Answer (Tyler, the Creator song)

"Answer"
Song by Tyler, the Creator
from the album Wolf
Released	April 2, 2013
Genre	Hip hop
Length	3:50, Music Video Version 1:48
Label	Odd Future
Songwriter	Tyler Okonma
Producers	Tyler, The Creator

"Answer" is a hip-hop song by the American rapper and producer Tyler, the Creator, released as the sixth track from his third studio album Wolf (2013). The song was solely written and produced by Tyler, the Creator, and was released with the rest of its parent album on April 2, 2013. A music video accompanying a heavily shortened version of the song was released on October 8, 2013, which also featured the song "Tamale" from the same album.

Composition

The song features 'shimmering' organs, 'simple' electric guitar scales and a 'comforting, moody' bass. ^{[1] [2]} The lyric's involve Tyler rapping about his absent father. In the verses, he expresses his anger towards him, going as far as to call him a homophobic slur and comparing him to a sperm donor. The chorus, however, puts a contrast onto these lyrics, where Tyler states that if he was to call his father, he would hope that he would answer. The third and final verse features Tyler rapping about new developements in his group at the time, Odd Future, aswell as the passing of his grandmother. ^[2]

Critical reception

Kathy Iandoli from Billboard Magazine praised the song for its 'vulnerability' and described it as 'bipolar'. ^[3] Nia Coats of Okayplayer ranked it amongst Tyler The Creator's best 26 songs ^[4] , while Michael Herbers of medium Medium claimed it is an 'essential' Tyler, The Creator song. ^[5]

Music video

The music video for Answer features a heavily edited version of the song, cutting its length to below 2 minutes. It plays at the end of the music video for Tamale, and features Tyler, The Creator on a coach, lipsyncing to the song, while Pharell Williams and Lucas Vercetti mime the song on drums and keyboard. ^{[ citation needed ]}

Certifications

Certifications for "Tamale"

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [6]	Gold	500,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Jenkins, Craig. "Tyler, the Creator: Wolf". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2025-10-28.
2. Jr, Billy Johnson (2013-04-05). "Tyler, The Creator Imagines Phone Call With Deadbeat Dad On 'Answer'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2025-10-28.
3. Iandoli, Kathy (2013-03-29). "Tyler, the Creator, 'Wolf': Track-By-Track Review". Billboard. Retrieved 2025-10-28.
4. Coats, Nia (2025-03-06). "The 16 Best Tyler, the Creator Songs". www.okayplayer.com. Retrieved 2025-10-28.
5. Herbers, Michael (2024-10-28). "20 Essential Tyler, the Creator Songs".
6. "American single certifications – Tyler, the Creator – Answer". Recording Industry Association of America.