Tyler, The Creator goes into detail about his legacy, past and present.
Today, Zane Lowe has released an extensive new interview with Tyler, The Creator, who recently dropped off his most mature album to date in Igor. As the talk progresses, Zane inquires about some of the more specific lyrical moments, exploring the notion of deeper themes. “I think Puppet is fuc*ing heavy,” says Tyler, around the 24:30 mark. “That’s dark. That first verse is like, ‘Jesus Christ, get a hold of yourself.’ A friend told me, that first verse from ‘Puppet’ could be about someone having drug withdrawals.”
He recites the lyrics to emphasize the interpretation. “That being in the middle of the album really bridges everything together.” Afterward, he appears to have an epiphany of sorts, remarking that the lyric “Don’t Leave” had a recurring presence throughout. When pressed about constructing such an intimate piece of work, Tyler explains that honesty is indeed the best policy.
“It’s about putting this,” he says, mirroring the removal of his heart, “and putting it [on the floor]. I didn’t want to be cool. I wasn’t trying to be cool. It’s no ‘Who Dat Boy’…It may seem repetitive, but that’s kinda what life is. Everybody wake up in the morning and brush they goddamn teeth.” After Zane ponders the power of abandonment, Tyler springboards off his musings. “It’s crazy, things really point back to your childhood,” he reflects. “I didn’t have a pet, so this car could blow up, I could get another one. I don’t have to take care of things.”
“I think everyone’s dumb until they’re 25,” continues Tyler. “If I had started making music at 24, if I started at Flower Boy, I would be a God.” Zane defends some of his earlier work, but Tyler stands firm. “It’s cool…If it was sixty or sixty-five percent cool, it was thirty-five percent of ‘dammit Tyler, just shut the fu*k up. I didn’t realize I should stop yelling on songs till I was 24. I was like, why the fu*k didn’t ya’ll tell me to stop fu*king yelling all the damn time. Oh, maybe I should stop being funny on the internet, and people would realize how talented I am.”
The interview clocks in at a hair under sixty-minutes, so rest assured there’s plenty more to unpack from this one. Check it out below, especially if you’re among those who deem Igor to be Tyler’s magnum opus.
