Flower Boy | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() Cover artwork by Eric White | ||||
Studio album by | ||||
Released | July 21, 2017 | |||
Recorded | 2015–2017 | |||
Studio |
| |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 46:33 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Producer | Tyler, the Creator | |||
Tyler, the Creator chronology | ||||
| ||||
Alternative cover | ||||
![]() | ||||
Singles from Flower Boy | ||||
|
Flower Boy (alternatively titled Scum Fuck Flower Boy) is the fourth studio album by American rapper Tyler,the Creator. The album was released on July 21,2017,by Columbia Records. Produced entirely by Tyler,the album features guest vocals from a range of artists,including Frank Ocean,ASAP Rocky,Anna of the North,Lil Wayne,Kali Uchis,Steve Lacy,Estelle,Jaden Smith and Rex Orange County.
Flower Boy was supported by four singles:"Who Dat Boy" / "911","Boredom","I Ain't Got Time!" and "See You Again". The album received widespread acclaim from critics for its smoothness,unique blend of genres,collaborations and its production. It debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart. The album was named among the best albums of 2017 and the decade by multiple publications and was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 2018 Grammy Awards.
With Flower Boy,Tyler decided to take a more personal approach compared to his previous album, Cherry Bomb ,stating "For Cherry Bomb I purposely was like,I don't want to get personal at all. Like,I'm just going to make songs. And in this one I was like alright,let me write down every feeling". [3] Tyler felt that the general response to Cherry Bomb was poor and he wanted to deliver an album that succeeded it well. [4] The official title was originally thought to be Scum Fuck Flower Boy but was later confirmed simply as Flower Boy shortly prior to release. [5] Tyler noted the works of Max Martin,Pharrell Williams and Justin Timberlake as musical inspirations for the album. [4]
Recording began in late 2015. [4] Like previous releases,the album was produced by Tyler himself. He decided to keep his rap verses short and to-the-point to give guest artists and instrumentation more of a focal point. [6] Many songs on the album featured guitar playing by Austin Feinstein. [7] The beat used on the song "I Ain't Got Time!" was initially made for Kanye West during recording sessions for West's seventh studio album The Life of Pablo . [3] After West declined it,the beat was sent to rapper Nicki Minaj who,after a month,also turned it down. [3] "Glitter" was written for Justin Bieber;Tyler kept it after Bieber did not return any of his calls. [3] "See You Again" was written for former One Direction member Zayn Malik but was later kept after Malik rejected the song twice. [8] "Who Dat Boy" was rejected by rapper Schoolboy Q. [4]
Correlating with the album's title,Tyler has noted flowers as a recurring theme of the album. [4] Andy Kellman of AllMusic describes the overall lyrical content of the album as Tyler's "least vulgar release" compared to the shock value lyrics in his previous projects. [9] The album's opening track,"Foreword",is described by Scott Glaysher of XXL as an open letter to the fans and the nation,citing the lines "How many raps can I write 'til I get me a chain?/How many chains can I wear 'til I'm considered a slave?/How many slaves can it be until Nat Turner arise?/How many riots can it be 'til them Black lives matter?" [10] "Where This Flower Blooms" refers back to his times before fame and money in the first line. Tyler says "Let's take it back to them days/Counting sheep on Sadie Hannah's floor" which refers to the time before and during the release of his debut mixtape Bastard (2009) when he lived in his grandmother's house. [11] "Sometimes..." is a short track which includes an unidentified male stating that he wants to hear the song about him,hinting that following song,"See You Again",is about Tyler's male lover. "See You Again" is described as a "positively kaleidoscopic love song" about an unidentified person. [9]
Jesse Fairfax of HipHopDX describes "Who Dat Boy" as a "raucous jam that sounds like a score to a horror film",while Zachary Hoskins of Slant Magazine compared the song to Kanye West's song "Freestyle 4". [12] "Pothole" is described as a "low-profile standout" that features vehicular metaphors;potholes are used as a metaphor for being stuck in life. [9] [4] Calum Slingerland of Exclaim! describes "Garden Shed" featuring "psychedelic guitar licks and synths [that] build up a ballad featuring Estelle vocals,as liberation is encouraged before noisy feedback makes way for a confessional verse". Slingerland proclaimed the song is "one of [Tyler's] most powerful recorded moments to date",and also picked out the references to sexuality. [13] Zachary Hoskins of Slant Magazine describes "Garden Shed" as a "woozy trapped-in-the-closet metaphor". [12] Kevin Lozano of Pitchfork spoke on the song "Boredom",stating "[Tyler's] range is kaleidoscopic,and the neo-soul sound he started to shape on Wolf is in full flower" and "large parts of the song is an exercise for him to flex his production skills". [14]
Calum Slingerland of Exclaim! identifies the reference to River Phoenix on "I Ain't Got Time!". Tyler raps "Passenger a white boy,look like River Phoenix". This may also be a reference to the music video of "Who Dat Boy" in which Tyler is in a car with a River Phoenix lookalike sitting in the passenger seat. [13] "I Ain't Got Time!" contains lines that were considered comparable to Eminem's "outlandish statements" throughout his career. [15] The A.V. Club comments on the sampling on "I Ain't Got Time!",saying that it turns an "accordion into a fun-house mirror,warped and disorienting". [16] The song "I Ain't Got Time!" contains the lyrics "I've been kissing white boys since 2004". [17] The song "Garden Shed" also contains subtle references to sexuality with the lyrics "That was real love I was in/Ain't no reason to pretend" and "All my friends was lost/They couldn't read the signs/I didn't want to talk/I tell 'em my location and they ain't want to walk". [18] This led many to speculate that Tyler was "coming out of the closet" as either bisexual or homosexual. This was especially interesting because his lyrics in previous albums were considered homophobic and led to him being banned from entering the United Kingdom for three to five years in 2015. [19] Tyler had previously hinted towards his sexuality status a few years prior. [20]
Vanessa Okoth-Obbo of Pitchfork described "911 / Mr. Lonely" as "look[ing] at the overarching theme of loneliness,on two contrasting,but equally intriguing beats" and stated that the song "represents a further maturation in sound,and apparently his problems too". [21] Hiba Argane of Affinity Magazine analyzed the song "Glitter",stating that it "possesses a repetitive quality,but you can almost feel a crescendo in the content". [22] The final track,"Enjoy Right Now,Today",is an instrumental that features backing vocals from Pharrell Williams. [22]
The album title,tracklist and release date was announced by Tyler,the Creator on July 6,2017,via social media. [23] [24] Two covers were unveiled upon announcement,the main cover designed by Michigan-born artist Eric White and the alternative cover designed by Tyler himself. [25] Billboard 's Tatiana Cirisano listed White's cover as one of the best of 2017,dubbing it "surreal". [26] The album leaked 11 days before the announced release date of July 21. [27]
After a one-week countdown on Twitter and Instagram,Tyler,the Creator released a music video,titled "Who Dat Boy",to his official YouTube channel on June 29,2017. [28] [29] The album's lead single,"Who Dat Boy" / "911",containing two songs:"Who Dat Boy" and "911 / Mr. Lonely" was released as a dual single on June 30,2017. [30] The single peaked at number 87 on the US Billboard Hot 100. [31] The album's second single,"Boredom",was released on July 11,2017. [32] The album's third single,"I Ain't Got Time!",was released on July 19,2017. [33] The album's fourth single,"See You Again",was released on August 29,2017,to rhythmic and urban contemporary radio. [34] [35]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 7.9/10 [36] |
Metacritic | 84/100 [37] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The A.V. Club | A− [16] |
Exclaim! | 7/10 [13] |
The Guardian | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
HipHopDX | 4.5/5 [15] |
The Independent | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
NME | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Pitchfork | 8.5/10 [41] |
Slant Magazine | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
XXL | 4/5 [10] |
Flower Boy was met with widespread critical acclaim. At Metacritic,which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications,the album received an average score of 84,based on 18 reviews. [37] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 7.9 out of 10,based on their assessment of the critical consensus. [36]
Andy Kellman of AllMusic gave a positive review,stating "While most of these songs are rife with anxiety and isolation,the open-hearted lyricism and wide-scoped productions,put together by an artist in peak form,make them immensely engrossing. Frank Ocean,Pharrell Williams,Kali Uchis,Syd,and Estelle are among 11 supporting cast members,not one of whom is inessential to the whole". [9] Flower Boy was named "Best New Music" by Pitchfork,with reviewer Sheldon Pearce writing,"Tyler's most sincere and most accomplished album,he gets to the essence of what he's been chiseling at:the angst of a missed connection,the pain of unrequited love,and navigating youthful ennui". [41] In his review,Andy Gill of The Independent states,"Flower Boy presents a surprisingly sensitive,thoughtful,even pleasant personality". [39] Jesse Fairfax of HipHopDX stated,"Clocking in at 47 minutes,the album is both Tyler,the Creator's shortest and most cohesive album to date and is full of introspective admissions that logically line up with his public character". [15] Renato Pagnani of The A.V. Club said,"Flower Boy is the first time he's been equally as forthcoming in his actual music. His flow has tightened up,and for a man whose voice basically destined him for rap stardom,he's become even better at stretching his booming baritone into novel shapes,employing a plethora of flows". [16] Scott Glaysher of XXL praised the album saying,"These days,there aren't many rap albums that can service as a deeply digested work of art as well as music for easy listening,yet Tyler,The Creator fills both lanes well. He manages to find the happy medium on Flower Boy and translates it to his best album yet". [10]
Jamie Milton of NME wrote that the album is "Backed by a supporting cast of R&B superstars and bright newcomers,it's a record of long,lazy summers;sitting back and staring at the clouds". [40] Lewis Lister of Clash said,"Previously it felt like as though these two sides have been difficult to reconcile on record;the abrasive would often be at odds with the tranquil,particularly on last studio album Cherry Bomb. On Flower Boy,though,Tyler has perfected his marriage of the two". [42] Paul Lester of The Guardian wrote:"If anything,Flower Boy captures Tyler at his least tormented and twisted;it is an album of exquisitely arranged,melodious synth-rap,wistful and reflective,heavy on the heavenly. It's not all dreamy—watch out for the occasional profane pothole—but largely this is the work of an evolved artist and mature person." [38] Austin Reed of Pretty Much Amazing said,"Flower Boy has elevated Tyler closer to the line. An unexpected move to be sure,but no less impressive whatsoever". [43] In a mixed review, Consequence 's Kelly McClure stated:"It's more of the same. It seems to be needing something more. An extra spark of interest." [44] In September 2022,Consequence regretted the review,with Eddie Fu stating:"Flower Boy represented musical growth characterized by its embrace of neo soul and jazz. Even then,it was apparent that the LP was a major leap in Tyler's career." [45]
Publication | List | Rank | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
Billboard | Billboard's 50 Best Albums of 2017 | 29 | |
Complex | The Best Albums of 2017 | 6 | |
Exclaim! | Exclaim!'s Top 10 Hip-Hop Albums of 2017 | 6 | |
NME | NME's Albums of the Year 2017 | 19 | |
Now | The 10 best albums of 2017 | 7 | |
Noisey | The 100 Best Albums of 2017 | 5 | |
The 100 Best Albums of the 2010s | 53 | ||
Paste | The 100 Best Albums of the 2010s | 96 | |
Pitchfork | The 50 Best Albums of 2017 | 8 | |
The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s | 120 | ||
Slant Magazine | The 25 Best Albums of 2017 | 14 | |
The Wire | Top 50 Releases of 2017 | 18 |
Ceremony | Year | Category | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Grammy Awards | 2018 | Best Rap Album | Nominated |
Flower Boy debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 with 106,000 album-equivalent units of which 70,000 were pure album sales. [59]
All tracks produced by Tyler,the Creator. [60]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Foreword" (featuring Rex Orange County) | 3:14 | |
2. | "Where This Flower Blooms" (featuring Frank Ocean) |
| 3:14 |
3. | "Sometimes..." | Okonma | 0:36 |
4. | "See You Again" (featuring Kali Uchis) | Okonma | 3:00 |
5. | "Who Dat Boy" (featuring ASAP Rocky) |
| 3:25 |
6. | "Pothole" (featuring Jaden Smith) | 3:57 | |
7. | "Garden Shed" (featuring Estelle) |
| 3:43 |
8. | "Boredom" (featuring Rex Orange County and Anna of the North) | Okonma | 5:20 |
9. | "I Ain't Got Time!" | Okonma | 3:26 |
10. | "911 / Mr. Lonely" (featuring Frank Ocean and Steve Lacy) |
| 4:15 |
11. | "Droppin' Seeds" (featuring Lil Wayne) |
| 1:00 |
12. | "November" | Okonma | 3:45 |
13. | "Glitter" | Okonma | 3:44 |
14. | "Enjoy Right Now, Today" | Okonma | 3:55 |
Total length: | 46:34 |
Samples
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. [60]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [88] | Gold | 35,000‡ |
Canada (Music Canada) [89] | Platinum | 80,000‡ |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [90] | Platinum | 20,000‡ |
France (SNEP) [91] | Gold | 50,000‡ |
Sweden (GLF) [92] | Gold | 15,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [93] | Gold | 100,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [94] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
All Eyez on Me is the fourth studio album by American rapper 2Pac and the last to be released during his lifetime. Released on February 13, 1996, by Death Row and Interscope Records, the album features guest appearances from Dr. Dre, Snoop Doggy Dogg, Redman, Method Man, Nate Dogg, Kurupt, Daz Dillinger, E-40, K-Ci & JoJo, and the Outlawz, among others.
Tyler Gregory Okonma, known professionally as Tyler, the Creator, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, and fashion designer. 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 a "Internet phenomenon" that included a new wave of alternative hip-hop and R&B artists during the 2010s.
Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, better known as Odd Future and often abbreviated as OF or OFWGKTA, was an American alternative hip-hop music collective formed in Los Angeles, California in 2007. The original members were Tyler, the Creator, Casey Veggies, Hodgy, Left Brain, Matt Martians, Jasper Dolphin, Earl Sweatshirt, Travis "Taco" Bennett, and Syd. Later members included brandUn DeShay, Pyramid Vritra, Domo Genesis, Mike G, L-Boy, Frank Ocean, and Na-Kel Smith.
Goblin is the debut studio album by American rapper Tyler, the Creator. It was released on May 10, 2011, by XL Recordings. Goblin continues Tyler's dialogues with his fictional therapist Dr. TC, first heard on his 2009 mixtape, Bastard. The album's songs were produced almost entirely by Tyler himself, along with a contribution from fellow Odd Future member Left Brain. The album features guest appearances from Odd Future members Frank Ocean, Hodgy Beats, Jasper Dolphin, Taco, Domo Genesis, Mike G and Syd.
This is the discography of Tyler, the Creator, an American rapper and the former leader of the Los Angeles hip hop collective Odd Future. His discography consists of one mixtape, six studio albums, one EP, and thirty-two singles.
Wolf is the second studio album by American rapper and record producer Tyler, the Creator. It was released on April 2, 2013, by Odd Future Records. The album features guest appearances from Mike G, Domo Genesis, Earl Sweatshirt, Left Brain, Hodgy Beats, Erykah Badu and Pharrell, among others.
Cherry Bomb is the third studio album by the American rapper Tyler, the Creator. It was released on April 13, 2015, by Odd Future Records. On April 9, 2015, the album was informally announced on iTunes, along with the release of two tracks. Production was handled entirely by Tyler himself, with additional contributions by Incubus guitarist Mike Einziger. The album features guest appearances from Schoolboy Q, Charlie Wilson, Kali Uchis, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Pharrell Williams and Austin Feinstein, among others. The album was supported by two singles: "Deathcamp" and "Fucking Young / Perfect", accompanied by 2 music videos.
Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1 is the fifth studio album by Scottish DJ and record producer Calvin Harris. It was released on 30 June 2017 by Columbia Records. The album features guest appearances by Frank Ocean, Migos, Schoolboy Q, PartyNextDoor, DRAM, Young Thug, Pharrell Williams, Ariana Grande, Future, Khalid, Travis Scott, Snoop Dogg, John Legend, Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry, Big Sean, Kehlani, Lil Yachty, and Jessie Reyez, as well as prominent writing contributions from Starrah. It is also Harris' first album not to feature his vocals.
"Who Dat Boy" is a song written and performed by American rapper Tyler, the Creator featuring fellow American rapper ASAP Rocky. Produced by the former, it was released on June 30, 2017 alongside, "911 / Mr. Lonely" through Columbia Records, as the lead singles from his fourth studio album Flower Boy.
"911 / Mr. Lonely" is a song by American rapper Tyler, the Creator featuring American singers Frank Ocean & Steve Lacy as well as Norwegian singer Anna of the North It was released through Columbia Records on June 30, 2017, alongside "Who Dat Boy", as the lead singles from the former's fourth studio album, Flower Boy. Produced by Tyler, he wrote the song alongside Ocean, with Raymond Calhoun receiving writing credits for the interpolation of The Gap Band's song "Outstanding."
"I Ain't Got Time!" is a song by American rapper Tyler, the Creator, released on July 19, 2017 as the third single from his fourth studio album Flower Boy, which was released two days later. It features additional vocals from Shane Powers and incorporates elements of "Introduction" by Bel-Sha-Zaar featuring Tommy Genapopoluis and the Grecian Knights.
Add Violence is the fourth EP and eleventh major release by the American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. Issued through the Null Corporation and Capitol Records on July 19, 2017, it is the second in a trilogy of releases, following the EP Not the Actual Events (2016) and preceding the band's ninth studio album Bad Witch (2018). It was produced by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.
Gemini is the second solo studio album by American rapper Macklemore. It was released on September 22, 2017, via Bendo & distributed by Warner Music. The first album he released without producer Ryan Lewis since his 2005 solo effort The Language of My World, Gemini is devoid of any political subject matter and just about having a good time.
Testing is the third studio album by American rapper ASAP Rocky. It was released on May 25, 2018, by ASAP Worldwide, Polo Grounds Music and RCA Records. The album includes guest appearances from Frank Ocean, Kid Cudi, Skepta, French Montana, Kodak Black, Dev Hynes and FKA Twigs, among others, and was produced primarily by Hector Delgado and ASAP Rocky himself, alongside a variety of high-profile record producers.
"Smuckers" is a song by the American rapper Tyler, the Creator featuring fellow American rappers Lil Wayne and Kanye West, from Tyler's third studio album Cherry Bomb (2015). It features background vocals from Samantha Nelson. The song was written by the three lead artists with Gabriele Ducros, and was produced by Tyler.
"Okra" is a song by American hip hop artist Tyler, the Creator, released as a digital single on March 29, 2018. It was written and produced by Tyler, the Creator. Described by Tyler as a "throwaway song", the single garnered media attention for its abrupt release and a lyrical reference to American actor Timothée Chalamet. "Okra" has been described as a rap song with bass, drums, snare, piano, and strings in its instrumentation, with its production complementing Tyler's vocal performance, which was shifted up one semitone. In the lyrics, Tyler makes references to several pop culture figures in addition to Chalamet, and also alludes to the separation of hip hop collective Odd Future, which Tyler co-founded.
Igor is the fifth studio album by the American rapper and producer Tyler, the Creator. It was released on May 17, 2019, through Columbia Records. Produced solely by Tyler himself, the album features guest appearances from Playboi Carti, Lil Uzi Vert, Solange, Kanye West, and Jerrod Carmichael. Following the release of Tyler's previous album Flower Boy (2017), the album was primarily recorded in California, with recording sessions also being held in Lake Como, Italy, and Atlanta between 2017 and 2019.
Erys is the second studio album by American rapper Jaden, released on July 5, 2019, through MSFTSMusic and Roc Nation. It is the follow-up to 2017's Syre, and features collaborations with Tyler, the Creator, Trinidad James, ASAP Rocky, Kid Cudi, Lido, and Willow. The lead single "Again" was released on July 2.
Call Me If You Get Lost is the sixth studio album by American rapper and producer Tyler, the Creator. The album was released on June 25, 2021, through Columbia Records. The album is narrated by DJ Drama and features guest appearances from 42 Dugg, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Ty Dolla Sign, Lil Wayne, Domo Genesis, Brent Faiyaz, Lil Uzi Vert, Pharrell Williams, Teezo Touchdown, Fana Hues and Daisy World. Tyler produced the album himself, with additional production contributed by Jamie xx and Jay Versace.
Tyler, the Creator mused on fluid sexuality and crippling loneliness on his jazz-rap opus, Flower Boy
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link){{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)