from the Grammy-nominated Flower Boy goes—Tyler has been kissing white boys since 2004. On his recent albums, he doesn't sound settled, but his caustic id is no longer so enthralled by the possible reactions to physical and emotional violence, or various slurs; he works from a different palette, is more interested in melancholic longing, wistful sincerity, and the brightness of Charlie Wilson's voice. The homophobia and misogyny of Tyler’s juvenilia can in fact be read as a rambunctious young person working through, among other things, their own insecurities about sexuality. In a recent interview with the Guardian, Tyler explained that, because of his provocative persona, he found himself having to come out again and again—because no one believed him. "Scary Movie 2 is one of my favorite movies," he said. "She gets stabbed on stage—but it’s acting, in a beauty pageant, so they’re like: 'Oh my God, she's so good.'" He also said that the accusations of homophobia bothered him—especially when his language got him banned temporarily from the U.K.—because he didn’t intend his lyrics to be treated as serious hate speech. "Bro! That's the thing, bro. People knew I wasn't. People knew the intent!," he said. (As Syd, the former Odd Future DJ and engineer, put it in a 2018 interview with Billboard, "It's hilarious. I went through all of these interviews [about homophobia], and everybody was gay the whole time.")The Tyler playing arenas touring IGOR is the wounded-but-hopeful, childish-but-charming Tyler from "Analog" and "Awkward" and "OKAGA, CA." His most offensive material, save the magically incorrigible "Yonkers," is no longer part of his repertoire. (According to Setlist.FM, he hasn't performed "AssMilk" since 2014.)In 2011, Nitsuh Abebe wrote about who is invited into the circle of Odd Future's listenership, and who is taunted out by the music's misogyny and homophobia. At the decade's close, the circle Tyler creates is as big and inclusive as it's ever been.

Tyler, The Creator Is the Artist of the Decade (2024)

FAQs

Tyler, The Creator Is the Artist of the Decade? ›

After starting the decade testing the limits of shock with Odd Future

Odd Future
Odd Future is a group of hip hop musicians from Los Angeles, United States. It was formed in 2007 by Tyler, The Creator. Odd Future. Odd Future, Lil Wayne, and Trash Talk in 2012.
https://simple.wikipedia.org › wiki › Odd_Future
, the rapper's journey to mellow and sincere has been even more radical. The 2010s were the decade where it felt like time sped up.

Who was artist of the decade 2000 to 2010? ›

In December 1999, Billboard published decade-end lists based on statistical performances on weekly Billboard charts, with Mariah Carey being dubbed the Pop Artist of Decade. Other artists receiving the honor in the following decades are Eminem (2000s) and Drake (2010s).

Who was named artist of the decade? ›

Drake has been named Billboard's Artist of the Decade. The Toronto-born rap star will receive the honor at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards later this month, the outlet announced on Tuesday (May 11).

Who was artist of the decade 1989? ›

On December 9 1989, Madonna was featured in a two-page spread in Billboard magazine, paid for by her record company and management, congratulating her on being named Artist of the Decade by Musician magazine.

What is Tyler, the Creator most known for? ›

He has been cited as one of the most influential figures of pop culture of his generation, due to his unique, eclectic and colorful music and fashion styles, popularizing rap music as an "Internet phenomenon" that included a new wave of alternative hip-hop and R&B artists during the 2010s.

Who was the #1 artist of the 2000s? ›

The 2000s reshuffle the cards
#ArtistEAS
1Eminem141,526,000
2Linkin Park82,044,000
3Coldplay76,385,000
4Britney Spears68,703,000
6 more rows

Who was Artist of the Decade 2011? ›

Il Divo will receive a special 'Artist of the Decade' award at the Classic BRIT Awards 2011.

Why is Drake the Artist of the Decade? ›

After first appearing on Billboard charts in 2009, Drake banked nine Billboard 200 No. 1s in the 2010s, first leading with his debut 2010 studio LP, Thank Me Later, and most recently reigning with 2019's Care Package. He also scored six Hot 100 No. 1s in that span.

Who is the biggest artist of the 2010s? ›

Some of the most successful North American pop artists of the decade include Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Bruno Mars, Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande; Swift was named the Artist of the Decade by the American Music Awards.

Who won artist of the decade 1990? ›

Michael Jackson Official Site

Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush at the White House where he was honored with the “Artist of the Decade” award on April 5, 1990.

Who was the artist of the decade 80? ›

The 1980s saw the reinvention of Michael Jackson, and the worldwide superstardom of Prince, Madonna, and Whitney Houston, who were all among the most successful musicians during this time.

Who won artist of the decade 1980? ›

Artist of the Decade

The results were Elvis Presley (1950s), The Beatles (1960s), Stevie Wonder (1970s), and Michael Jackson (1980s).

What is Tyler, the Creator's biggest song? ›

Top 10 Tyler, the Creator Songs
  1. "NEW MAGIC WAND" Tyler has repeatedly stated "NEW MAGIC WAND" is his personal favorite out of his entire discography.
  2. "Yonkers" ...
  3. "A BOY IS A GUN*" ...
  4. "SMUCKERS (feat. ...
  5. "911/Mr. ...
  6. "WUSYANAME" ...
  7. "SWEET/I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO DANCE" ...
  8. "EARFQUAKE" ...
Jun 30, 2021

Why is Tyler the Creator iconic? ›

He has inspired countless other artists to take creative risks and push boundaries, and has helped to reshape the way we think about hip-hop music.

Why everyone loves tyler the creator? ›

His music is amazing, he is a very talented composer and nobody can deny the fact that his rhymes and melodies make his songs give the listener a fresh and chill vibe while listening to him. Somehow he has the ability to share or hide a message in his lyrics.

Who was the best selling artist from 2000 to 2010? ›

Eminem was the 2000s' top-selling artist with 32.2 million combined in sales, plus two albums in the decade's Top 10: The Marshall Mathers LP was fourth with 10,195,000 sold and Eminem Show was fifth with 9,789,000.

Who was the number one artist in 2010? ›

2010 – Lady Gaga

One year after Lady Gaga arrived as Billboard's top new artist, she led the overall Top Artists chart.

Who was the big artist in 2000? ›

Top 100 Artists of the 2000s
  • Outkast. Eminem. Coldplay. Radiohead. ...
  • Red Hot Chili Peppers. Jay Z. Gorillaz. Usher. ...
  • Beyoncé (Knowles) Incubus. Pearl Jam. Weezer. ...
  • Muse. The Roots. Franz Ferdinand. ...
  • Ben Harper. Blink-182. Modest Mouse. ...
  • The Deftones. Phish. In Flames. ...
  • Mudvayne. Kamelot. At The Drive-In. ...
  • Robert Randolph & Family Band. Interpol. Keane.

Who won artist of the year 2000? ›

Past and present Artist of the Year award winners: 1999: Akyeame (Okyeame Quophi and Okyeame Kwame) 2000: Daddy Lumba. 2001: Kojo Antwi.

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