I'm by no means the biggest hip-hop fan. In fact, I could count the number of artists that I listen to who fit the genre on one hand and still probably have a finger or two left over. Last.fm has been a huge force in my life when it comes to finding new music, and actually sparked my interest in the few hip-hop artists that I actually do listen to. Come to think of it, about 90% of the bands I listen to I found through some channel of last.fm, be it the excellent similar artists system utilized by the site, forum posts, or just browsing my friends' playlists. So, what I happened across last week while browsing an English speaking Russian friend's page while looking for more groups like Moscow death Brigade, is probably the most interesting and just plain jaw-dropping hip-hop artist I've ever listened to.
Tyler, the Creator is a 19 year old from LA who leads a small but dedicated crew of artists known as OFWGKTA (Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All). Tyler has produced and appeared in every OFWGKTA release to date, which is the sort of punk rock DIY attitude that will pull me towards any new music. Apparently, I happened across the page around the time of his new single Yonkers which is a four minute twelve second dive into the mind of a complete psychotic. Now, one of the main reasons I love the Geto Boys so much is their insane and extremely violent lyrics that hold nothing back. Tyler delves right into his lyrical assault head first in the same sort of way while still retaining a certain sense of originality, and the whole thing takes place over one of the weirdest/awesome beats I've ever heard. The subject matter of the song is Tyler talking to his conscience, the angel (or devil) on his shoulder, which eventually takes a swan dive off of his perch and ends up dead upon impact. Visualize that for a moment, put it into words, and then you may start to have some idea of how badass this song is. Not to mention, his numerous pop culture references throughout his works, including Yonker, which allude to Pitchfork Media and the cartoon show Adventure Time!.
"They say success is the best revenge
So I beat DeShay up with the stack of magazines I'm in
Oh, not again, another critic writin' report
I'm stabbin' any bloggin' faggot hipster with a Pitchfork"
Fuckin' awesome.
Tyler has one full-length that I can find called Bastard and it seems like he's set to release a new album Goblin in April, so let's just sit back, let the man do his thing, and reap the rewards.
