The former hellraiser’s sixth album saw him reflecting, after turning 30, on his early stardom and showing off his soft side in regretful love songs as well as rap fireworksThe 50 best albums of 2021More on the best culture of 2021In 2010, Tyler, the Creator tweeted that he wanted a Gangsta Grillz tape, the prolific DJ Drama mixtape series which informed much of the best hip-hop of the 2000s. Tyler has lived out a lot of his dreams in the intervening years. After his collective Odd Future changed the game in the early 2010s, their hellraising gave way to radical art from members Frank Ocean, Earl Sweatshirt, Syd and Tyler, who became one of the most respected rappers and producers around. He’s collaborated with many of the artists he obsessed over back then. He’s written
music scores and scripted TV shows; he won a Grammy; he runs a revered
fashion line and a successful festival.
His sixth album, Call Me If You Get Lost, finds the artist reaching 30 and reflecting on his life so far: the joys and luxuries (“It’s opulence, baby!”), his growth from the shock-rap days in the context of contemporary
Social Media “activism” (“Internet bringin’ old lyrics up like I hide the shit”), and the sacrifices along the way (“Everyone I ever loved had to be loved in the shadows”). Between tracks, DJ Drama “hosts” the record, offering wry tags and playful stories from their global travels (like how in Switzerland, “a young lady just fed me French vanilla ice-cream!”). Gangsta Grillz tapes have fallen off the mainstream radar in recent years: for Tyler to breathe new life into the format in 2021 is a testament not only to his ambition and vision, but his ability to fulfil them.