Wolf | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | April 2, 2013 | |||
Recorded | 2011–2013 | |||
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Genre | Alternative hip hop | |||
Length | 71:17[1] | |||
Label | Odd Future | |||
Producer |
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Tyler, the Creator chronology | ||||
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Alternate covers | ||||
Alternate cover | ||||
Alternative cover | ||||
Singles from Wolf | ||||
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Here you may download mp3 for free and without registration radicals tyler. At your service is fast music search, which is available with the help of convenient website navigation. In addition, you have an ability to listen to mp3 radicals tyler online or listen to online radio. Radical is a mixtape by the alternative hip hop collective, Odd Future. It was released on May 7, 2010. The mixtape features Odd Future members Tyler, The Creator, Hodgy Beats. Create a book Download as PDF Printable version.
Wolf is the second studio album by American rapper 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.
Wolf was supported by lead single, 'Domo23'. The album received generally positive reviews from critics and debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200, selling 89,000 copies in its first week.
- 3Release and promotion
- 4Critical reception
- 8Charts
Tyler The Creator
Background and production[edit]
Tyler's two prior projects, Bastard and Goblin, contained lyrics and themes commonly used in the horrorcore subgenre, which Tyler claimed to not be part of.[2] In November 2011, in an interview with Spin, Tyler expressed wanting to shift away from the themes of his previous work, stating:
“ | Talking about rape and cutting bodies up, it just doesn't interest me anymore... what interests me is making weird hippie music for people to get high to. With Wolf, I'll brag a little more, talk about money and buying shit. But not like any other rapper, I'll be a smart-ass about it. People who wanted the first album again, I can't do that. I was 18, broke as fuck. On my third album, I have money and I'm hanging out with my idols. I can't rap about the same shit.[3] | ” |
Music and lyrics[edit]
Wolf is a concept album that features a continuous story of characters Wolf, Sam and Salem. Therapist character Dr. TC makes his last appearance on a Tyler album on the final track 'Lone'. The story presented in Wolf has been said to link to Tyler's two previous projects, with debates occurring on whether Wolf comes chronologically before or after Goblin.[4]
Tyler The Creator Net Worth
The opening and title track, 'Wolf', begins with piano chords and breathy vocals, and the character Sam appears at the end of the track.[5] 'Answer' features a simple guitar melody over heavy drums.[5] On the song, Tyler proclaims his desire to get into contact with his estranged father[5] and also mentions some problems that his friends are going through.[5] 'Slater' is a song devoted to Tyler's bike, which ends with Frank Ocean speaking the words 'You're talking to a fucking bike. Loser'.[5] Craig Jenkins of Pitchfork describes the track 'IFHY' as 'a bit of Neptunes worship so adroit that its plinking synths and jazzy chord changes give way to a falsettoed coda from Pharrell himself'.[6] Kathy Iandoli of Billboard compared 'Colossus' to Eminem's 2000 hit, 'Stan', stating that Tyler 'continuously switches the lyrics from being cutesy fanfare to sexually maniacal'.[5] Jenkins also compared the posse cut 'Rusty' to the sound of Wu-Tang Clan, featuring 'a lush reimagining of 1990s RZA production'.[6] 'Trashwang' is a trap-influenced posse cut.[5] Iandoli compared the sound of the song to the works of rapper Waka Flocka Flame.[5] The album's final track, 'Lone', features Tyler's last therapy session with Dr. TC.[5] In the song, Tyler describes the events leading up to his grandmother's death.[5]
Release and promotion[edit]
On February 14, 2013, OFWGKTA posted a video to their YouTube account, which includes L-Boy skydiving and stating that Wolf will be released on April 2, 2013. On the same day, Tyler revealed three different album covers via his Instagram account.[7] The deluxe version of the album features a fold-out poster of the full album cover artwork that was designed by Mark Ryden, a limited embroidered patch, a Wolf calendar and a 24-page booklet featuring lyrics and artwork.[7] Four days after the album's release, Tyler released the whole album for free streaming services through his SoundCloud account.[8]
From March 11, 2013 to April 11, 2013, Tyler toured North America and Europe on the Wolf tour. The tour was his first solo tour without his group Odd Future. His first stop was Boulder, Colorado and the Wolf release party took place in Los Angeles, California on the release day of the album.[9] He announced he would extend the tour from April 30 to May 18, 2013. These shows took place on the west coast of the United States and it features his Odd Future cohort, Earl Sweatshirt.[7][10] On September 9, 2013, Tyler released a trailer for a film based on Wolf.[11]
Singles[edit]
The album's lead single, 'Domo23', was released on February 14, 2013, as well an accompanying music video which features cameo appearances from Odd Future members Domo Genesis, Earl Sweatshirt, Jasper Dolphin and Taco.[12] The song peaked at number two on the US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles and at number 37 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.[13] At the end of the video for 'Domo23', it previewed the video for the reported second single, 'Bimmer' featuring Odd Future member Frank Ocean.[14][15]
Other songs[edit]
On March 29, 2013, the music video was released for 'IFHY' featuring Pharrell. At the end of the video, the song cuts into a snippet of the music video for 'Jamba' featuring Odd Future member Hodgy Beats. In the music video, Tyler 'plays a lovestruck doll, acting out scenes in a dollhouse with a plastic girlfriend. While the real-life Tyler later drives through a neighborhood with Hodgy Beats as his song 'Jamba' blasts from the speakers.'[16] 'IFHY' peaked at number 24 on the US Heatseekers Songs.[17] On October 7, 2013, the music video was released for both 'Tamale' and 'Answer'.[18]
Critical reception[edit]
Professional ratings | |
---|---|
Aggregate scores | |
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 6.9/10[19] |
Metacritic | 70/100[20] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Exclaim! | 8/10[21] |
Fact | 4/5[22] |
The Independent | [23] |
Los Angeles Times | [24] |
NME | 8/10[25] |
Pitchfork | 7.8/10[6] |
Rolling Stone | [26] |
Slant Magazine | [27] |
XXL | 3/5[28] |
Wolf received generally positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album has received an average score of 70, based on 31 reviews.[20] Craig Jenkins of Pitchfork said, 'With Wolf, Tyler, the Creator displays a radical growth as a producer, composer and arranger, even if, as a rapper, he's still up to some of the same antics. Still, the album contains a few of the best songs he's ever written.'[6] Jeremy D. Larson of Consequence of Sound said, 'Tyler is his own worst enemy, of course. But the buoyancy of the production and the overall intrigue of hearing him struggle with his idle hands prevent the album from getting mired down in too much vanity.'[29] David Jeffries of AllMusic said, 'It's a fun album for fanatics, but the willingness to shock feels too comfortable at this point, so those who found it tiresome before will likely find it devastating here.'[1] Chris Dart of Exclaim! felt that 'While Tyler will almost certainly never outgrow life as a weird, hell-raising provocateur, Wolf shows that he's already growing into life as a smart, diverse artist.'[21]
Slant Magazine's Jesse Cataldo commenting 'The production is routinely strong, but things are weighed down by Tyler himself, who forcefully refuses to provide a palatable anchor to over an hour's worth of material.' Cataldo saw the album as 'progress on some fronts', but felt that Tyler 'needs to move beyond certain issues' to 'prove himself a vital force.'[27] Martín Caballero of The Boston Globe said, 'Despite careering from one alter ego to the next and touching on everything from his absent father on 'Answer' to the art of making campfire s'mores on the seven-minute 'PartyIsntOver / Campfire / Bimmer', there's a broad vision and deft execution that holds things together much better than on Goblin.'[30] Eric Diep of XXL said, 'Wolf meets its own high expectations by creating an absorbing journey of Tyler's imagination. Everything from being his own therapist to poking fun at newfound fame is documented in captivating fashion, however juvenile it may be at times. There's still growing up to do, and maybe time will tame the fascinating artist we see on this album. Until then, there's no escaping his meteoric rise. And the diehard Odd Future fans will love every minute of it.'[28]
David Amidon of PopMatters said, 'If Wolf is not Goblin is the most important statement I feel like I could make about this album, the second most important thing I can probably say about it is that nothing has actually changed about Tyler himself. All his flaws as a coherent lyricist and person are on full display throughout the album, and the charm or lack thereof of that fact goes a long way towards how enjoyable this album can be.'[31] Jessica Hopper of Spin magazine felt that 'Wolf's most grievous misstep, and its one true spiritual connection to the superior Bastard and Goblin: Tyler's defiant use of the word 'faggot.' As usual, he spends a ton of time here bragging about how little he cares about how the world sees him, but his reliance on the other f-bomb to keep our attention suggests otherwise.'[32] Chris Kelly of Fact said, 'With Wolf, Tyler, the Creator is exciting again: maybe not as the ringleader of the Odd Future empire, but as a producer who just turned 22 (did you forget how young he actually is?), has internalized a decade of Neptunes / Doom / Def Jux production, and has Pharrell, Erykah, and (most importantly) Frank Ocean on speed dial. The don't-give-a-fuck attitude might have run its course lyrically, but when applying it as a production ethos, Tyler is just getting started.'[22]
Accolades[edit]
XXL ranked it at number 18 on their list of the best albums of 2013. They commented saying, 'The leader of the Odd Future crew's second album Wolf displayed radical maturity—both musically and lyrically; partnering with fellow Odd Future members Frank Ocean and Earl Sweatshirt, alongside Pharrell Williams and even Erykah Badu on songs involving gripping narratives of personal frustrations and heartbreak. Coupled with vivid lyrics and stark synth production, Tyler's fascinatingly still weird but insightful and musically pleasing.'[33]HipHopDX named it one of the top 25 albums of 2013. They elaborated saying, 'Wolf was Tyler's most grown up effort to date. Developing into a fully realized production mastermind, he somehow tied a summer camp story in with his usual themes of relationships and the struggles of fame, not to mention the ghetto's crack epidemic and bullying leading to school shootings.'[34]
Commercial performance[edit]
In the United States, Wolf debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200, selling 89,000 copies in the first week.[35][36] In its second week, the album sold 18,000 more copies bringing its sales total to 107,000 in the United States.[37]
Track listing[edit]
All songs produced by Tyler, the Creator, except for the final track 'Lone', which is produced by Wilson das Neves.[38][39]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | 'Wolf' | Tyler Okonma | 1:50 |
2. | 'Jamba' (featuring Hodgy Beats) |
| 3:32 |
3. | 'Cowboy' | Okonma | 3:15 |
4. | 'Awkward' | Okonma | 3:47 |
5. | 'Domo23' | Okonma | 2:38 |
6. | 'Answer' | Okonma | 3:50 |
7. | 'Slater' (featuring Frank Ocean) | Okonma | 3:53 |
8. | '48' | Okonma | 4:07 |
9. | 'Colossus' | Okonma | 3:33 |
10. | 'PartyIsntOver / Campfire / Bimmer' (featuring Lætitia Sadier and Frank Ocean) | 7:18 | |
11. | 'IFHY' (featuring Pharrell) | Okonma | 5:19 |
12. | 'Pigs' | Okonma | 4:14 |
13. | 'Parking Lot' (featuring Casey Veggies and Mike G) |
| 3:53 |
14. | 'Rusty' (featuring Domo Genesis and Earl Sweatshirt) | 5:09 | |
15. | 'Trashwang' (featuring Na'kel, Jasper, Lucas, L-Boy, Taco, Left Brain and Lee Spielman) |
| 4:42 |
16. | 'Treehome95' (featuring Coco O and Erykah Badu) | 3:00 | |
17. | 'Tamale' | Okonma | 2:46 |
18. | 'Lone' | Okonma | 4:00 |
Total length: | 71:17 |
Notes
- 'Jamba' contains an uncredited appearance from Domo Genesis
- 'Cowboy' contains an uncredited appearance from Lego-Head[40]
- 'Awkward' and '48' contain uncredited appearances from Frank Ocean
- '48' contains an uncredited appearance from Nas
- 'Rusty' contains an uncredited appearance from Jason Dill
- Syd tha Kyd is uncredited with contributing vocals on 'Answer'
- Elijah Hall, Parys Hall and Jaslyn Leonti are uncredited with contributing vocals on 'Campfire'
- Tallullah Willis is uncredited with contributing vocals on 'Tamale'
Personnel[edit]
Credits for Wolf adapted from AllMusic.[41]
- Erykah Badu – featured artist
- Hodgy Beats – featured artist
- Syd Bennett – vocals
- Taco Bennett – featured artist
- Delbert Bowers – assistant
- Lionel Boyce – vocals
- Colin Boyd – piano
- Left Brain – featured artist
- Casey Veggies – featured artist
- Andrew Dawson – mixing
- Jason Dill – vocals
- Jasper Dolphin – featured artist
- Mike G – featured artist
- Chris Galland – assistant
- Brian 'Big Bass' Gardner – mastering
- Domo Genesis – featured artist
- Bernie Grundman – mastering
- Elijah Hall – vocals
- Parys Hall – vocals
- Trehy Harris – assistant
- Jaycen Joshua – mixing
- L Boy – featured artist
- Jaslyn Leonti – vocals
- Manny Marroquin – mixing
- Na'kel – featured artist
- Lucas Vercetti - featured artist
- Nas – interviewee
- Coco O. – featured artist
- Frank Ocean – featured artist, vocals
- Sarah Parker – vocals
- Laetitia Sadier – featured artist
- Lee Spielman – featured artist
- Earl Sweatshirt – featured artist
- Tallulah Willis – vocals
- Eddy Tekeli – photography
- Phil Toselli – layout
- Tyler, the Creator – artwork, interviewer, layout, primary artist, producer
- Vic Wainstein – engineer
- Pharrell Williams – featured artist
- Sterling Winfield – engineer
Charts[edit]
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
References[edit]
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- ^ abWolf at Metacritic
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Best new music
On Tyler’s 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.
Tyler, the Creator’s music has often been defined by exclusion. He was furious when rap blogs refused to post Odd Future songs. He has gleefully responded to being banned from countries. His songs attempted to reconcile with a divided fanbase. The subtext of Odd Future was that pearl-clutching moralists simply weren’t in on the (obscene) joke—the whole point of being radicals is to be “apart from.” He has also done his fair share of exclusion, too: marginalizing and upsetting women and queer people with violently misogynistic and homophobic lyrics. It has been asked how to reconcile the genius with the foul-mouthed punk.
Flower Boy (promoted as Scum Fuck Flower Boy) is Tyler’s course-correction, surprisingly meditative and beautifully colored, a collage of memories and daydreams that trades bratty subversion for reflection and self-improvement. He probes the things that shaped his psyche—loneliness, isolation, and disorientation—and focuses on outgrowing friendships, balancing the pull of nostalgia and the necessity for growth. Not only is Flower Boy Tyler’s most trenchant work, it’s his most inclusive: “Find Your Wings”: The Album, gentle and liberating. “Tell these black kids they can be who they are,” he raps on “Where This Flower Blooms,” as he grows into the artist he’s always longed to be, and perhaps always was.
While trying to recreate an N.E.R.D. album, Cherry Bomb more or less imploded. But it didn't completely shed Tyler’s old skin, enlisting a host of colorful collaborators (Roy Ayers, Leon Ware, Charlie Wilson, Chaz Bundick, and Dâm-Funk) for songs about jerking off and underage relationships. His raps were regularly empty games of juvenile one-upmanship, snooty hand-wringing aimed at homebodies and the working class, and vitriolic rant raps aimed at no one in particular. There were love songs, but they were immature and sometimes flat-out creepy. Time had rendered his shock raps pretty toothless, and it was all sloppy. Conversely, Flower Boy is transformational, lovestruck and penetrating. Finally, Tyler gets to the essence of ideas he’s been chiseling at all along: the angst of a missed connection, the pain of unrequited love, navigating youthful ennui. These are hopeful and sincere songs about finding yourself and trying to find someone who values you completely.
Tyler spends much of Flower Boy chasing his “‘95 Leo,” coming out in the process. On “Foreword,” he raps, “Shoutout to the girls that I lead on/For occasional head and always keeping my bed warm/And trying they hardest to keep my head on straight/And keeping me up enough till I had thought I was airborne.” He later writes, “Next line will have ‘em like ‘Whoa’: I’ve been kissing white boys since 2004.” The album’s literal and figurative centerpiece is “Garden Shed,” an inward-looking sexual awakening turning an extended metaphor into a watershed moment. Flower Boy unfurls from this revelation and the subsequent romance. He pens songs for his lover (“See You Again”), leaves him voicemails (“Glitter”), and seeks comfort through contact.
Much will be (and has already been) made of what exactly this means for a rapper who once responded to an open letter from Sara Quin criticizing his homophobic words and actions and those who support them by crudely saying, “If Tegan And Sara Need Some Hard Dick, Hit Me Up!” Pivotal moments in his catalog are largely dependent on his often shameless and unapologetic use of gay slurs, and while these admissions don’t absolve him of past hate speech, they do paint a portrait of a confused and tactless young introvert in crisis. However listeners choose to interpret this conflict, Tyler doesn’t seem to be rapping to make amends but to be understood. This is not an apology or even an explanation. Flower Boy gingerly disentangles a knot of personal and complicated thoughts and feelings through the lens of flashbacks and love songs.
So subdued, wistful, permissive, and relatable, are these songs—they are Tyler’s most refined to date. Collectively, they’re a kaleidoscopic sonic wonder. Though still obviously taking influence from the Neptunes, his production remains unlike anything else right now—glowing oddball orchestrations with unpredictable chord progressions, adorned by choruses of sweet voices. “Garden Shed” and “Glitter” are among his prettiest creations. He cedes “Droppin’ Seeds” to an in-form Lil Wayne, content to show off his peculiar ear for sound. “Enjoy Right Now, Today” takes it a step further, going lyric-free, accented by light Pharrell vocals. The title and the warm soul interior seem to usher the listener outside. For those chasing a Bastard-esque, punchy rap fix, there’s “Who Dat Boy” and “Pothole.”
In the past, Tyler’s albums have been bloated and messy. Flower Boy is 17-minutes shorter than the average Tyler album with more understated transitions and less disorder and chaos. He has been known to overthink things or get too cute with compositions, tagging on eight-minute posse cuts, piecing together mismatched songs, adding attachments and embellishments where they aren’t needed. These songs here carry in them his tinkerer’s spirit without becoming overwrought. His ambition is a driving force in his work, but he curtails it for a more enjoyable and streamlined listen. The standouts, “911 / Mr. Lonely” and “I Ain’t Got Time!,” are carefully assembled arrangements made of gorgeous parts that fasten together seamlessly. There are several neat aesthetic choices, like playing “See You Again” as a radio request or pitching the halves of “Glitter” at opposing frequencies. There’s the juxtaposition of “Boredom” with “I Ain’t Got Time!”—a song about finding time with one about not having enough—then ending the latter abruptly to take a phone call. Where previous outings were tangled, Tyler’s adds a new elegance to his work.
Though it’s probably an overstatement to call Flower Boy penitent, the album is certainly aware of past wrongs, and Tyler pursues integration through confession. Onlookers have wondered aloud when Tyler would “grow up,” and while “mature” still feels imprecise when describing the rapper-producer, there is certainly an evolution taking place. But this isn’t about the strides taken to make sense of a complicated past; Flower Boy shows thoughtfulness can be freeing. As Tyler, the Creator embarks on a journey of self-discovery, he becomes close to whole.
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