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Tyler, The Creator: 4GEMZ πŸ’Ž No. 3 (2021) [πŸ“·: Brent Faulkner, Calvin Chai, Clker-Free-Vector-Images, Columbia, The Musical Hype, OpenClipart-Vectors, Pixabay, Unsplash, XL]On the 3rd edition of 4GEMZ πŸ’Ž, we select four must-hear, surefire gems from Grammy award winning musician, Tyler, The Creator.  

W

elcome to 4GEMZ πŸ’Ž, a miniature playlist comprised of – you guessed it – four songs! How is 4GEMZ like other miniature lists on The Musical Hype? Each song featured on the list gets a short blurb. How does it differ from our other miniature lists? Rather than being based around a theme, topic, or word, it’s based on a musician or band.  The songs can span the respective musician/band’s entire discography, or all four songs can appear from the same project, hence, the β€˜gems.’ On the 3rd edition of 4GEMZ, we select four must-hear, surefire gems from πŸŽ™ Tyler, The Creator.

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1. Tyler, The Creator, β€œFind Your Wings”

Ft. Roy Ayers, Syd & Kali Uchis

πŸ’Ώ Cherry Bomb β€’ 🏷 Odd Future β€’ πŸ“… 2015

Tyler, The Creator, Cherry Bomb [πŸ“·: Columbia]β€œFind your wings (Fly) / Find your wings (Find your wings).” Few will deny that πŸŽ™ Tyler, the Creator is β€˜rough around the edges.’ His early catalog is incredibly raw and, in some respects, problematic.  That said, over the years, he’s done a better job of β€˜opening up’ and honestly, maturing as both a person and musician.  On 🎡 β€œFind Your Wings,” which hails from a cruder album, πŸ’Ώ Cherry Bomb (2015), we begin to see expanded musicianship from Tyler.

β€œFind Your Wings” is quite beautiful.  It’s lush and jazzy – a palette comprised of vibraphone, horns, strings, and of course, keys/synths.  Notably, the title/titular lyric appear throughout Cherry Bomb. Tyler enlists the services of πŸŽ™ Syd, πŸŽ™ Kali Uchis, and πŸŽ™ Roy Ayers on vocals, in addition to his own vocals. The sheer radiance of the record is quite surprising – shocking at that point of the musician’s career.

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Also appears on πŸ”½:
πŸ”— 🎧 Take Flight with These 11 Wings Songs


 

2. Tyler, the Creator, β€œWho Dat Boy”

πŸ’Ώ Flower Boy β€’ 🏷 Columbia β€’ πŸ—“ 2017 

Tyler, The Creator, Flower Boy [πŸ“·: Columbia]In the context of πŸ’Ώ Flower Boy, the πŸ† Grammy-nominated album by πŸŽ™ Tyler, the Creator, 🎡 β€œWho Dat Boy” is representative of tough Tyler – β€œscum fuck” if you will.  After eerie, malicious production, he jumps right into unapologetic rhymes. He wants to ensure that everybody knows exactly who he is.  Without a doubt, β€œdat boy” is on autopilot.

Tyler, the Creator gets help courtesy of πŸŽ™ A$AP Rocky, who kills the second verse.  Upping the ante, they join forces on the final verse.  Chocked-full of twisted, cocky, and confident rhymes, β€œWho Dat Boy” concludes fittingly.

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Also appears on πŸ”½:
πŸ”— 🎧 Songs About Boys, Vol. 1
πŸ”— 🎧 14 Songs That Are About Boys πŸ‘¨ or Girls πŸ‘©
πŸ”— 🎧 50 Awesome Boy or Girl Songs


 

3. Tyler, The Creator, β€œEARFQUAKE”

πŸ’Ώ IGOR β€’ 🏷 Columbia β€’ πŸ“… 2019 

Tyler, the Creator, IGOR: [πŸ“·: Columbia]🎡 β€œEarfquake” is an instant highlight from the incredibly ambitious, πŸ† Grammy-winning Tyler, the Creator album, πŸ’Ώ IGOR. The backdrop is ear-catching, and Tyler sings with pitch-shifted vocals.  On the memorable chorus, he gets a big-time, uncredited assist, courtesy of the soulful πŸŽ™ Charlie Wilson. On the first verse, another surprising guest appearance occurs, πŸŽ™ Playboi Carti, who fits in perfectly and remains true to self. β€œEarfquake” ranks among the best songs released in 2019 – 13th best to be exact.

β€œβ€˜Cause you make my earth quake
Oh, you make my earthquake
Riding around, you’re telling me something is bad
And it’s making my heart break...”

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Also appears on πŸ”½:
πŸ”— 🎧 51 Best Songs of 2019: Year in Review
πŸ”— 🎧 11 Colorful Songs That Reference Devastating Disasters
πŸ”— 🎧 13 E Songs Selected with No Rhyme or Reason


 

4. Tyler, The Creator, β€œRise!”

Ft. DAISY WORLD

πŸ’Ώ CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST β€’ 🏷 Columbia β€’ πŸ“… 2021

Tyler, The Creator, CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST [πŸ“·: Columbia]β€œWhen I rise to the top / I’m tellin’ you right now / I’m tellin’ you right now / Oh, I’ll show you something.” 🎡 β€œRise!” marks an utterly superb moment from πŸ’Ώ CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST, the 2021 studio album by Tyler, The Creator. On β€œRise,” Tyler enlists πŸŽ™ DAISY WORLD for the assist.  Furthermore, he produces alongside πŸŽ› Jamie xx, one of rare moments he isn’t the sole person behind the boards.  The result of the collaboration is one of the best backdrops of the entire album.  Those syncopated drums and synths – woo!

As I listen, I hear the influence of say, The Neptunes, one of the greatest production teams of all time.  Throw in the jazzy harmonic scheme as a big-time selling point.  Of course, it should be noted both Tyler, The Creator and DAISY WORLD give spirited performance – β€˜rising’ to the occasion (β€œWith the rockets in my mind, yeah / I could touch the sky, I don’t see any ceilings”)! β€œRise!” is one of the best of CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST.

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Also appears on πŸ”½:
πŸ”— 🎧 Rise: 3BOPS No. 43 (2021)
πŸ”— 🎧 13 Songs That Encourage All to Rise Up


 


Tyler, The Creator: 4GEMZ πŸ’Ž No. 3 (2021) [πŸ“·: Brent Faulkner, Calvin Chai, Clker-Free-Vector-Images, Columbia, The Musical Hype, OpenClipart-VectorsPixabay, Unsplash, XL]


the musical hype

the musical hype (Brent Faulkner) has earned Bachelor's and Master's degrees in music (music education, music theory/composition respectively). A multi-instrumentalist, he plays piano, trombone, and organ among numerous other instruments. He's a certified music educator, composer, and freelance music blogger. Faulkner cites music and writing as two of the most important parts of his life. Notably, he's blessed with a great ear, possessing perfect pitch.