Internet sensation and hip-hop cult legend, Tyler, The Creator ended his musical silence by dropping two tracks on June 29th. The multi-faceted artist went entirely different directions with each track., “Who Dat Boy” is an abrasive screecher with triplet 808 bass hits and an impossibly catchy A$AP Rocky feature, and “911/Mr. Lonely” takes his recent neo-soul sound from Cherry Bomb and refines it.
“911” starts out a little off-kilter, with an awkward vocal intro stumbling its way into the hook of the song, which immediately strikes the the listener with an earworm-y repetition. Tyler croons, “911, call me sometime,” over and over until the track changes key and he spits over the beat about being lonely in a relatively tame Tyler voice. Steve Lacy and Frank Ocean feature on the track, each grab a portion of the “911” half, flexing their soul side over Tyler’s smooth production.
The second half of the song is one of Tyler’s most personal to date. Cataloging his thoughts on loneliness and what it means to him over a speed racer, electronic beat. In an age where kids idolize and look up to Tyler as an example of the perfect lifestyle, this track illuminates how feelings of isolation can grab ahold of just about anyone.
Tyler, The Creator’s album Scum Fuck Flower Boy comes out on July 21st, 2017.
