This album was released on June 25th this year. Tyler the Creator released my favorite Rap album of 2017, so I’m pretty excited for this project. I didn’t love his 2019 album quite as much as Flower Boy just because I don’t think he’s a very good singer at all, but the production on IGOR is top notch. I’m glad that Tyler’s apparently focusing more on rapping for this album though. I want this to be one of my favorite albums of the year, but I don’t really expect that. I think he’ll deliver greatness at the very least, but we’ll see…

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As always, I’ll write about the songs I actually enjoyed before discussing the tracks I won’t be returning to. The album starts off with a song entitled SIR BAUDELAIRE, which introduces Tyler’s “Tyler Baudelaire” alias. The first thing I noticed is that this song uses practically the same beat that Westside Gunn rapped over last year on Michael Irvin. It kinda threw me off at first, but I don’t really mind in all honesty because the beat is dope as fuck. In fact, it’s easily one of my favorite instrumentals on the whole album. After I got acclimated to the familiar production, the next thing I noticed is that Tyler is accompanied by the one and only DJ Drama. This entire project is basically a Gangsta Grillz mixtape in the form of an album. It reminds me of what Kendrick Lamar did with Kid Capri on DAMN. I’ve seen some people say that DJ Drama’s presence here is annoying, and I totally disagree. I guess if you haven’t listened to that much Hip Hop and you don’t really know what you’re talking about, then I could understand why you might find DJ Drama annoying here. I really love that Tyler got him for this album. He added a lot of flair to the project for me. Anyway, as far as Tyler’s actual performance on this album, I think it’s really good for an intro. It got me excited to hear the rest of the album.

New le FLEUR* season, summertime look like private school
Keep it low, don't want that shit to blow like Osama shoe
I'm a true connoisseur, hotel concierge
Know me as that spaced-out nigga with the chunky airs

I mainly like this song for the beat, but DJ Drama & Tyler made it pretty exciting too. It’s a dope ass song. It’s followed by a highlight called CORSO.

The production on this track is pretty amazing to me, and the way Tyler was talking shit on the first verse was fire.

I might buy a boat
Depends if Capri got space, don't really need one
I could go in the wintertime, baby, I bleed some
Find another nigga like me 'cause I ain't seen one

He spends the majority of the song flexing like this.

Catch me in my other other other other crib, that's my AKA
Hurricane-proof all the views, shit like "A Bay Bay"
Of course, he had ascot, passport got tattoos
Slim nigga, big dick, with a fuckin' gap tooth

However, in the third verse he kinda foreshadows a story that gets told later on in the album.

Tried to take somebody bitch 'cause I'm a bad person
I don't regret shit because that ███ worth it
In the end, she picked him, I hope when they fuckin'
She still thinkin' of me 'cause I'm that perfect
I'ma get that deep text when this verse surface
Better send it to my ego 'cause that shit hurtin'
Hope y'all shit workin', I'm a psycho, ha
Don't give a fuck, you left my heart twerkin'

You left me heart twerkin’. Goddamn. Anyway, I think the song is dope as hell overall. Tyler killed the verses, and DJ Drama killed the ad-libs. The following track is called Lemonhead. I got hype as shit when DJ Drama started talking at the beginning of this song because I thought he was gonna say that they were in a bandemic, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case. The song is still fire though. I think the beat is pretty amazing to be honest, and Tyler killed the first verse. I appreciated the references to ODB & Busta Rhymes‘ crews. I’m not as crazy about the second verse, which is performed by 42 Dugg. I think he sounds awesome when he first comes in, but he kinda loses steam by the end of the verse, and as a result it kinda feels like the song just fizzles out. I liked the song more on my first listen, but the track is still really fucking dope overall. I fuck with it. Track 4 is called WUSYANAME.

The beat on this track sounds very 90s R&B-esque. I actually think the goofy background vocals from Tyler sound pretty good here, and his first verse is cool. It’s just a straightforward love song from Tyler. The verse isn’t amazing or anything, but it’s cool. The second verse is performed by an artist named YoungBoy Never Broke Again, whom I’ve never written about on this blog before. I don’t care for his music at all, so I try to avoid everything he touches. However, I didn’t mind his verse that much on this track. I don’t think it was particularly good, but it didn’t ruin the song for me at all. The additional vocals from Ty$ were a nice touch too. It’s a pretty good song. The following track is called LUMBERJACK, and it was the first single I heard from the album.

This is the second time on the album where Tyler kinda just takes someone else’s beat and raps over it like it’s his own song. It happens a lot on this album, which is kinda weird. It doesn’t really bother me that much, but it’s just disappointing when I’m expecting to hear new production and it’s just recycled stuff from another artist. This time he’s rapping over The Gravediggaz’s classic song 2 Cups of Blood, and I think he did it justice personally. The hook isn’t anything special to me, but the verses on this track are nice. Again, Tyler is flexing his ass off here. I would’ve preferred if he rapped over original production, and the hook on this track isn’t anything special to me, but the verses are dope. I fuck with the song overall. It’s followed by a highlight for me called HOT WIND BLOWS. I think the chill, luxurious production on this track is pretty nice. It sounds like the soundtrack to a vacation. The first verse from Tyler is pretty cool too. However, it’s really the guest verse from Lil Wayne that makes this song stand out for me. Wayne fucking killed this track. I don’t know what it is about Tyler that makes Wayne wanna rap so good, but I seriously appreciate that it keeps happening.

Excuse me, pardon me, the wind, it blow so hard to me
Like mother nature arguing about some baby father beef and
I'm stuck in the middle of the sandwich like slaughter meat
Got my middle fingers to the cameras that's recording me
From y'all to me, brrt, stop callin' me unless you're ordering
I'm on the beach, I got my feet out, and I stay on my feet
The corner beat, I'm on a deep route, just throw the ball to me
Thought all this lean will have me senile, I guess they see now
Let's touch down, catch a beat-down like I catch touchdowns
I fuck 'round and slow the beat down and take the drums out

He fucking spazzed here. The song is dope as hell. It’s followed by MASSA. I think the mellow beat on this track is pretty nice, and Tyler spits one of his best verses on the whole album here.

When I turned 23 that's when pubеrty finally hit me
My facial hair started growin', my clothing ain't really fit mе
That caterpillar went to cocoon, do you get me?
See, I was shiftin', that's really why Cherry Bomb sounded so shifty
My taste started changin' from what it was when they met me
But first impression is everything, ain't wanna let me go
Always curious as a child and askin' questions, so
I ain't give no fucks, if, and, buts if they accept me

As you can see, the content here is a lot more personal than that of most of the other songs on the album. I think the second verse from Tyler on this track is easily one of his best performances on the album to be honest. This song doesn’t have that interesting of a beat, but Tyler rocked it. I think he killed this shit. The song is dope as hell. The following track is another highlight entitled RUNITUP. This track has one of the best instrumentals on the album in my opinion. I love the horns. This track also has an amazingly catchy hook. I can’t help but sing along to the chants of “WE GON’ RUN IT UP.” This song features someone named Teezo Touchdown, who I didn’t really care for. However, their contribution to this song is so minimal that it barely affects my enjoyment of the song. There’s only one verse on this song from Tyler, but I think it’s fire. His flow was buttery smooth. The song is dope as hell. It’s followed by MANIFESTO, which is another really great track. I like the way Tyler kinda went back to his edgy critiques of people blindly following their parents’ religion.

That ain't in your religion, you just followin' your mammy
She followed your granny, she obeyed master
Did y'all even ask her? Questions, it's holes in them stories
Is it holes in your blessings? Yeah, I'm bold with the message
I know I ain't got the answer
But I ain't gon' cheerlead with y'all just to be a dancer

Surprisingly enough, this song features a verse from Domo Genesis, who I haven’t heard from in a long ass time. It’d be cool of Tyler to get more Odd Future features in the future. With that said, I’ve never been a huge fan of Domo. However, I think his verse here is really nice. My main gripe with this song is just the production. Don’t get me wrong; the beat isn’t bad at all. But do you guys remember what I said about Tyler rapping over other people’s beats on this album? This song pretty much takes Nas‘ Nazareth Savage beat. It’d be fine if they sampled it more creatively, but it sounds exactly the same. Tyler’s production is one of the main appeals of his music to me, so it’s just kinda disappointing hearing some shit that I’ve already heard before. It’s by no means a big enough issue to ruin the album for me, but this wouldn’t be an accurate review if I didn’t at least mention it. Anyway, I still dig the song quite a bit. It’s not one of my favorites, but my only nitpick is the production. It was cool to hear from Domo again, and Tyler killed this track too.

I came a long way from my past, nigga, it's obvious
V12 engine, I'm fishtailin' on some sloppy shit
Internet bringin' old lyrics up, like I hide the shit
What's your address, I could probably send you a copy, bitch
I was canceled before canceled was with Twitter fingers
Protestin' outside my shows, I gave them the middle finger

The song is dope. The next track that I actually like is called RISE! I was really excited to see DAISY featured on this track. I got put onto her by DJBooth back when her Have a Snack EP dropped. You should definitely check that shit out if you haven’t heard it yet. It’s fire. Anyway, I really like the blissful production on this track, and Tyler killed it. He sings the hook, and his vocals aren’t particularly good, but they work. The background vocals from DAISY certainly help a lot. I don’t have any issues with the song to be honest. I think it’s dope. Track 14 is called JUGGERNAUT, and it’s fire. I think this song has one of the hardest beats on the album. This shit fuckin’ slaps. The first verse from Tyler is awesome too. I’m not crazy about the second verse from Lil Uzi Vert, but I don’t think it’s bad. It’s certainly better than I would’ve ever expected. He actually had a pretty nice flow. The lyrics kinda just went in one ear and out the other, but it’s not a bad verse at all. I unfortunately don’t really care for the final verse from Pharrell. I don’t think it’s bad, but he just doesn’t have the same energy that Tyler and Uzi have. I just don’t think he sounds particularly good over this beat. The beat itself is fire though. The most disappointing aspect of the song is just the fact that Tyler only spits 8 bars. I would’ve much preferred if this was a solo track, but it is what it is I suppose. Just to be clear, I’m not saying that Pharrell’s verse is bad. It’s not a bad verse at all. It’s just not particularly good to me. I find it mediocre. The song as a whole is still pretty good though. I fuck with it. The closing track is entitled SAFARI, and I think it’s a pretty dope outro. I just really dig the kind of triumphant sounding production. The horns sound really good. Tyler killed both of the verses on this track too, especially the second one. There’s not really a hook or bridge or anything, so the main selling point is just Tyler’s rapping. I think it works. I don’t have any complaints about this song in particular. It’s a dope track. There are four tracks that I won’t be returning to, two of which are basically just skits. Track 11 is called MOMMA TALK, and it’s just audio of Tyler’s mom talking about how much of a mama bear she is. Track 13 is called BLESSED, and it’s just Tyler talking about how niggas is blessed. The two actual songs that I don’t care for are called SWEET / I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO DANCE & WILSHIRE. I’ll talk about the former first. SWEET kinda sounds like something that could’ve been on IGOR to me. I don’t think it’s a bad song at all. The sweet, melodic production is pretty nice, and Tyler’s vocals don’t even sound bad. However, it just lasts way too long. I think I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO DANCE is much better than SWEET to be honest. It sounds like a vacation in the form of music. I actually like it a lot. If it was its own track I’d probably dig it. The track is almost TEN minutes long though, and it absolutely did not need to be. I think it’s okay overall, but I just wish the two songs were separated because I like the second part way more than the first one. WILSHIRE is also way too long. It’s this 8 minute story about how Tyler is in love with someone who’s already in a relationship. Instead of just being sad, his dumbass still tries to pursue a relationship. This is the story that he foreshadowed at the end of CORSO when he said he tried to take someone’s bitch. This song is bad to me for a couple reasons. The main reason is the length. The story isn’t told very efficiently. He repeats himself a lot. He could’ve gotten his point across in at most 5 minutes. I feel like this track was meant to be the climax of the album, but it just isn’t very exciting. I don’t find the production to be that interesting. The rapping isn’t bad, but the story doesn’t hold my attention. I just find the song to be really boring to be honest. It was fine on my first listen, but it has zero replay value for me. I think it’s wack.

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^{This is a good album. I don’t think it’s anywhere near as amazing as Flower Boy, and I would probably take IGOR over this too, but I still enjoyed this project. I will say that I was disappointed by some of the beats, and none of the songs really blew me away, but I still enjoyed the majority of the material here. I don’t love this album like I expected to, but I don’t think I would say that I’m disappointed because I’m still satisfied with it. I think this is the happiest Tyler has sounded since Cherry Bomb, and this is a much more entertaining project than that one. I also find it interesting that this album doesn’t really have a concept like most of his other projects. Honestly, to me this felt like a really polished mixtape. Shoutout to DJ Drama. He killed this shit. The album is dope. I fuck with it.}

Favorite Song: RUNITUP
Least Favorite Song: WILSHIRE

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Watch the videos below for more thoughts on this album.