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This album was released on April 2nd in 2013. This was the first full project from Tyler that I ever listened to. I remember thinking it was cool, but not really being amazed. I wasn’t really good at processing lyrics and concepts in music at the time. I was expecting it to be more like Goblin. I thought it would be more Horrorcore. I don’t consider this album to be Horrorcore tho. I’m pretty sure Tyler’s completely done with that type of music. That’s fine with me. I like him for his introspection and album concepts; the violent subject matter isn’t the main appeal for me. Anyway, I’m pretty sure this album takes place in between Bastard & Goblin. A lot of people believe it takes place before Bastard. Honestly, it could fit before, in between, or after those two albums depending on the listener’s interpretation. I don’t know if that was intentional, but either way it’s pretty impressive. Anyway, I already know I really fuck with this album. Every track is self-produced, except where noted.

Track 1: Wolf

This track isn’t really a full song. It’s dope tho. The jazzy instrumental that the character Sam is supposed to be performing is REALLY fuckin’ nice. This character Sam is the antagonist for the story on this album. He’s just singing the words “fuck you.” He’s eventually interrupted by Dr. TC, who compliments him on his music, and introduces him to the new kid at Camp Flog Gnaw, Wolf. So I’m pretty sure Camp Flog Gnaw is supposed to be a camp for kids with severe emotional issues. I guess Dr. TC decided that it would be best for him to spend some time in this camp after hearing his suicidal thoughts on Inglorious. After Dr. TC leaves, Sam is like, “Fuck you, you fuckin’ loser; stay the fuck away from me, or I’ll fuck you up, nerd.” So yeah. That’s the intro. I’m not gonna rate it since it isn’t really a song, but the instrumental that Sam was singing over was REALLY fuckin’ good.

Track 2: Jamba Feat. Hodgy

As far as I can tell, this song isn’t too important to the album’s story. I’m pretty sure it’s just supposed to be what Wolf is thinking as he’s hanging out with his friends at the camp. The subject matter honestly isn’t very unique. Tyler’s just rapping about being famous, having sex, having money, and just enjoying life. His bars are still very disrespectful and immature, but not in an annoying way. The content isn’t very original, but he did a really fuckin’ good job with it. The beat is dope af. The synths kinda sound cheap, but not really in a bad way. It’s almost like the shit you’d hear in an old video game. Almost… Hodgy’s verse was actually REALLY fuckin’ good. “What the fuck? I’m drunk as fuck; turn the fucking music up / So I can’t hear these stupid fucks, talk-no-walk, let you discuss / You’re talking too much; who the fuck are you to us? Uterus / I put that on my pubes and nuts if I don’t begin moving up.” He was rhymin’ his ass off on that verse. Tyler is notoriously straight-edge, but his entire final verse is about smoking weed. I guess he’s trying to say that the character Wolf is becoming a stoner. The part where he was rapping about how his shit was laced was awesome. I really like the hook too. There’s really nothing to it lyrically, but the way the beat changes is really cool. I have no problems with this track. This is dope af to me. 5/5

Track 3: Cowboy

At the end of the previous track, Wolf’s friend, Domo, roasts the fuck outta him for talking about smoking weed even tho he’s straight-edge. Then he’s like “Here comes this weak ass nigga Samuel.” So I guess this song is told from Sam’s perspective. He’s just kind of a dickhead who’s always angry. “You’d think all this money would make a happy me, but I’m ’bout as lonely as crackers that supermodels eat / Everybody’s sparking but me, and I keep coughing / Can’t keep calm in this spot’s hot box, and I’m getting nauseous.” The hook is simplistic, but I fuck with it. The hooks on this album are a lot better than the ones on his earlier projects in my opinion. The production here is very dark. It’s not really that interesting at first, but once the jazzier elements come in it gets a lot better. The second verse is dope. “When you’re alone thoughts start coming in / Punching in that dark lock box and they start rummaging / Shit you’ve got to battle with, wishing they could skedaddle / But it makes your shadow say none, fun and grab the gun again.” I’m pretty sure the final verse is from the perspective of Wolf Haley, mostly because he calls himself Wolf Haley. It also makes sense since he starts talking about how his friends are stoners. At the end of the track, Wolf’s attention is caught by a freak ho that he sees walking by. He’s like, “YO WHO’S THAT.” Sam’s like, “AY, FOOL, THAT’S MY SHAWTY. YOU BETTER KEEP YO MOTHERFUCKIN’ EYES OFF HER BEFORE I STOMP YO ASS OUT.” Just kidding, he didn’t say it like that. He just told Wolf, “stay the fuck away from that thick ass ho because that’s my girlfriend, Salem.” Anyway, I actually really fuckin’ like this song. It’s nice to hear Tyler being super dark without having to resort to weird, sexual, violent imagery. This is dope af to me. 5/5

Track 4: Awkward

This song is Sam talking about how he met Salem. “I was 16 when we first laid eyes / Scrawny little fucker, yeah, I was that guy / And you was down for the weekend; I was down for the greetings.” I like this song lyrically. I’m not in love with it sonically tho. It’s really jazzy. I like jazzy production, but this beat in particular just isn’t that interesting to me. It’s not bad at all. I just don’t really like it that much. I’m also not really feelin’ the hook. “I play in your hair as you rub on my ears / Then we awkwardly stare until our lips locked / Then we awkwardly stared because our lips locked / Now it’s awkward in here because our lips locked.” It’s not even a bad hook. I don’t know. It just doesn’t really do anything for me. I think Tyler’s pitch-shifted vocals kinda take away from this shit for me. The second verse was cool. The third verse was awesome. “I haven’t talked to you in a couple of days / I got too comfortable, and started to think that we was really a couple / But hey, at least there was time spent.” Fuuuuuck. Lmao. Jesus Christ this is so relatable it’s scary. “By the time you hear this you won’t know what these rhymes meant / But when you realize, its awkward, your name still my password / So I’m always fucking reminded.” God… Lmao. Okay, I definitely fuck with this song. It’s not that great to me sonically, but the content hits home. This is dope. 4/5

Track 5: Domo 23

This was the first single from the album; I remember thinking it was cool when I first heard it, but I wasn’t in love with it. The beat is cool, and Tyler had a lot of energy, but for whatever reason it just didn’t really connect with me that much. Again, I like the song. It just doesn’t really impress me as much as a lot of his other shit. The lyricism is similar to Jamba, but more brash. “I’ve never popped a bottle / But I’ve fucked a couple models in Europe / Yup, and a couple of them swallowed.” I don’t really like the hook. It doesn’t ruin the song, but it feels like it’s recycled from Sandwitches. I like the song, but nothing pushes it to the next level for me. It’s cool tho. I fuck with it. 4/5

Track 6: Answer

This was my favorite song on the album when I first listened to it. Everything about this song is done really well. That acoustic guitar-driven beat is absolutely gorgeous. The hook is really catchy too. Tyler obviously isn’t the best singer, but the melody is so good that it sounds dope no matter who sings it. This is definitely Tyler’s most heart breaking song on the subject of his father. Inglorious was great, but this is on another level. “I just ain’t being passive, nigga / You a fucking faggot, nigga / Got a show on Monday; guess who ain’t getting no passes, nigga? / But if I ever had the chance to ask this nigga / And call him / I hope he’d answer.” This shit is so sad. I love it. I love this line… “Frank is out the closet / Hodgy’s an alcoholic / Syd might be bipolar, but fuck it, I couldn’t call it.” The final verse is my favorite tho. I guess I just like it because it’s about a girl. It’s more relatable than the other verses for me since I know my dad. The entire song is amazing. It’s definitely one of Tyler’s best songs sonically. I love this track. It’s dope af. 5/5

Track 7: Slater Feat. Frank Ocean

This beat is nothing special. I mean, it’s cool. I like it, but it’s not gonna blow anyone away. It’s really similar to the beat on Cowboy. The first verse is really dope. “Fuck critics, ‘How’s your dick?‘ Shit, how’s your knees? / Y’all on my dick more than my index when I take a pee / Came up with Rella; ain’t touch a bag of weed / Shit was doper than Whitney Houston’s needs.” Slater is supposed to be the name of Wolf’s bike. Tyler’s not really rapping about his bike tho. I mean, he is on the hook, but the actual verses are just about random shit. He killed it tho. I’m glad it’s not actually about Slater. That’d be a lot less interesting. Well, the outro was about his bike, but the actual verses weren’t. The uncredited vocals from Frank Ocean were awesome. I fuck with this song. This is dope. 4/5

Track 8: 48

This was my favorite song from this album for a long time. It has one of the best beats I’ve ever heard produced by Tyler. It’s probably my favorite beat he’s ever done to be honest. The hook is fantastic. The uncredited vocals from Frank Ocean are great. Tyler’s rapping from the perspective of Sam, and talking about the guilt he has as a drug dealer. “You can blame me, motherfucker, for killing your aunties and uncles / The hustle and hunger, all I wanted was a cheeseburger / And a little chain, tuck; didn’t realize this game fucked up some lives / Oh, how’s mine? My conscience eats it up all the time / But other than that I’m fine; I got a little money in my pocket…” Tyler does a better job rapping about selling drugs than most Trap artists who actually did it. The second verse is a lot shorter than the first one, but I think I like it even more than the first verse. It’s just really emotional. “I’m sorry; she could have been a doctor, nigga, I’m sorry / Could have been a actor and won that Oscar, said I’m sorry / I sold that soap, and I killed black folk, I’m sorry / But I got a nice car, put my sister through school while my momma all cool, I’m sorry / I’m in too deep, and I can’t see the shore… / I’m sorry…” There are samples of a Nas interview on the intro and outro of this song in which he talks about the effects that drugs have on black communities. This shit is deep. I definitely fuck with this song. It’s one of my favorite tracks that Tyler’s ever done. It’s dope af. 5/5

Track 9: Colossus

A lot of people kinda dismissed this song when it originally came out because it’s really similar to Stan by Eminem. It was pretty much just labeled as a Stan ripoff.

It’s about an insane dickrider who’s in love with Tyler, but the ending is nowhere near as over the top as that of Stan. This is also apparently based on a true story. Basically, a stan comes up to him at Six Flags and asks if he can get a picture. Then he starts telling Tyler about how much he loves him. “Me and you, we go together like snare and a beat / I mean snare and a kick drum; see my forearm? / I carved ‘OF‘ on it this morning with a glass shard / On my green mini-ramp that I built in my backyard.” This motherfucker crazy. The beat is dope af by the way. There’s barely any percussion. It’s just a really jazzy instrumental with bells and pianos. The entire song is this guy metaphorically sucking Tyler’s dick. It eventually just ends when Tyler says, “bruh just take the fuckin’ picture.” I like this song. It’s definitely not one of my favorites, but I think it’s a good song. This is dope to me. 4/5

Track 10: PartyIsntOver / Campfire Feat. Lætitia Sadler / Bimmer Feat. Frank Ocean

I didn’t really like this track the first time I heard it, but now I love it. I love every single song in this track. The beat on PartyIsntOver is so fucking good. He doesn’t really rap on this song. Well, he kinda does. It’s pretty much only a hook tho. “The party isn’t over / We could still dance / But I don’t have no rhythm / So fuck it, take a chance with me.” I love that shit. I don’t know why. It just perfectly represents the feeling of being in love with someone for me. The first time I ever liked a girl I feel like this song is exactly how I felt. It’s dope af to me. I love Campfire too. The beat is awesome. It’s just about how much Wolf is enjoying Camp Flog Gnaw. I usually don’t like when artists have children singing on their songs, but it sounds REAL fuckin’ good here. “We’re making smores by the campfire / Camp Flog Gnaw; Golf Wang summer.” If you’re gonna have a children’s choir on your song, it needs to sound creepy like this. They can’t sound like professional singers. They need to sound like a bunch of real kids singing together. This track is dope af. The vocals from Lætitia Sadler were nice too. Bimmer is definitely the most popular song in this track. It was previewed at the end of the Domo 23 music video. The beat is fucking awesome. This is a love song, but I still really fuckin’ like it. I just think Tyler’s better at making love songs than a lot of other rappers. The shit on Cherry Bomb kinda sucks, but that was mostly because he was trying to sing too much; not to mention the terrible mixing on damn near every song. Frank Ocean killed this shit too. He sounds great over this beat. I love it. This entire track is dope af. 5/5

Track 11: IFHY Feat. Pharrell Williams

I love this song. It has one of my favorite music videos of all time. This has gotta be one of the most creative music videos any rapper has ever made. This is even beyond a lot of Busta Rhymes’ videos. Let’s talk about the actual music tho. I love the way this shit starts off. The haunting synths that sound like cold organ keys made for a perfect intro. The first verse is Sam rhyming with no percussion about how he’s in love with Salem to a frustrating extent. I guess the whole song is about that. He says he hates her mostly because she doesn’t show him the love that he desires from her. At the end of Bimmer there’s a skit where Sam’s like “where’s Salem at?” and his homie is like “I saw her and Wolf go down by the lake,” and then Sam is like “WAT THA FUK.” When the beat finally drops after that first verse tho, man… WOOOOO! Tyler’s really improved a lot as a producer. “Crazy who makes me the happiest can make me the saddest.” Fuck, man. Lmao. Yeah… Being in love fucking sucks. “I love you so much that my heart stops beating when you’re leaving / And I’m grieving and my heart starts bleeding / Life without you has no goddamn meaning / Sorry, I’m passive-aggressive for no goddamn reason / It’s that my mood change like these goddamn seasons; I’ll fall for you.” Fuuuuck, man. Really wish this wasn’t relatable for me lol. He killed that shit. Pharrell’s verse didn’t really blow me away, but it was cool. I fuck with this song. It’s dope af. 5/5

Track 12: Pigs

This is another one of my favorite songs. The production is kinda similar to that of Cowboy & Slater, but this is definitely my favorite of the three. At the end of the previous track, Wolf is like “WHY IS SAM SUCH A FUCKIN’ DICK???” and then Salem’s like “He’s just a bitch ’cause of some bullshit that happened at home,” and then Wolf’s like “HUH? WHAT HAPPENED??” So this song is basically about what happened to Sam and how he ended up at Camp Flog Gnaw. This isn’t really important, but I just wanna let it be known that I think the voice actor for Salem did a fucking God awful job. I hate her voice. It sounds so fuckin’… Uuuh… I don’t know. It sounds fake as fuck. That’s neither here nor there tho. Let’s get back to the actual song. This shit is incredible. Basically, Sam was severely bullied in school, and he was planning to shoot that bitch up, so he got sent to summer camp. “Bully hand around my neck ’cause he felt disrespected when I decided to talk again / I brought that on myself, see I should know my place / But not at lunchtime, see I know better then to show my face.” This song was inspired by the Columbine High School Massacre. In the second verse he goes into detail about his plans to clap shit up at school. “My step-father called me a fag; I’ll show him a fag / I’ll light a fire up in his ass / And recently them assholes been fucking with me in class / So Ima keep them motherfuckers there and make sure they pass.” The final verse is about the regrets he has as he’s being chased by the police. “I don’t wanna go to jail, I just wanna go home / And I want them fucking kids at school to just leave me alone / And I, I hear helicopters make a dip / I’m fucking reloaded; I told you all that I ain’t taking shit.” I fucking love this track. This is dope af to me. 5/5

Track 13: Parking Lots Feat. Casey Veggies & Mike G

This beat is really dope. This is one of the less interesting songs on the album tho. Nothing about it really stands out much. I don’t even really have anything to say about it. The first verse from Tyler was nice. The actual content just isn’t that interesting to me. It’s just Wolf talking about loitering in the parking lot with his friends. I like the hook from Casey Veggies. Mike G’s voice sounds really good over this chill beat. He did his thing. It was only 8 bars. It was fine. Tyler was rappin’ his ass off on this track. I don’t know why it doesn’t hit me as hard as the other tracks. I really liked Tyler’s verses, and the beat was really fuckin’ smooth. I don’t know what the disconnect is about. I still like it tho. I’m not as crazy about it as I am about a lot of the other tracks, but it’s dope. 4/5

Track 14: Rusty Feat. Domo Genesis & Earl Sweatshirt

This is one of the most popular songs from this album for obvious reasons. These fools were rappin’ they fuckin’ asses off. The previous track ended with one of Wolf’s homies bein’ like, “BREH SAM SAID HE’S FINNA KILL YO ASS WHAT THA FUCK YOU FINNA DO??” so this song is pretty much about Sam lookin’ for Wolf. The beat is dope af. Domo fuckin’ killed that first verse. I don’t know what the fuck got into him on this song, but he needs to rap like that more often. His delivery was so fuckin’ aggressive, and his flow was dope as hell too. “We ain’t on no jolly shit, and we don’t pop no Mollies, bitch / I’m hocking, spitting, got some niggas out here popping Ollie switch / Bunch of novices; Odd Future the squad is thick / Them young niggas is back and brash, attacking with no common sense.” He did a great job with the hook too. Tyler fuckin’ murdered that second verse tho. “I’m harder than DJ Khaled playing the fucking quiet game.” His verse was dope af. The final verse from Earl was fantastic too. “Malt liquor filling me up, and all us not giving no fucks / And all of them sensitive chumps in awe when that pistol erupts / Dirty one spitting that sumpy raw till his wrists in the cuffs.” I fuckin’ love this track. It ends with Sam murdering the fuck outta Earl, and scaring off Wolf. This is dope af. 5/5

Track 15: Trashwang Feat. Na’kel, Jasper Dolphin, Lucas Vercetti, L-Boy, Taco, Left Brain & Lee Spielman

This song is trash. It’s another one of those parody songs that Tyler likes to do. Bitch Suck Dick was actually tolerable sonically tho. This song is just fucking annoying. Well, I don’t even know if this was really supposed to be a joke. Tyler’s intentions behind the development of this song seem bizarrely racist and self-hating.

The beat’s kinda cool, but Lee Spielman’s screaming in the background is annoying as hell. Na’kel’s verse is nothing special. The hook from Left Brain is awful. I’m honestly not really feelin’ a single verse on this song. Jasper’s flow was cool, but his delivery was annoying as hell. Actually Taco sounded surprisingly good on this song. He probably had my favorite verse. Lucas’ verse was fucking awful. I usually love it when L-Boy talks shit, but his little interlude didn’t really do anything for me on this track. This shit is wack af to me. 1/5

Track 16: Treehome95 Feat. Coco O & Erykah Badu

This is really just a Jazz song. Tyler doesn’t have a very large presence on this track. The beat’s alright. Coco O sang her ass off. Erykah Badu did her thing. I don’t know. This just isn’t that good. Erykah & Coco O both sounded good, but… Nah… It’s just not really doin’ anything for me. The beat isn’t that good. I usually like Tyler’s Jazz-influenced production, but this one is just really bland to me. I don’t even have anything to say about it. It’s just a really boring song to me. 3/5

Track 17: Tamale

Honestly the only thing I like about this song is the music video. The beat is annoying as hell to me. I get that this is supposed to be another one of those energetic songs like Domo 23, but it just sounds really obnoxious to me. Especially the yelling in the background from Tallullah Willis. Lyrically the song is just Tyler saying a shit ton of crazy shit that rebellious teenagers can bust a nut to. Speaking of nutting, at the end of the track one of the chaperones at Camp Flog Gnaw walks in on Wolf jerkin’ off, so he takes him to Dr. TC’s office. This song is wack to me. 2/5

Track 18: Lone (Prod. Wilson Das Neves)

For this song Tyler rapped over Wilson Das Neves’ song, Jornada. It’s another track in Tyler’s classic style where he’s just venting to Dr. TC. The beat is dope af. The first verse was good, but this shit really starts getting good for me during the second verse. He goes into great detail about the events leading up to the death of his grandmother. It’s great. I mean, it’s sad. He did a great job tho. At the end of the song, Dr. TC’s like “Damn, son. Oh by the way, Sam’s lookin’ for you.” Then Wolf’s like “If I seen that nigga I would’ve killed him.” That’s how the album ends. It segues pretty nicely into Goblin, which begins with Dr. TC talking to Tyler about how he doesn’t have the balls to kill himself or anyone. So there ya go. That’s it. That’s the trilogy. This song is dope af. 5/5

Final Thoughts:

This album is great. This is easily Tyler’s best project. I don’t even really think there are any consistent flaws with it. There are just a handful of tracks that aren’t really as good as others. The production is very good for the most part. I’d say one thing that kinda took away from this album was it’s length. I think some of the filler tracks could’ve been taken off. If he took off Awkward, Slater, Colossus, Parking Lot, Trashwang, Treehome95, and Tamale, this would’ve been a much easier listen for me personally. I like some of those songs, but if I for whatever reason could never find a way to listen to them again, I wouldn’t be too upset about it. I like when Tyler’s talking about deep shit like the absence of his father, the effects of drugs on black communities, and bullying. He’s really fuckin’ good at making dope songs about shit like that. The more playful shit like Domo 23 & Tamale was far less interesting for me personally. I love this trilogy he had with Bastard, Wolf, and Goblin. Cherry Bomb was super disappointing to me; I think if he goes back to making another album with a strong concept like this it’ll be really great. I wanna hear songs with interesting characters. I want him to tell stories like the shit in Pigs. That was awesome. More of that would be a dream come true. I love this album. It’s dope.

Favorite Song: Pigs

Least Favorite Song: Trashwang

Verdict:

83%

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