Written by Dzevad Busnov
What is there left to say about Tyler, The Creator? You could start with his days as a member of Odd Future, the collective that made iconic projects and their fair share of headlines. You could mention his four-album run of attention-grabbing Hip-Hop, starting with 2009’s “B*****d” and ending with 2015’s “Cherry Bomb”, which garnered him a cult fanbase and showcased his unique artistic perspective. You could bring up his reinvention as a critical darling with the nasty three-hit combo of “Flower Boy”, “Igor”, and “Call Me If You Get Lost”, albums that quickly made their influence on the alternative music scene. You could even bring up his prolific fashion career, collaborating with brands like Vans, Converse, and even Louis Vuitton. Whatever you start with, it’s obvious that Tyler has been a presence in culture for a hot minute. The thing is, he’s not done yet. Just last year, his album “Chromakopia” became his highest selling album first-week by a large margin with almost 300,000 sales, almost doubling the total of his previous album. For a Monday release in the middle of Billboard’s tracking week, that’s impressive. The album featured many of Tyler’s biggest hits up to that point and fetched him even more notoriety than before. He embarked on a world tour a couple months later where he was inspired to create another record. One that was fun, silly, and didn’t require a narrative through-line like many of his previous works. That record was “Don’t Tap The Glass”, released in July of this year. This album has been pegged as Tyler’s “dance album”, which would make you think he would stick to just one flavor of EDM and call it a day, but that isn’t the case. This thing will take you to clubs all around the world, going from style to style at a moment’s notice. Everything is still rooted in hip-hop and R&B, but each track brings in influences from other scenes to create an eclectic listen. I think the best way to break it down would be to go track-by-track, so let’s get to it.
“Big Poe” is an insane way to start off the album. The track begins with Tyler in a robotic voice laying some ground rules for the album, “Welcome. Number one: body movement, no sitting still. Number two: only speak in glory, leave your baggage at home. Number three: don’t tap the glass.” After the short intro, the song explodes, and the energy never stops. It was made for the mosh pit. Tyler uses the song to emphasize his coolness. The line “Yellow diamonds, black skin, I’m taxi/You can run all you want, *****, you can’t catch me” strikes me as something only he can say. The song also features Pharrell Williams, or should I say “Sk8brd”. He brags in ways I didn’t even know were possible, talking about 40-karat rings and private jets. Like alright, dude. It’s still one of my favorite guest appearances of the year, though.
Before you’re even able to process what just happened, the song ends, you hear a quick drum roll, and the electro groove of “Sugar on My Tongue” is already set. What? Huh? Are you kidding me? I’m telling you, my first listen through of this album shook me to my core. It was 6 a.m. and I was still busting a move. I would talk more about the song, but the content matter is so explicit that I can’t even elaborate if I wanted to.
Next up on the track list is “Sucka Free”, which fully immerses itself in g-funk and vocoder melodies, a la DJ Quik or Dr. Dre. I think out of every song on here, this one is my favorite. This is not a bop, nor is it a banger, this is a jam! Tyler’s delivery and flow is infectiously catchy, and he includes a ton of quotable lines. I will definitely be stealing “hop off my bumper”. Following that is “Mommanem”, which many have singled out as a lowlight, but I think that’s a little unfair. The track is only a minute and 15 seconds long, and the plucks used in the instrumental continue in the next track. Even then, the only verse on the song is solid.
Speaking of that next song, “Stop Playing With Me” goes toe to toe with “Big Poe” in terms of energy. However, it swaps the 2000s Hip Hop beat with one closer to what you would hear in a Miami club circa 1989. The bass might break your speakers if you’re not careful. I gotta say, though, this one might be better than “Big Poe” just because he talks about getting on a plane with LeBron James. It elevates the track by at least 50 points. It might be unfair, but I don’t make the rules. I’m also a big fan of Tyler going “I drown in it like I swim bad” out of nowhere. I’m just a big fan of this track, if you couldn’t tell.
You know what I’m a bigger fan of? “Ring Ring Ring.” Now, this one’s for the discotheque. The track itself is based off a Ray Parker Jr. sample, which I thought was neat. Bustin’ makes me feel good, and this baseline makes me feel good, too. I haven’t mentioned it yet, but Tyler sings a decent amount on this album and while his voice isn’t perfect, it oozes personality. I think that’s partially why his singing tracks are often his most popular, including this one. The bridge on this song is spectacular, and it’s one of my biggest highlights. And how could I forget about the “call my mama, baby!” on the second refrain?
“Don’t Tap That Glass/Tweakin’” continues Tyler’s long tradition of two-part songs with a combo of Bay Area bounce on the first half and what I want to say is Memphis-style hip hop on the second? It has the same type of energy that a classic Three-6 Mafia track, and the drums even originate from an old Tommy Wright III song. I might be off, but whatever it is does the job well! I fear that I’m starting to sound like a broken record but he’s so goofy on this song, and I adore it. A certain Michael Jordan bar stands out, as does a “what the damn!” adlib on one of the choruses. The studio session for this one was a lot of fun, I’d imagine.
“Don’t You Worry Baby” is honestly a beautiful slice of EDM-infused R&B. Tyler takes a backseat, and the featured artist, underrated singer Madison McFerrin, gets her chance to shine. Her chorus is an earworm, and she adds a different perspective that I really appreciate. After that comes the biggest left turn on the whole album, “I’ll Take Care Of You”. Out of all genres, the song takes on UK Garage, with rattling breakbeats, singing by Tyler and Yebba, and a sample of “Knuck If You Buck” by Crime Mob. It a hodgepodge, but a very pretty hodgepodge. And finally, the last song, “Tell Me What It Is”, slows things down and includes introspective lyrics about love, which could be considered as continuation of what was on Chromakopia. If every song could be associated with a type of dance, this would be the waltz at the end of the night. What a great way to end the album!
It’s all about the little moments with “Don’t Tap The Glass”, you know? I could go on and on about each detail this thing holds. What Tyler crafted with this one is one of the most fun albums of the year, perfect for the summertime and pop radio friendly, but still true to himself. It’s hard not to compare this album to “Chromakopia” due to their album cycles basically intersecting, but they’re in the same boat. You could throw all of Tyler’s albums into the same boat, really. They’re all necessary steps in the evolution of Tyler, The Creator’s artistry and his status as one of the best producers, rappers, and artists of our generation.
