HILLARY: Since grabbing our attention in 2009 with ‘Bastard,’ Tyler, The Creator has
evolved both lyrically and sonically on each of the 5 projects he’s released since then and
one big theme has been the distortion of his voice.
HILLARY: Tyler first shook up the industry with his uniquely deep voice and shockingly
controversial misogynistic, homophobic and violent lyrics.
HILLARY: His distinctive voice has become one of his trademarks but Tyler admitted in
a 2018 interview that he doesn’t really like it, saying quote:
TYLER: Nobody wanna hear this deep ass voice rap for that long.
Let me shut the fuck up and do a hook so all the white girls at Coachella can sing this shit.
HILLARY: This insecurity about what he sounds like is possibly what led him to warp it on
so many different occasions.
Like on ‘IGOR’ he pitches it up on, “RUNNING OUT OF TIME.”
HILLARY: And also on the Santigold and Jessy WIlson assisted,
“NEW MAGIC WAND.”
HILLARY: He continues this experimentation on “WHAT’S GOOD,” using synthy layering
to show confidence.
HILLARY: When attempting to achieve a specific sound, he’ll often change his vocals to
emulate other artists.
Like on the intro to “November,” he achieves a similar tone to that of Everything But The
Girl’s lead singer, Tracey Thorn.
TYLER: I just put that ref there for Tracey Thorn but I never went through with it because
I just was like I just want to finish this album
I'm over it I feel defeated fuck it I'll just leave
my voice there and that's and that's what that is.
HILLARY: Distorting his voice is nothing new for Tyler but in more recent works, those
distortions have often followed a trend.
His lighter vocals have explored lyrics about love, like on 2017’s “Glitter.”
HILLARY: And the opening lovelorn melody on “FUCKING YOUNG / PERFECT” from his critically
divisive 2015 album, ‘Cherry Bomb.’
HILLARY: ‘Wolf’’s “Treehome95” featuring Erykah Badu and Quadron’s Coco along with
“She” featuring Frank Ocean on ‘Goblin’ are just two examples of Tyler’s earliest
experimentations with melody on his solo albums to convey emotion.
HILLARY: And sometimes Tyler changes his voice to create alter egos.
One example is the demonic Wolf Haley on 2011’s “Yonkers.”
TYLER: This Wolf Haley guy is the guy that I really wanna be. When you go back and listen to
the song, every line that I say is like contradicting itself.
HILLARY: On “Bastard” from his debut mixtape of the same name, he pitches his voice down
to become a therapist named Dr. TC.
HILLARY: And so, from being his own doctor on ‘Bastard’ and arguing with a split
personality on ‘Goblin’ to singing about love on ‘Cherry Bomb’ and ‘Flower Boy’
and finally begging a lost lover on ‘IGOR,' Tyler’s gotten more adventurous with what
may be his favorite instrument, his own voice.
And as he evolves, the more vulnerable his music becomes.
I’m Hillary with Genius News bringing you the meaning and the knowledge behind the music.