Tyler, The Creator is a rap artist, beatmaker and producer from California who has become known online not only for music, but also for provocations. In addition to his career as a solo artist, the artist was also the ideological inspirer and created the OFWGKTA collective. It was thanks to the group that he gained his first popularity in the early 2010s.
Now the musician has 6 own albums and 4 collections for the band. In 2020, the performer was awarded the Grammy Award for Best Rap Record.
Childhood and adolescence Tyler, The Creator
Tyler Gregory Okonma is the artist's real name. He was born on March 6, 1991 in Ladera Heights, California. The artist grew up in an incomplete family. The father did not live with them and did not take part in the upbringing of the child. Moreover, the guy never saw him. The musician has African-American and European-Canadian (from the mother's side) and Nigerian roots (from the father's side).
Basically, the performer spent his childhood in the cities of Ladera Heights and Horton with his mother and sister. Tyler went to school for 12 years and changed 12 schools during this time. In fact, he started every school year at a new school. During his studies, he was very aloof and shy, but became popular in his last year. Then classmates learned about his musical abilities and began to show considerable attention to the aspiring artist.
Tyler's love for music appeared at an early age. At the age of 7, he drew covers for imaginary records from cardboard boxes. On the reverse side, the boy also wrote a list of songs that he would like to include in the album, and their duration. Closer to the age of 14, the performer decided for sure that he wanted to connect his life with music. Then he began to learn to play the piano and in a short period of time managed to become a skilled pianist.
As a teenager, Tyler also enjoyed playing sports. He easily mastered new hobbies. Once he was given a skateboard for his birthday. Before that, he had never stood on the board. However, I learned how to use it by playing the game Pro Skater 4 and watching videos on the Internet.
After graduating from school, he went to work and simultaneously studied music. The first place of employment was the FedEx mail service, but the contractor did not stay there for more than two weeks. After that, he worked as a barista for the popular coffee chain Starbucks for two years.
Musical career as an artist
The rapper released his first tracks on MySpace. It was there that he came up with the stage name Tyler, The Creator. Due to the fact that he posted compositions, his page received the status of The Creator. Everything together read like Tyler, The Creator, which seemed to the beginning performer a great idea for a pseudonym.
In 2007, along with his buddies Hodgy, Left Brain and Casey Veggies, Okonma decided to form the Odd Future (OFWGKTA) band. The singer took part in the writing and recording of the debut album The Odd Future Tape. The artists released it in November 2008. The rap artist was engaged in creating tracks in the group until 2012.
Bastard's first solo album was released in 2009 and immediately became popular. In 2010, the well-known online publication Pitchfork Media included the work in the list of "Best Releases of the Year". There, the work took 32nd position. The next album was released in May 2011. The Yonkers track was nominated for an MTV award.
Between 2012 and 2017 the artist released three more albums: Wolf, Cherry Bomb and Flower Boy. The unusual musical style of the text and performance attracted the attention of not only fans of hip-hop and rap, but also critics. The rapper even managed to take the 9th position in the ranking of "The Best Rappers Under 25" (according to Complex).
In 2019, Tyler, The Creator released a revealing IGOR album. The most streamed songs were: EARFQUAKE, RUNNING OUT OF TIME, I THINK. The artist performed the work in the style of postmodernism, combining dissimilar musical styles. Many critics call this album "the future sound of hip-hop".
Tyler, The Creator accusations of homophobia and sexism
Some of the rapper's songs contain provocative lines in which he uses homophobic expressions. Very often in verses you can hear the words "faggot" or "gay" used in a negative context. In response to public outrage, the artist replied that among his listeners there are a significant number of people of non-traditional sexual orientation. Fans are not offended by such statements, and he does not intend to offend anyone.
Recently, a colleague and friend of the artist Frank Ocean came out and told the "fans" that he is gay. The singer was one of the first to support the artist publicly. However, even after that, the accusations of homophobia were not removed from him.
The musician is also often referred to as a misogynist. The reason for this was the lines from the songs, where he calls the girls "bitches". As well as images with elements of violence against the female. A journalist from Time Out Chicago published an article about the second solo album Goblin. He expressed the opinion that the theme of violence in the songs dominates the rest.
Tyler Okonma's personal life
Official sources do not provide information about the second half of the performer. However, there are rumors on the Internet that he is gay. His friend Jaden Smith (son of famous actor Will Smith) once said that Tyler is his boyfriend. Information was immediately disseminated by users and the media. However, Okonma stated that it was a joke.
The artist likes to joke about the fact that he is a homosexual. Moreover, "fans" find many references to his attraction to men in the latest IGOR album. There were rumors that the singer dated Kendall Jenner in 2016 after they were spotted having dinner together. However, the gossip was dispelled when the two announced on Twitter that they were not dating.
Tyler, The Creator today
In 2020, the artist received a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album of the Year. Recall that the victory was brought to him by the disc Igor, consisting of 12 tracks. During this period of time, he held several concerts in his native country. At the end of June 2021, Call Me If You Get Lost was released. The LP topped 16 tracks.
