Everything Tyler, the Creator Has Done Since Flower Boy
A new Tyler, the Creator album is imminent. IGOR, the follow-up to 2017’s Flower Boy, arrives Friday on the heels of two very busy years for Tyler. In that time he debuted two new TV shows, built up Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival, soundtracked the new Grinch movie, turned into a plant for a Kali Uchis video, and became a Timothée Chalamet fanboy. And that’s not even counting all those loosies he dropped last year. Ahead of IGOR’s release, let’s take a look at exactly what Tyler’s been up to since Flower Boy.
July 25, 2017: During a segment on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” Tyler reveals that he’s unfamiliar with the filmography of Elizabeth Taylor. Colbert and Tyler jokingly plan a date to watch her films together—which Colbert makes good on, in a way, by sending Tyler a Liz Taylor-themed care package.
August 3, 2017: The first episode of “Nuts + Bolts,” Tyler’s Viceland show where he explores “how everything that I think is awesome is made,” premieres. Throughout the course of the first season, he creates an elaborate bunk bed, supposedly invents breakfast sushi, and learns how stop-motion animation is made.
August 23, 2017: Along with a Flower Boy tour announcement, Tyler shares a loosie called “ZIPLOC,” which is a freestyle over JAY-Z’s “4:44” beat.
September 16, 2017: Tyler reveals on Twitter that “See You Again,” his Flower Boy collaboration with Kali Uchis, was originally written for former One Direction member Zayn Malik.
October 22, 2017: As if one new show weren’t enough, Tyler debuts another: “The Jellies!” The Adult Swim animated series is a collaboration with Odd Future’s Lionel Boyce, who also worked on the OF sketch comedy show “Loiter Squad.” Featuring original music from Tyler, “The Jellies!” tells the story of a family of jellyfish and their adopted human son. A year after premiering the show, Tyler and Boyce’s Bald Face Productions announces a development deal with Sony Pictures TV.
October 26, 2017: Tyler opens a flagship store for his fashion brand Golf Wang in Los Angeles, where he sells his Converse sneaker collection and bumble-bee printed polos. Unsurprisingly, the shop doubles as a mini skatepark.
October 28-29, 2017: Tyler hosts his sixth annual Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival, the L.A. music festival he has curated and headlined since 2012. This year, Lana Del Rey, Earl Sweatshirt, Solange, and others perform at the two-day affair.
December 11, 2017: NPR premieres Tyler’s Tiny Desk Concert, which is the first episode of the series to be filmed at night. Bathed in pink and blue lights, Tyler and a full band run through new jazzy arrangements of Flower Boy cuts.
January 12, 2018: Kali Uchis releases “After the Storm” featuring Tyler, funk legend Bootsy Collins, and BADBADNOTGOOD. A couple weeks later, she shares the song’s surreal video, wherein Tyler plays a plant growing from Kali’s yard.
January 22, 2018: On YouTube, Tyler shares an hourlong video interview between him and comedian Jerrod Carmichael, in which he mentions (among many other things) that Flower Boy’s “Glitter” was originally meant for Justin Bieber. “I thought he would be so cool doing that, but he didn’t ever return the call, so—fuck it—I was just like, fuck it, I’ll write and just make it cool,” Tyler said.
January 24, 2018: On a podcast hosted by former “Survivor” contestant Shane Powers, Tyler makes the argument that Flower Boy deserves to win the Grammy for Best Rap Album, over DAMN. and 4:44. “I love JAY, but fuck, you have Grammys,” he says. “And I love Kendrick… But fuck, like, n***a nominated for six other ones. Let him get one of those.” A couple days later, Tyler rolls up to the Grammys wearing an incredible fluffy Russian hat, which hides an even more spectacular leopard-print dye job. In the end, serving shit-talk and looks can’t keep Tyler from losing to Kendrick.
March 29, 2018: Tyler surprise drops a song called “OKRA,” which features the iconic line, “Tell Tim Chalamet to come get at me.” It’s the first in a long run of loosies that arrive spontaneously throughout 2018, including a remix of Trouble and Drake’s “Bring It Back,” a 20th Century Women-referencing demo “Rose Tinted Cheeks,” a tossed-off tour cut called “435,” a freestyle over Kanye and Kid Cudi’s “Kids See Ghosts” (“Crust in Their Eyes”), a track named “GELATO” that borrows from Jacquees’ “No Validation,” a rework of Prophet’s song “Wanna Be Your Man” (“PEACH FUZZ”), a remix of Drake and Lil Baby’s “Yes Indeed” (“BRONCO”), a standout collab with A$AP Rocky (“Potato Salad”), and a track with $ilkmoney (“NAGA”). It seems like Tyler really had food on the brain.
May 11, 2018: Tyler guests on the season three premiere of “Bill Nye Saves the World” to help illustrate the idea of “things wearing out.” (He previously remade the show’s theme song.)
August 8, 2018: Odd Future reunites at the last Low End Theory, an influential hip-hop and electronic DJ night held every Wednesday in L.A. since 2006. Tyler, Earl, Syd, and Hodgy perform “Orange Juice,” “French,” and more.
August 9, 2018: Tyler releases the “See You Again” video, which features him moping around in a submarine à la The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. Later, he dances on an aircraft carrier while Kali Uchis floats away on a sailboat.
September 20, 2018: Tyler drops the first hint about his next album in an interview with Fantastic Man. When asked if he’s ever been in love, Tyler declines to answer but then says, “That's the next record.”
October 4, 2018: Tyler curates an “8th Grade” playlist for Solange’s Saint Heron blog, which features Pharrell and Snoop Dogg, Doves, the Hives, Gwen Stefani, and more. All the tracks are from 2004, the year Tyler was in eighth grade.
October 12, 2018: After releasing two instrumentals from Cherry Bomb, Tyler shares the full instrumental version of his 2015 album.
October 18, 2018: Tyler hints that he’s working on his own home furnishings line called Golf Home, slated to drop in 2019.
October 25, 2018: Tyler gets in a car accident in Los Angeles, after dozing off at the wheel. Thankfully no one was hurt, not even Tyler’s Tesla Model X. “thanks elon for the excessive airbags u a qt,” Tyler writes on his Instagram story.
September 18, 2018: The Grinch reboot comes out, featuring a new song by Tyler (“I Am the Grinch”) and his rework of “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” with composer Danny Elfman. A week later, Tyler releases an EP of Grinch-y originals, Music Inspired by Illumination & Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch, which features Santigold, Ryan Beatty, and Jerry Paper.
November 10-11, 2018: Camp Flog Gnaw returns for its 2018 edition, and the lineup is stacked with Kid Cudi and Kanye’s live debut as Kids See Ghosts, Lauryn Hill, Kali Uchis, and more. Keeping with tradition, ringleader Tyler does a headlining set.
May 1, 2019: After a quiet stretch on the Tyler front, he shares a mysterious teaser seemingly featuring new music. A couple days later, he shares another one, which shows him flailing around in a fabulous blonde wig.
May 6, 2019: Tyler announces his new album, IGOR. The extent of what we know about it right now is that there are two different album covers: the pink one was shot by Tyler’s longtime collaborator Luis “Pancho” Perez, the other was drawn by Lewis Rossignol.
May 7-10, 2019: In the days following his big IGOR announcement, Tyler also shares that Camp Flog Gnaw will be back for its eighth year this November, and that the second season of “The Jellies!” will premiere May 19, two days after his album.
Originally Appeared on Pitchfork
