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Tyler Gregory Okonma (born March 6, 1991), professionally known as Tyler, the Creator, is an American rapper and record producer. Following a large contribution to Odd Future's early work, Tyler released his debut solo mixtape, Bastard, in 2009. After releasing his debut studio album, Goblin, via XL Recordings in April 2011, he signed a joint deal with RED Distribution and Sony Music Entertainment for himself and his label, Odd Future Records.

Tyler's early releases, including Bastard (2009) and Goblin (2011), featured gritty, horrorcore-influenced lyrics; during this era, Tyler was often criticized for his use of homophobic and misogynistic slurs. Beginning with Wolf (2013), Tyler moved towards alternative hip hop. His 2015 album Cherry Bomb featured experiments with melody-focused and jazz-fused sounds. Tyler's later albums, Flower Boy (2017), Igor (2019) and Call Me If You Get Lost (2021), were all released to widespread critical acclaim, with the latter two also debuting at number one on the Billboard 200 and winning Best Rap Album at the 2020 and 2022 Grammy Awards, respectively.

Tyler has won two Grammy Awards, a BRIT Award, an MTV Video Music Award, and three BET Hip Hop Awards. He created the cover art for all of Odd Future's releases, and has also designed the group's clothing and other merchandise. In 2011, Tyler started the clothing company, Golf Wang. In 2012, he began hosting an annual music festival called Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival. He created his own streaming service app named "Golf Media," which ran from 2015 to 2018 and contained original scripted series from Tyler and a livestream of each Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival. Tyler has collaborated with prominent artists including Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Pharrell Williams, Frank Ocean, Jay-Z, The Weeknd and Erykah Badu.

Early life and education

Tyler Gregory Okonma was born on March 6, 1991, in Ladera Heights, CA, the son of a Nigerian father with Igbo ancestry and an American mother of mixed African-American and European-Canadian descent. He never met his father and spent his early life living in Ladera Heights, moving to Hawthorne at 17. At the age of seven, he would take the cover out of a CD case and create covers for his own imaginary albums—including a tracklist with song lengths—before he could even make music. He started making beats at the age of 12 using Reason and Fruity Loops. His mom bought him a keyboard when he was 14 and he taught himself how to play.

In his 12 years of schooling, he attended 12 different schools in the Los Angeles and Sacramento areas. In the eighth grade, Okonma joined the drama class and was kicked out due to being too hyper, and in the ninth grade, Okonma was not allowed to join the band class because he could not read the music. He worked at FedEx for just under two weeks and at Starbucks for over two years. Okonma took his stage name from a Myspace page he used to post his creative endeavors.

Career

2007–2011: Odd Future, Bastard, and Goblin

Tyler co-founded his own record label called Odd Future Records. The alternative hip hop collective Odd Future in 2007, alongside Hodgy, Left Brain, and Casey Veggies. Other members of the group Odd Future include: Domo Genesis (rapper), Earl Sweatshirt (rapper), Frank Ocean (singer/songwriter), Hodgy Beats (rapper), Left Brain (producer), Matt Martian (production crew), Mike G (rapper), Syd the Kid (engineer, producer, DJ), and Taco & Jasper (comedians/writers). They self-released their debut mixtape, The Odd Future Tape, in November 2008. On December 25, 2009, Tyler self-released his first solo mixtape, Bastard. The mixtape was eventually ranked 32nd on Pitchfork Media's list of the Top Albums of 2010. On February 11, 2011, Tyler released the music video for "Yonkers". The video received attention from several online media outlets. An extended version with a third verse was made available on iTunes. Tyler won Best New Artist for "Yonkers" at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards. Tyler's thematic content in these first two solo projects led fans and publications alike to categorize him in the horrorcore scene, although he vehemently rejected his connection with it.

In early 2011, Tyler was gaining the interest of a number of figures in the music industry, including Steve Rifkind, Jimmy Iovine, Rick Ross and Jay-Z. Tyler and the rest of Odd Future eventually signed a deal with Red Distribution/Sony in April 2011. His debut studio album, Goblin, was released May 10, 2011. Tyler and fellow Odd Future member Hodgy Beats made their television debut on February 16, 2011, when they performed "Sandwitches" on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. On March 16, Tyler and Hodgy performed "Yonkers" and "Sandwitches" at the 2011 MTUV Woodie Awards, being joined by other members of Odd Future during "Sandwitches". During an interview with Tyler for Interview, Waka Flocka Flame expressed his interest in collaborating with the Odd Future frontman to direct a music video for him. In early 2011, Tyler told fans through his Formspring account that his second album would be called Wolf and it was scheduled to be released in May 2012. Tyler also announced that Odd Future would establish their own TV show called Loiter Squad. On September 8, 2011, the show was finally confirmed as a 15-minute live-action show composed of various sketches, man on the street segments, pranks and music made by Odd Future. Dickhouse Productions, the production partnership that created Jackass, was scheduled to produce the show.

Odd Future's television show Loiter Squad premiered on Adult Swim on March 25, 2012. The show ran for three seasons and featured guest appearances from celebrities, including Johnny Knoxville, Lil Wayne and Seth Rogen. In 2015, Okonma stated that the show "is no more". On February 14, 2013, Odd Future uploaded a video to their YouTube account, which includes L-Boy skydiving and stating that Wolf would be released on April 2, 2013. The same day, Okonma would reveal the three album covers via his Instagram account.

In promotion of Wolf, Tyler performed several guest verses for other artists, notably "Trouble on My Mind" by GOOD Music artist Pusha T, "Martians vs. Goblins" by The Game (also featuring Lil Wayne), "I'ma Hata" by DJ Drama (also featuring Waka Flocka Flame and D-Bo), the title track from fellow Odd Future member Domo Genesis' collaboration album with The Alchemist, No Idols, and "Blossom & Burn" by Trash Talk (also featuring Hodgy Beats). Okonma also co-produced the song "666" from MellowHype's third album Numbers, which featured Mike G.

Through March and April 2013, Tyler toured North America and Europe. The first single from the album was released on February 14, 2013, titled "Domo23" along with the music video which features cameos from Domo Genesis, Earl Sweatshirt, Jasper Dolphin and Taco Bennett. On February 26, 2013, Tyler performed the songs "Domo23" and "Treehome95" on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

Wolf was released on April 2, 2013, by Odd Future Records and RED Distribution under Sony Music Entertainment. It featured guest appearances by Frank Ocean, Mike G, Domo Genesis, Earl Sweatshirt, Left Brain, Hodgy Beats, Pharrell, Casey Veggies and Erykah Badu. The album was produced solely by Tyler, except for the final track "Lone". Along with the lead single "Domo23", music videos were filmed for "Bimmer", "IFHY" and "Jamba". Upon release, the album was met with generally positive reviews and debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, selling 90,000 copies in its first week.

2015–2016: Cherry Bomb

On April 9, 2015, Okonma released the music video for the song "Fucking Young" to Odd Future's official YouTube channel. The video also included a short snippet of another song, "Deathcamp". Okonma announced on the same day that the songs will be featured on his upcoming album Cherry Bomb, set for release on April 13, 2015. Okonma announced via his Twitter account that the album would feature Charlie Wilson, Chaz Bundick and Black Lips member Cole Alexander. Two days later, Okonma performed the songs "Fucking Young" and "Deathcamp" for the first time at Coachella. During the set, Okonma notably criticized VIP members in the audience, of which many were celebrities, for their lack of enthusiasm.

Cherry Bomb was released digitally on April 13, 2015, through Odd Future Records, with physical copies of the album, featuring five different album covers, set to be released on April 28, 2015. The album features performances from notable artists such as Kanye West, Lil Wayne and Schoolboy Q. The album was supported by a world tour through North America, Europe and Asia, beginning at Coachella music festival on April 11, 2015, and ending in Tokyo, Japan in September 2015. Okonma cancelled the Australian leg of his Cherry Bomb World Tour following a campaign by the grassroots organization Collective Shout against the portrayal of women in his music.

On August 26, 2015, Okonma revealed that he had been banned from visiting the United Kingdom for three to five years, which forced him to cancel a string of tour dates supporting the Cherry Bomb album, including the Reading and Leeds Festivals. The reason for the ban comes from lyrics dating back to 2009. His manager Christian Clancy said they were informed of the ban via a letter from then-Home Secretary Theresa May. May cited lyrics from the mixtape Bastard as the reason for the ban, although Okonma had toured multiple times in the UK since its release. Okonma later claimed that he felt he had been treated "like a terrorist" and implied that the ban was racially motivated, stating that "they did not like the fact that their children were idolizing a black man".

2017–2018: Flower Boy, television, and WANG$AP

On April 8, 2017, Frank Ocean released a song titled "Biking" on his Beats One radio station "blonded RADIO", which features both Tyler, the Creator and Jay Z. Eight days later it was announced Okonma would write, produce, and perform the theme song for scientist Bill Nye's new show, Bill Nye Saves the World.

On June 28, the trailer for Okonma's TV show Nuts + Bolts premiered on Viceland. The show focuses on things Tyler, the Creator finds interesting or is passionate about, and explains how they are created. The series premiered on August 3, 2017.

On June 29, 2017, Okonma released the song "Who Dat Boy" featuring ASAP Rocky on a new YouTube channel, following many promotional countdown posts on his social media accounts. Later that night, he released the song on streaming services alongside a new song titled "911 / Mr. Lonely" featuring Steve Lacy, Frank Ocean, and Anna of the North. On July 6, 2017, he announced the title, tracklist and release date of his fourth album, Flower Boy, which was released on July 21, 2017. Several singles were released following up to the album's release date, including "Boredom" and "I Ain't Got Time!". The album was released via iTunes, Spotify, and other major music services. On September 14, 2017, Tyler, the Creator announced his third TV show to date, The Jellies. It premiered on October 22, 2017. Flower Boy received rave reviews from critics and was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards, giving Tyler his second Grammy nomination after contributing to 2013 Album of the Year nominee Channel Orange, but was beat out by Kendrick Lamar's fourth studio album Damn.

On March 29, 2018, Okonma released "Okra", amongst a string of freestyles and remixes. Okonma referred to it as a "throwaway song", stating that it was not going to be included on any upcoming album, and was not an indication of the sound of any future projects. On May 22, 2018, he released "435", continuing this string of singles. On July 23, 2018, Okonma and ASAP Rocky announced a collaborative project, WANG$AP, by releasing a music video for a remix of Monica's "Knock Knock" named "Potato Salad" on "AWGE DVD (Vol. 3)", a video compilation by AWGE, ASAP Rocky's creative agency.

2019–present: Igor and Call Me If You Get Lost

On May 6, 2019, Okonma released two short video clips on his online profiles which featured new music. The videos showed him dancing erratically while wearing a long blonde wig, multicolored suit, black sunglasses, and a grill; he donned the same style for pictures on his social media and the music videos for the album's singles. He soon announced his fifth studio album, Igor, which was released on May 17. Igor was met with widespread critical acclaim and debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, becoming Tyler's first number-one album in the United States. The album also features the song "Earfquake", which peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. On December 23, 2019, Okonma released two songs, "Best Interest", a song that did not make the cut of Igor that was released with a music video, and "Group B". Igor won the award for Best Rap Album at the 62nd Grammy Awards.

For Okonma's sixth studio album, Call Me If You Get Lost, the artist placed billboards in major cities across the world containing a phone number that when called, a recorded conversation between Okonma and his mother played. That recording is included in the album as "Momma Talk". Soon after the billboards were spotted, a website of the same name was discovered. The album's lead single, "Lumberjack", was released on June 16. The following day, Okonma revealed the album's cover and confirmed its release date of June 25. Upon release, it received widespread critical acclaim and debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, becoming Okonma's second number-one album in the United States. On January 5, 2022, Tyler, the Creator was announced as a headliner of Louisville's Forecastle Festival scheduled for May 27–29, 2022.

On March 25, 2022, Okonma appeared on two tracks off Nigo's album I Know Nigo!, the opening track "Lost and Found Freestyle 2019" with A$AP Rocky, and the closer, "Come On, Let's Go", the latter of which was released along with a music video showcasing Tyler's Golf le Fleur* clothing line. Call Me If You Get Lost won the award for Best Rap Album at the 64th Grammy Awards.

Artistry

Okonma's music has been variously considered alternative hip hop, bedroom pop, jazz rap, R&B, and neo soul, while his earlier music was considered horrorcore. Over the years, his style of production has progressed from gritty and dark in early projects such as Goblin, but soon transitioned to a more jazz-based approach, with the album Cherry Bomb, which Okonma described in 2018 as his favorite album. Okonma's fourth album, Flower Boy, "marked the beginning of a new era — a complete departure from the wildly offensive lyrics and dark themes that defined his previous works". Igor, Okonma's first Grammy-winning album, was a deeply personal concept album about "the emotional journey of being the odd man out in a love triangle", while Call Me If You Get Lost, his second Grammy-winning album, was a concept album about "the persona of “Tyler Baudelaire,” a suave, well-traveled gentleman with a sophisticated taste for high art".

Okonma is also known as the leader of Odd Future, and the group as a whole has been compared to the influential hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan. Since the beginning of his career, Okonma has largely self-produced songs for his projects and other Odd Future members; he has been heavily influenced by the production work of The Neptunes member Pharrell Williams, whose debut solo album, In My Mind (2006), had a substantial impact on Okonma, inspiring him to co-found the Odd Future collective. He has also cited Williams' band N.E.R.D's debut album In Search of... (2001) as an impactful album for him. Tyler has named Washed Out, Beach House and Broadcast as influences.

He was also initially influenced by rapper Eminem, calling Eminem's album Relapse (2009) one of his favorite albums in 2011. However, funny enough in 2019, Tyler and Eminem got into a dilemma. Back on Eminem’s Kamikaze album, which includes a song titled “Fall.” In the song, Eminem raps: “My attack is vicious, Jack the Ripper, back in business. Tyler create nothin’, I see why you called yourself a f*****, b**ch, It’s not just ’cause you lack attention, It’s because you worship D12’s balls, you’re sack-religious, If you’re gonna critique me, You better at least be as good or better.“ The diss was fueled by anger due to the moments Slim Shady rapper specifically mentioned are when Tyler tweeted about 2014’s Shady XV and called it “ass,” and when Earl said “if you still follow Eminem, you drink way too much Mountain Dew” in a 2015 interview with Spin. Eminem has expressed this made him create his diss, but regrets it.

During Tyler’s acceptance of the Cultural Influence Award at the BET Awards, Okonma thanked Q-Tip, André 3000, Chad Hugo, Kanye West, Missy Elliot, Busta Rhymes, and Hype Williams as his influences.

In addition to music, Okonma also is involved in the fashion industry; he runs both Golf Wang, a streetwear company known for its colorful aesthetic, and Golf Le Fleur, a high-end luxury line described to "embody the globe-trotting mise en scène of his latest album Call Me If You Get Lost".

Sources: Wikipedia, Southpawer, Indiehiphop

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