Tyler, The Creator: Goblin (XL)

By Alif Omar Mahfix  •  in Music
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The internet phenomenon that is Odd Future shows no signs of stopping with the release of the collective’s de facto leader’s first physical album. Goblin is a continuation of Tyler’s internet debut, Bastard, a fictive exploration of the rapper’s psyche.

It is so much of a sequel that it is even structured the same way – Tyler still talks to his psychiatrist (who is really his alter ego) on the album. But never mind that, its redundant nature robs none of the album’s potency. Tyler’s beats are still sparse, ominous, and yet oddly accessible – like the synths of John Carpenter’s movies coalescing with NERD’s production.

His lyrics, when not preoccupied with being grotesquely shocking, reveal an extraordinary amount of pathos and insecurities, both of which are rarely shown by rappers. Tracks like the eponymous ‘Goblin’, ‘Nightmare’, and ‘Golden’ speak more of him as an artist than the rest of his oeuvre, shame that most critics only focus on the songs where he raps about rapist/serial killer fantasies.

This is not to say those songs are worthless – some are as good as the best of slasher flicks – but they distract from his talent. Tyler is set to be music’s new bogeyman, but he could be much more than that.

LISTEN TO: ‘Yonkers’, ‘She’, ‘Goblin’
IF YOU LIKE THIS YOU’LL DIG: Earl Sweatshirt, MellowHype, Wu-Tang Clan
RATING: 3.5

More radical parents-scaring rap at www.oddfuture.com.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSbZidsgMfw[/youtube]