Tyler, The Creator is known for his dramatic theatrics and chaotic music videos. He’s a multi-Grammy winner and with his album, IGOR, he was awarded Rap Album of the Year in 2020. Tyler released IGOR on May 17, 2019, as his fifth studio album with Columbia Records, following the release of Flower Boy in 2017. He kept the hip-hop element of Flower Boy and enhanced it with new elements in this album. He produced IGOR entirely by himself and featured major artists like Lil Uzi Vert, Playboi Carti, Kanye West, and more. The album contains 12 songs that run for around 40 minutes. Does Tyler keep up with his chaotic antics in IGOR?
He undoubtably does create a chaotic project here.
Introduction
Tyler, The Creator began to write IGOR in California, where he met up with many other artists to develop songs for the album. He created an album that puts the listen in the middle of a love triangle that his persona is going through. Each song conveys themes of love, heartbreak, and jealousy that are shown with heavy synthesizers and aggressive lyrics. IGOR continues with Tyler’s streak of creating chaotic hip-hop albums that have key comments of rap. Throughout the album, Tyler uses heavy voice effects to make his vocals stand out against the dramatic instrumentals. Tyler separates his music from the world’s opinion of hip-hop and takes new paths in the genre that enhance the album’s depth and perception.
Production
Right after the release of his prior album, Tyler began to write and record in multiple different locations, including California and even Italy. He recorded alongside other artists, significantly, Solange, and they each put their input into the lyrics and concept; however, Tyler produced the album by himself. He created each beat individually with a limited number of opinions during recording from others in the music scene. IGOR contains synth basses and upbeat drums that create a hip-hop / R&B atmosphere around the album, with elements of funk from the chaotic synthesizers. These elements lift the album to a higher standard by creating an environment that consumes a person into the music and the narrative. The beat and instruments carry the story through the entirety of the album.
Vocal Performance
Unlike his prior albums where Tyler sang in his deep and menacing voice, for IGOR he pitched up his vocals to help portray his themes of heartbreak and romance, in contrast to his themes of loneliness and personal struggle in previous albums. His vocals in IGOR showcase his vulnerability in his new persona, and his higher smoother vocals add depth to the aggressive sound of the songs. The two opposites blend perfectly to make a listener feel engulfed in the story and message. The background vocals also add to the atmosphere of the album by creating perfect conditions for Tyler’s vocals to thrive. You can hear the exact emotions that Tyler’s persona in this album is feeling and how he conveys these feelings. Tyler’s main vocals are brought out and shine against the instruments with the help of the background vocals, helping make the album feel complete.
Meaning
Igor conveys a story of heartbreak, love, jealousy, and love triangles. The album is perfectly divided in half, with the first half being about chasing a lover, while the second half is leaving and forgetting about one’s love. We start the story with “IGOR’S THEME” where we are introduced to Tyler’s persona, Igor. We learn in “EARFQUAKE” that Igor is in love with a guy that he can’t be with. The listener begins to understand that his love interest is already in a relationship through “I THINK” and “RUNNING OUT OF TIME;” however, Igor thinks that there is a chance that they can still be together. The listen begins to see Igor’s obsession with his love interest in “NEW MAGIC WAND” where he speaks of harming the love interest’s partner and even planning to take her out of the picture.
The story reaches a turning point with “A BOY IS A GUN*”, and Igor now understands that he cannot be with his love interest. He sees that this person was just controlling him and, with “WHAT’S GOOD,” he loses control of his anger and doesn’t know what to do with himself. Finally, Igor controls himself and believes that he doesn’t care for this person anymore in “GONE GONE / THANK YOU”. He feels that he doesn’t need this man anymore and thanks him for the lessons he learned throughout his journey of love and self-reflection. The album concludes with “ARE WE STILL FRIENDS?” where Igor wants to continue to be friends with his ex-love interest, but by the end of the song, Igor relapses back into his feelings of love for this man, thus restarting the circle.
The album is crafted perfectly so that the ending note of the last song lines up perfectly with the beginning note representing a cycle that Igor is constantly experiencing. Even though he knows it is bad for him, Igor continues going after his love even if it means he loses himself. Tyler, The Creator is trying to warn and showcase to the audience the cycle of unrequited love a human can experience.
Conclusion
IGOR is Tyler’s best album, and he certainly earned the Grammy he received for it. Tyler skillfully used synthesizer and electronic beats to create an anarchic type of hip-hop with rap elements. He perfected his higher vocals in this album and created an environment that sounded electric to listeners. Tyler successfully carried a storyline that added depth throughout the album. Tyler, The Creator continues to be one of the best hip-hop artists of our generation.
Song Rankings:
- “NEW MAGIC WAND”
- “ARE WE STILL FRIENDS?”
- “GONE, GONE / THANK YOU”
- “WHATS GOOD”
- “RUNNING OUT OF TIME”
- “I DON’T LOVE YOU ANYMORE”
- “I THINK”
- “EARFQUAKE”
- “PUPPET”
- “A BOY IS A GUN*”
- “IGOR’S THEME”
- “EXACTLY WHAT YOU RUN FROM YOU END UP CHASING”
Strongest Track ~ “NEW MAGIC WAND” takes us through the mind of Igor and his delusions. We see exactly how obsessed Igor has become with his love interest, expressing his jealousy over their girlfriend. He goes as far as threatening to kill her as he “gets her out of the picture.” Igor continuously stalks him and his girlfriend feeling that he would be a better option. A “new magic wand” symbolizes a gun that Igor says he will kill the girlfriend with and take back his love, solidifying that he has lost himself to his object of interest. Tyler’s electronic beat and extreme vocals flow perfectly with the entirety of the song, making it a masterpiece on this album.
Weakest Track ~ “EXACTLY WHAT YOU RUN FROM YOU END UP CHASING” doesn’t add much to the album. It is only an interlude and isn’t even 30 seconds long. It is just a short amount of dialogue that could have been added to the beginning or end of one of the other well-made songs. The album can go without including this short excerpt.
Final Notes
Song rankings are always subject to change over time, so don’t take these too to heart. They also are just our opinion. We would love to hear your opinions, so leave them in the comment section below. We also suggest subscribing to our blog. To do so, go under the tab “Contact” and fill out the form. That will allow you to receive emails of new blogs and maybe get them ahead of time. Finally, go give IGOR a listen for yourself.