Videos by According2HipHop
Tyler the Creator is one of the more peculiar artists in the music industry. Sometimes he’s joking, sometimes he is serious. But he is always entertaining.
Let’s take a look at four Tyler the Creator moments that broke rap barriers.
Tyler Opens Up About His Sexuality
For a long time, fans speculated about what Tyler the Creator’s sexuality was. While many artists choose to keep their sexuality under wraps because of fear of backlash, Tyler chose to embrace it. One of the first known instances where he addressed his sexuality was on his song, Balloon off his Chromakopia album, which features another queer artist, Doechii.
““Everything real here, no lace front, okay / I doze during December, I slay / I don’t even like girls, bi**h, I’m way up too high” and Doechii adds: “I’m a bi b***h, but I need that p***y now / If he is gay, then I am gay, and we are nouns (We are nouns)”.
Tyler Wins Best New Artist at 2011 VMAs
Everyone loves an upset. And Tyler, the creator, was a major underdog for the 2011 MTV Video Music Award for best new artist. And going up against the likes of Wiz Khalifa, Foster the People, Big Sean, and Kreayshawn, you can see why. But still, even with the long odds facing Tyler, he was able to come out victorious as he captured the award. In a music industry that at the time was centered around drug usage, sex, and hoarding money, Tyler beat out four of the most popular artists in the industry by unapologetically being himself.
The IGOR Persona Takes Over The Rap Game
Tyler, the Creator, has gained a reputation for having a colorful personality. Multiple of them. But perhaps one of his more iconic personas is the one he took on for the rollout of his Igor album. Tyler once again went against the mold of normal rap expression by sporting a color-popping blond wig to go along with colorful suits. The Igor persona has proved to be a successful one. Today, the album has achieved RIAA certified platinum status, selling more than one million units in the US. It also debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 200 chart with 165,000 album-equivalent units, including 74,000 pure album sales.
2013 Sway in The Morning Freestyle
For some artists, there is a specific moment in time where you can pinpoint where their rise to superstardom began. And for Tyler, that is his 2013 Sway in The Morning freestyle. There was still a lot of confusion over Tyler’s 2011 VMAs win and why he won over more well-known artists like Big Sean and Wiz Khalifa. But during his freestyle on Sway in The Morning, he showed fans exactly why that was the case. Tyler showed how he can use satire, lyricism, and comedic genius to make something magical. To this day, it is one of the most highly acclaimed freestyles in recent memory.
