Music [Album of the Week #3] Tyler, The Creator - Flower Boy

Before you read the review, I'd like to give a *disclaimer* that this album is heavily NSFW, and this review has foul language. Thanks!

Background

Flower Boy, or Scum Fuck Flower Boy, is Tyler, The Creator's 4th album and 5th overall project (including mixtapes), following his 2015 release, Cherry Bomb. In the past, Tyler was famous for his heavy foul language on his first albums, Bastard and Goblin. These often talked about death and depression, but he has evolved into a lighter sound, highlighting positivity with his fun-loving personality. Flower Boy was released on July 21, 2017.

Likes

This album just feels like a dream. With the retro production to the heavenly vocals, Tyler has certainly stepped up his overall aesthetic with this project, while producing and writing it all by himself. Collaborating with artists like Frank Ocean and Kali Uchis, he paints a vivid picture of a beautiful landscape, filled with sunshine, fast cars, and bees. Listening to this record feels like a drive down a sunny road. Tyler infuses many elements of music from 70s R&B to a more modern sound of hard-hitting bass, like on tracks Who Dat Boy and 911/Mr. Lonely. The stunning choice of sounds he uses to make upbeat bangers such as I Ain't Got Time! blows me away. Tyler knows how to make a crazy song, but in the weirdest way possible. Its overall sound is so beautifully orchestrated, and is guaranteed to induce a toe tap at the very least. He even incorporates his own radio show, Golf Radio, into it in tracks Sometimes… and I Ain't Got Time! He gathers an all-star cast r&b stars, from older legends like Estelle and Lil Wayne to newer superstars such as Anna of the North, Kali Uchis and Rex Orange County. They benefit the project so much, and their talents complement Tyler's low croons and raps very well. Aside from the aesthetic of the album, the subject matter of it all is very significant as well. The album explores nostalgia, happiness, and even one's sexuality. It's revealed on this album that Tyler likes other men (though it isn't clear if he's gay/bisexual/etc), using imagery such as in Garden Shed. He expresses that he worries that revealing who he truly is will lead to the fall of some of his friendships, as the LGBT community isn't exactly held in a high regard in the rap world. At the end of the album, he quits lamenting over the past and his successes and mistakes, and makes it a point to live in the moment (in the instrumental track Enjoy Right Now, Today). I found the message and subject matter moving, profound, and the album to be overall beautiful, despite such hard language (the album's full title is Scum Fuck Flower Boy, after all).

Dislikes

There weren't too many things I disliked about this album. Praise aside, on the longer tracks on this album, their outros seemed to draw on a bit long. Though it did provide great imagery, it seemed somewhat repetitive after a while, and I found myself skipping to the next track, especially on the song, Boredom. Though it didn't effect my overall view of these particular songs/the album, and they serve their purpose, I just found myself somewhat… Bored.

Favorite tracks

This is always the hardest part of writing a positive review. I pretty much enjoyed every single track on this album. But, if I had to narrow it down, my favorite tracks on this album are Who Dat Boy which features A$AP Rocky, Boredom which features Rex Orange County and Anna of the North, and 911/Mr. Lonely which features Frank Ocean and Steve Lacy. Who Dat Boy is simply a banger. Tyler and Rocky complement each other like peanut butter and jam, and watching them build off each other's rhymes was spectacular. It's a crazy track, with astounding flows and wordplay. This song gets me hyped like no other. Boredom, on the other hand, is more of a sad and somber song. Tyler addresses loneliness and others' desire of spending time with him with a landscape of vocals from Rex Orange County and Anna of the North, and his own thoughts. It's the lengthiest song on the album, and is a calming song which strikes a chord in the heart of the listener. Tyler is being urged to "find some time to do something" repeatedly, and though he expresses loneliness and emptiness, he finds that seeing other people won't satisfy him at all. Lastly, my favorite song to come out this year, 911/Mr. Lonely. This song is just spectacular, in every sense of the word. It's appealing to the ears, with a bouncy funk groove, and yet the lyrical content is some of the most somber of this album. Steve Lacy and Frank Ocean deliver spectacular verses, and their voices complement the background music quite a lot. The many music switches provides many unique takes on the track. The transition between 911 and Mr. Lonely is smooth too, with A$AP Rocky and ScHoolboy Q helping give background vocals and serving as the contrast, suggesting he should being lonely and antisocial and have a night out on the town. Tyler refutes this short statement with Mr. Lonely, a minute of fast bars, clever wordplay and astounding delivery. He talks about feeling alone and never having the same opportunities as his other friends, and drawing that back to the fact that he feels alone. Typing it out, it seems somewhat corny, I admit, but in musical form, it fits the music and album very very well.

Least favorite tracks

If I had to choose one, it'd probably be Pothole. Though I am fond of the track (which features Jaden Smith), it seems somewhat boring compared to the rest of the tracks, even to the one about boredom. The production is much more laid-back and simple, but it feels like that's what Tyler was aiming for all along. There really isn't anything more negative for me to say.


Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave any thoughts of your own below, this is an open discussion!​