About

— The Analog Vault // Essential Listening —

From the grotesquery of his horrorcore beginnings to his jazz-fused alternative hip-hop evolution - Tyler, the Creator was rap’s poster boy for the 2010s, heralding an odd future for the genre. But it was not until his sixth album in 2019 that Tyler reached his zenith.

Spurred by a breakup (as most great music often is) and produced entirely by himself, IGOR’s dramatic soundscapes - leaning on neo-soul, R&B and funk influences - provide a widescreen backdrop for Tyler’s heartsick content. Exploring themes of jealousy, vulnerability, and compulsion, Tyler abandoned his MC roots in favour of pitch-altered singing to express this record’s love triangle narrative. Featuring appearances from Playboi Carti, Lil Uzi Vert, and Solange (among others), IGOR is a rewarding and revealing work by one of the 21st century’s most fascinating hip hop artists. — The Analog Vault
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The moods of Tyler, the Creator’s albums have largely been defined by absence—of his father, of critical acclaim, of love. He responded to what was missing with antagonism, album after album, until 2017 when he looked back at his life with a sunny lens and twinge of nostalgia to deliver his best work, Flower Boy. That Grammy-nominated album is eminently pleasing, the sound of an iconoclast succumbing to his better judgment. IGOR, the 28-year-old’s sixth full-length, is Tyler finally content in the face of all that agony.

IGOR sounds like the work of a perfectionist giving shape to his more radical ideas. Tyler, who proudly produced, wrote, and arranged the album, is singing more but he’s not worrying whether his tracks have a traditional pop arc. Songs don’t build to a crescendo, they often begin there. The opening “Igor's Theme” serves less as a guiding force and more like a recurring motif of doom that hides in the shadows and pops its head in at select moments, like on “New Magic Wand” where spooky synths erupt below Tyler’s thought process: “I saw a photo, you looked joyous,” goes one of the more poignant lines. Atop this budding dread, Tyler layers candied keys and harmonizing vocals. The brightness is defiant, as Tyler processes the loss of someone he loves. — via Pitchfork

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Label: Columbia
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Gatefold
Released: 2019
Genre: Hip Hop, Funk / Soul
Style: Contemporary R&B, Neo Soul

File under: Hip Hop 2000 & beyond
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