Two years removed from the release of the commercial success “Goblin,” rapper and producer Tyler, The Creator released his highly anticipated third album, “Wolf,” on April 2.
Despite becoming widely popular in the rap community, Tyler may still not be a household name because of his controversial themes and lyrics have held back his opportunities for radio play. However, Tyler did win an MTV Music Award for Best New Artist in 2011.
Tyler reached stardom after the release of “Yonkers,” the first single off of “Goblin,” which was accompanied by a controversial music video featuring the rapper eating a cockroach and calling out other artists in the music industry, particularly pop artists such as Bruno Mars.
Although he is only 22-years -old, Tyler has been recognized for his music since his debut album “Bastard” released in 2009. Yet, many critics of “Goblin” were disappointed with the lack of depth on the album; many believed Tyler put too much effort into going over-the-top for shock value.
It may be too little, too late, but Wolf clearly shows growth in Tyler as an artist; the more polished production and the evolution of Tyler’s musical maturity and complexity has given his songs and sound more depth, as his lyrics expand in scope and the beats and hooks are more ambitious.
The story throughout Wolf follows a character of the same name, modeled on a younger Tyler, who attends summer camp and has multiple confrontations with a bully named Sam, leading to more dire consequences. The album highlights Tyler’s romantic interests while also handling a lot of the controversies surround Tyler.
Perhaps most high-profile are allegations of homophobia towards Tyler, claims which he refutes by pointing out his two gay friends, which perhaps shows the first sign of maturity we’ve seen from Tyler.
The intro track entitled Wolf sets up the scene as the main character arrives at Camp Flog Gnaw, but is threatened immediately by Sam. Tyler tweeted that the intro was one of his personal favorites.
Ironically, the album’s first single “Domo23” is one of the most underwhelming tracks on the album as it is a poor re-creation of 2012’s “Rella” that was featured on Tyler’s collective, OFWGKTA’s sophomore collection, “The Odd Future Tape Vol. 2.”
The only other low light is “Parking Lot,” which features collaborations from Casey Veggies and Mike G. However, the boring hook and beat do not fit in the album easily making it the most forgettable track.
The highlight of the album is the second single, “IFHY,” which features Tyler’s idol and inspiration Pharrell Williams who is a legendary rapper and producer. The track features Kanye West style production with an eerie and creepy stalker like romantic vibe borrowed from 2011’s “She.”
Grammy Award winner Frank Ocean makes several guest appearances on the album with the best collaboration provided on “48,” which opens with a sample from rap legend Nas and follows his quote in questioning the distribution of crack like other rappers have done in the past, including Kanye West.
The album’s concept, although inconsistent, pieces the tracks together nicely for the most part making for a collection of respectable songs. “Wolf” is not quite the breakthrough concept album that Kendrick Lamar’s 2012 “Good Kid M.A.A.D. City” was, but does benefit from excellent production similarly.
Although it does not have the fresh sound appeal that made “Bastard” special, “Wolf” is Tyler’s most complete piece as he has near perfected his beat production, while continuing to expand his themes and song directions.
“Wolf” is not for everyone as it truly earns its parental advisory warning featuring drug and sexual content with many other offensive terms and phrases.
Overall this is a very good if not great rap album. The sound is unique and although Tyler, The Creator may not be the most lyrically gifted rapper, his fresh sound and controversial themes keep his music interesting making “Wolf” a far greater album than its predecessor “Goblin.”
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