Dear Tyler the Creator
No, this isn't a review. There are too many of those floating around, and with the uniqueness of your work, there really isn't a perspective out there that I trust other than my own. I suppose that is the mark of a 'game-changer'. *cringes* If there was a resounding opinion on Goblin, I'd be less likely to write this letter, as no one would be able to differentiate mine from the sea. Rather, this letter is a barometer of sorts; an understanding of how your album, your presence, and what you stand for stand to make waves in the hip-hop industry.
Tyler, I am by no means a fan of your work. Too often, I feel that your macabre and grotesque imagery is done for shock-value and is indicative of your young age. However, I see its appeal for the masses of Odd Future faithful that have appeared over the past year. You cater to a crowd that is internet-savvy, but weary of the structure that the 'blog game' places on the hip-hop industry. Rather than kow-tow to the likes of NahRight 2DopeBoyz and whatever other website, you staunchly disowned them, essentially slandering them constantly. It got to a point where you had the oft-disparaging Eskay (nobody really likes him anyway) engaging in a long Twitter tirade about how much he disliked you, simply because you had gotten to the pinnacle of hip-hop stardom without a virtual cosign from him or the other new hip-hop pundits. Rather than whore yourself through generic press releases done by some PR guy who has no connection to OFWGKTA, you made your sound speak for you, something that most artists have forgotten to do in this 'blog age'.
That you and Odd Future have kept the group a close-knit band of wily, angry teenagers serves to enforce this 'us against the world' mentality that makes you unique. It serves as a bastion of unity, an 'us' in a sea of 'me's' that dominates hip-hop. I've called hip-hop over the past two years an 'arms race of collectives', yet most of the big groups are a mish-mash of different sounds put together for the sole purpose of making money and promotion. Let's be honest. Wale and Meek Mill might be cool on wax, but aside from their MMG imprint, the two have little in common. Drake, Nicki and Wayne are three breeds of rapper being kept in the same kennel. And though all of GOOD Music seem to have similar lyrical abilities, Big Sean's 'swag' stature seems to wane in the shadow of Pusha T's larger-than-life drug raps. Your team's collective sound keeps the outsiders out, and the insiders and fans interested. Never repeating, never re-imagining, always living up to your namesake as a creator, you and your squad have deep wells of inspiration and creativity. It endears the listener because they know you won't be influenced the corporate entities that seem to woo you just for a chance at a chart topper.
Speaking of chart-topping, Goblin debuted at #5 on the Billboard charts. While I'm sure you could give two half-shits about your mainstream standing, as evidenced by you and OFWGKTA's drubbing of FOX News' conservative white reporters, that your name ended up on FOX's clueless lips is evidence enough of how your chaotic style ruffles peoples' feathers. No one knows what you or the Wolf Gang will do next. You don't mirror the rest of the hip-hop world. There is no formula to your madness, which is what makes people tune in. Since the turn of the new year, few if any hip-hop acts have registered on my radar because they all follow formulas.
In a sea of generic, monochromatic goons all searching for beats from the same producers and visuals from the same artists, you've become the technicolor goblin with a squad of monsters behind you just waiting to kill them all. Even as the 'urban' *gags at MTO* and mainstream media catches on, and as most fail to find your true 'niche', it's obvious that categorizing you is pointless. You don't color within the lines. You've already broken any box you could be put in, and shattered any comparisons that could be made. This is all while gaining the adoration of a like-minded, school-hating, establishment-gagging, sneaker-clad army of wolves shouting 'swag!', not as a banner, but as a mockery of the industry that has come to emulate itself so much that the few originators don't even know what to do anymore. Do I 'like' your music? Mehhh... Yet, no one can ever deny the ripples that you and the Wolf Gang are causing, one mosh pit at a time.
