Tyler, the Creator’s CMIYGL is an in-your-face experience with world-class production
Art is from Twitter user n4te24
CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST (CMIYGL) is a phenomenal album which, in the artist’s own words, is best experienced doing ‘whatever your favorite shit is’. It’s a upbeat, melancholy, hard-hitting body of work that manages to combine the aesthetic of nearly every previous Tyler project to date.
I’ve seen people call this album a ‘blend of Flower Boy and Cherry Bomb’, a ‘remake of Wolf with IGOR vibes’, and everything in between.
And yeah, it makes sense. There’s a bit of everything on this LP — rapping, singing, DJ Drama, incredible features and instrumentals — CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST is the most on-brand Tyler, the Creator album to date. If I were to give you a single album to sum up his work, it would be CMIYGL.
Additionally, before I dive into the track list, I want to say that — like any album review — the best experience reading this is going to be while listening to each song that I talk about. I mean, it’s not required, but it will give you a better understanding about what I talk about sonically.
OKAY. I’m excited. Let’s get it.
SIR BAUDELAIRE (feat. DJ Drama)
The opening line to CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST is Tyler saying the words “the sun beaming” — which, if you were stalking him on Instagram/twitter for the week prior to the release of this LP (yeah, I was doing this), you would know those words were his profile bio.
SIR BAUDELAIRE, the opening track to CMIYGL, does not even reach 90 seconds of run time. It’s a short introduction, but it preps you for the rest of the album well, giving a low-fi beat with DJ Drama yelling adlibs everywhere.
“Call me if you lost
See, while y’all was in the house (Call me if you lost)
We was takin’ Rolls Royces to go see alligators
DJ Drama, man (Call me if you lost)
Travelin’ the world
Passport stamped up (Call me)
It’s Tyler Baudelaire”
The final 15 seconds of the track feature the jingle teased in the album rollout — in the videos Tyler posted on his Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, as well as at the end of the music video to the leadup single LUMBERJACK. There’s also a flute that begins to play, with the track ending on the sound of a phone ringing — hence the “Call me” theme of the LP.
This track isn’t necessarily memorable in comparison with what is to come — and it likely won’t be on any of my playlists — but SIR BAUDELAIRE is a great intro to an conceptual album, something that wasn’t required but artistically brings things together a bit more.
CORSO
CORSO starts you out with an interesting instrumental — the type of sound you’d hear in a movie based in the Egyptian desert, but this quickly changes about 20 seconds into the track.
The beat shifts as Tyler dives deeper in into his opening verse on CORSO, changing into a drum-heavy beat with a single repeating piano key for the remainder of the stanza.
“[DJ Drama]
Okay, now you understand what we came here to do, right?
Oh yeah, me, I go by the name of DJ Drame
And on my side, that’s Tyler Baudelaire
AKA Bunnyhop
AKA The Creator
Call me if you get lost, suckers”
If you couldn’t already tell, this is going to have DJ Drama all over it. Like, EVERYWHERE. Intros? DJ Drama. Bridges? DJ Drama. Chorus? DJ Drama. When you least expect it? DJ. Fuckin. Drama.
And it works! Originally listening to CMIYGL, I was skeptical. But as I listen more, his adlibs grow on me, and it gives this album something of a light vintage feel — presumably intended by Tyler.
“Bout to spend million just to fill voids up
Drama, I need you (Yessir), can you turn the noise up?
Can you turn the noise up? Can you turn the noise up?
Turn the fuckin’ noise up, ah, my heart broken”
Lyrically, there’s a bit to digest here, but I just want to appreciate the atmosphere Tyler creates. As he’s asking DJ Drama to ‘turn the noise up’, the volume of the mix actually rises and becomes more rambunctious. It’s a small detail, but it impressed me.
Ok, diving more into the lyrics, T is asking Drama to turn the noise up so that he can ignore his broken heart — or rather, the circumstances which caused this — a situation that has yet to be explained — but something Tyler will talk about later on in CMIYGL.
LEMONHEAD (feat. 42 Dugg)
LEMONHEAD is a really fun, brass-heavy track that starts out with Tyler and Drama hyping up the coming verses.
“[DJ Drama]
You say, you say pandemic?
Oh, you wanna see a pandemic?”
I don’t have anything to add here. I just thought this was funny.
“I don’t lean but my house do
Off the hill with a mean view
Nice house, if you look out
You can see some eagles and a few yachts”
Tyler is flexing. He hardly did any flexing on IGOR. It’s fun to see him do it a little bit here. Halfway through his opening verse, he uh… spits? Not in a ‘oh he’s spittin’ kind of way. Tyler just literally spits.. like actual saliva.
I know some are hesitant with this 42 Dugg feature, but I like it. It’s fine. He’s really melodic and his pace and voice really fit the overall theme and instrumental of LEMONHEAD.
Also!! Frank Ocean is on this track. You can barely hear him, but as Tyler is talking on the outro, Frank’s singing. Not sure if this means he is going to return to music, but I refuse to get my hopes up for that with his, well, lack of presense following the drops of DHL and In My Room.
WUSYANAME (feat. Youngboy Never Broke Again, Ty Dolla $ign)
WUSYANAME is an interesting song with unique features, with an interesting and fresh storytelling perspective.
“AWWWWH YOU LOOK MALNOURISHED”
Does this actually work as a pickup line? Genuinely curious.
“You pick a spot, I pick a tail number and we could be tourists
Let’s go to Cannes and watch a couple indie movies that you never heard of
Listen to bands, groove and we dance
Disco in France, smell some perfume, head in the wind”
Tyler has met the love interest that he will reference continually throughout this album. Here, with this verse, he’s attempting to woo her. And, aided by the visuals of the music video — she seems hesitant to pay attention to Tyler at first.
Also, I just have to say, Ty Dolla $ign is a backup vocalist in WUSYANAME, but his part is so soothing in contrast to Tyler’s generally gritty rap style.
About a minute into the song comes NBA Youngboy’s verse.
“[Youngboy Never Broke Again]
What is your name, what do you bring?
I think that I got what you need
And I’m willin’ to do anything that you please
I’m tryna get gdown to the root of the apple
The deepest I could in them jeans
McLaren, like Sonic, can’t speed, no
No, you can’t hit my lean, no
Baby, tell me where the peace go, ’cause I’m lost”
I did not know NBA Youngboy could sing like this. Granted, I haven’t listened to any of his projects, but the Instagram memes had me prepped for a completely different experience.
This is one of the stronger tracks on CMIYGL, with huge R&B vibes, it’s pretty unique to the LP in total, but it plays a fairly large part to the story and atmosphere that Tyler is curating.
LUMBERJACK
CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST’s fifth track, LUMBERJACK, was the single released roughly a week and a half before the album itself. It’s a gritty power-puncher with an interesting piano instrumental that plays throughout — alternating between only two keys rapidly.
“Rolls-Royce pull up, Black boy hop out
Shoutout to my mother and my father, didn’t pull out
MSG sell out, fuck these (fellas) yap ‘bout?
Whips on whips, my ancestors got they backs out”
Tyler talks about his love for life — being happy that everything turned out the way it did. He’s spoken in interviews before about this. Here is his quote from when he spoke with the late-Larry King:
“King: Are you mad at him? Did he desert the family?
Okonma: Nah dude, I’m stoked. I think if I had a dad, I would have went the normal college route — like a lot of other people.
King: So you’re not angry at him?
Okonma: I’m so stoked my life panned out how it was.”
Moving on, Tyler continues to flex.
“That’s my nuance, used to be the werido
Used to laugh at me, listen to me with their ears closed
Used to treat me like that boy Malcolm in the Middle
Now I’m zero, zero, zero, zero, zero, zero”
Tyler talks about how he was an outcast earlier in his life — something he has elaborated on before. Now, with six zeros to his name, he’s a millionaire — and that wealth will only continue to grow following the reception of CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST.
HOT WIND BLOWS (feat. Lil Wayne)
HOT WIND BLOWS is an awesome track. It opens with a luxurious feel — exasperated by DJ Drama’s intro.
“[DJ Drama}
Ladies and gentlemen
We just landed in Geneva
Yeah, that’s in Switzerland
We on a yacht
A young lady just fed me French vanilla ice cream
We all got our toes out, too”
It’s fun, it’s goofy. I can’t really describe what Drama is talking about more than that. With the overall ‘travel’-type theme, this kind of thing just fits the vibe of the LP.
“I’ma travel the globe, you keep the block hot
Driver, open the door for me, my hand hurt
Finders, we playin’ hide and seek with the passport”
Again, this album has two main themes: travel and the aforementioned love interest, with its tracks swaying between both of those and towing the line, straight down the middle quite often.
The middle part of this song features a break, just before Lil Wayne cuts in — and wow, does Wayne’s voice float on this record. It might be the most well-placed feature on the album — and in my opinion tops the collaborations on both Cherry Bomb’s SMUCKERS and Flower Boy’s Droppin’ Seeds. It’s an elite feature.
“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”
It’s just so good. Wayne + Tyler is an elite combination, and he doesn’t even need the use of HOT WIND BLOW’s great instrumental towards the middle of his verse:
“The speed of my plum so great, I’ma eat my own flow
And I’m in need of a flaw, may eat me a rapper,
I might as well eat me a ho”
The beat kicks in again, and Wayne’s verse begins to wrap itself up.
“Wolf Gang, Wolf Gang, that’s what I need you to know, Mula,
Weezy the goat
Wind beneath my wings, Desert Eagle underneath my coat”
DJ Drama, as he does on CMIYGL, wraps up the song, talking about the travels of Tyler.
“[DJ Drama]
You see,
We just over here admirin’ the view of the mountains from the lake
Of course
Y’all know it’s Wolf Haley, man, stop fuckin’ playin’.”
MASSA
MASSA is, summed up, just three and a half minutes of bars — with Tyler flowing very well over a Lo-Fi beat — a low-hanging synth with a minimalistic drum break.
“Whatever your shit is, man, do it
Whatever bring you that immense joy, do that, that’s your luxury”
Tyler, as pointed out earlier, wants you to listen to this album while doing what you love — and he reiterates that in the intro to MASSA.
“Mom was in the shelter when “Yonkers” dropped, I don’t say it
When I got her out, that’s the moment I knew I made it”
Tyler’s early life — particularly during this era — have not been widely discussed over the course of his discography. It’s difficult to speculate and downright guess on what T means by some of these lyrics, but these two bars in particular seem cut and dry.
“My favorite part of the double R is the bird ceilin’
The panoramic view of the sky and the sun beamin’
That ray of light show that nobody is front-seatin’
I’m on the hunt for perfect but decent is what I been on
I know she fell in love but commitment is not my end goal”
There is a lot to take in over this stanza of lyrics, particularly the comparison to materialism to what Tyler is searching for in his love/personal life. He also calls back to the opening line of the album ‘the sun beamin’ here — the second time he references it on CMIYGL.
MASSA is simplistic in its instrumental, but Tyler is grainy and rough with how he delivers his flow — and it works well. This is one of the better tracks on a great album.
RUNITUP (feat. Teezo Touchdown)
Truthfully, this is one of the songs I have been most excited to talk about in this review. There’s a lot to take in.
Earlier, when I said the best experience for reading this review would be to listen along to the album as well — THIS was the main song I was alluding to.
Full disclosure — my favorite songs (or, rather, the ones I gravitate to the most) typically have either a great piano hook or brass/horn melody. RUNITUP has both of those things.
Sonically, RUNITUP is fantastic. There is no better display of layering on CMIYGL. The song opens on Tyler speaking over a piano riff with horns in the background.
About 30 seconds into the track, the trumpet takes over, creating an upbeat atmosphere, with the background singer adlibbing with the perfect tone and timing.
I mean, the soft “Runnnnn” as the trumpets hit lower notes are just perfect. And as the song progresses, DJ Drama adds the most-fitting adlibs for a track that manages to get you in the best of moods.
“[DJ Drama]
It’s funny, right?
For some reason, y’all didn’t really think we was gon’ be here (Run)
See, for y’all, the sky is the limit
For us, the sky is just what we stand on to reach the beyond (Run, run, run)
High above the clouds, as you see us”
Then everything except for the piano drops out, with a low-pitched Tyler singing the bridge. Horns and adlibs are continually added — and the buildup becomes greater and greater as Tyler and Teezo Touchdown yell “We gon’ run it up!” repetitively.
“I just might spend it all (We gon’ run it up)
I might just spend it all (We gon’ run it up)
Here today, but gone tomorrow (We gon’ run it up)”
Tyler talks about how he doesn’t know what the future has in store, so he may as well take advantage of his life and fortune while he has it. The beat drops immediately after this.
And, I must say, the atmosphere in concert looks electric during this moment.
(another small note: RUNITUP was the final song in the setlist for Tyler, the Creator’s event with Amazon Music).
As this up-tempo portion of the song continues, note the use of the synth, how it cuts in and out to complement the trumpets and/or piano. It’s *that* level of attention that makes Tyler, the Creator’s projects so good.
As RUNITUP comes to a close, the melody becomes softer and more synth-heavy — as it prepares for the transition to the darker, gravelly MANIFESTO
MANIFESTO (feat. Domo Genesis)
MANIFESTO is about Tyler, his past, and his internal debate of whether he’s doing enough to support the causes he cares about.
“Internet bringin’ old lyrics up, like I hide the shit
What’s your address, I could probably send you a copy, bitch”
Tyler’s early music, particularly on Bastard and Goblin, were notoriously regrettable — often with overtones of sexism, homophobia, and rape. But he continues to own it — despite it being the reason of some consequences in the past, such as being banned from the United Kingdom (and a few other countries, as well).
“Black bodies hanging from trees, I cannot make sense of this
Hit some protest up, retweeted some positives messages
Donated some funds then I went and copped me a necklace”
I like the Domo Genesis feature, but sonically this is one of the weaker tracks on CMIYGL. It’s still good, don’t get me wrong, but it feels a bit *too* raw in some respects — although maybe that is what Tyler is aiming for.
SWEET (feat. Brent Faiyez)
Alright, just to be clear — I’m splitting up SWEET and I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO DANCE because my view of both songs are very independent of one another — despite them being grouped together on CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST.
SWEET opens on the same melody that was teased on Tyler’s social media about a week and a half prior to the album releasing — roughly two days before LUMBERJACK was released. And wow — it’s just so good. The flute is amazing, and the one-sided conversation Tyler is having with his love interest is enough to give perspective on what their relationship was.
This is one of the few tracks that features Tyler actually singing — and he does it really well here.
“They should call you sugar, you’re so sweet
Well, they should call you sugar, ’cause you’re so sweet to me
Well, they should call you sugar, sugar, oh, you’re so sweet
“cause, baby you’re the sweetest, sweetest, sweetest thing I’ve known”
Yep. There isn’t much explaining to do here. T is talking directly to his love interest.
The Brent Faiyez feature on SWEET is downright amazing. His voice is angelic. At one point during his bridge/feature, he reminded me of what Childish Gambino’s singing sounded like on Because the Internet.
The bridge following during the 3–4 minute mark is gorgeous — and is one of Tyler’s favorite moments on the album in total.
About five minutes in, SWEET transitions into I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO DANCE.
I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO DANCE (feat. Fana Hues)
Do NOT get it mixed up. I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO DANCE is a reggae track. It’s not rap. It’s not pop. It’s reggae. From the tempo of established to the bongos playing in the background — it’s a tropical and relaxing atmosphere.
If you had told me before this album released that DJ Drama would adlib a reggae track, I don’t know how I would’ve reacted. But it’s so, so good. Sonically, I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO DANCE is one of my favorite moments from CMIYGL.
“What makes you think
I’m not in love?
How could you know
What’s best for us?”
The theme of this track will be the eventual back-and-forth between Tyler and his love interest — and it gives a good perspective as to why she does not pursue the relationship with him. This, above, though, is Tyler’s exploration and questioning.
Fana Hues comes in acting as the presumed partner in this situation.
“[Fana Hues]
Honestly it’s all love all the time, yeah
I ain’t mean to lead you on, because
Him and I got some things that we’re trying
But my energy belongs to you
I want you so bad, but not too fast
It’s not your fault, we can’t pretend
Because we both in the wrong”
On this beat, what Hues says goes over Tyler’s head in the scope of the song. She gives the female perspective here — and what Tyler seems to be missing with his evaluation.
“I wish that we never met, I wish that we ain’t connect
Like Lego, connection good, but mixed signal
If you say so, like cardio
We sat up and down, but we didn’t blink
Felt like dirty dishes ’cause we was in sync”
Tyler gets audibly excited during this track — and it’s hard not to. His production along with tone of voice, complemented by the Hues feature fits so well. This song is on my beach/surfing playlist — it’s *that* level of good.
“[Tyler, the Creator AND Fana Hues, together]
I wish that we had better timing
I’ll save a dance just for you
So don’t forget about me, ba-ba-bad-da
I’ll save a dance just for you”
Just a brilliant ending to a masterpiece of a song — a 10/10 track, both sonically and lyrically. I have no other words for it.
MOMMA TALK (interlude)
This track is just Tyler’s mom talking about how much love she carries for her son. It’s about a minute long. MOMMA TALK was what originally played when you called the phone number that Tyler used in his album rollout — 1(855)-444–8888
“[Louisa Whitman — mother of Tyler Okonma]
My son used to record me beatin’ bitches’ ass, facts
I didn’t give a fuck
I bossed up on teacher, principles, mommas, kids
I didn’t give a fuck-am I lying?
If you fuck with my kids, I’ll beat up kids over my kid, okay?”
You can see just how protective she is for him — and how much she loves Tyler.
RISE! (feat. DAISY WORLD)
RISE! Is a description of how Tyler was able to get to the top of the game in his industry — winning a Grammy for his 2019 LP IGOR.
“[DJ Drama]
Dedicated!
To the haters, the non-believers, and the disgruntled
Oh no, I don’t want you to leave
I want you to stay right here and watch Tyler rise to the top
It feels better that way”
An upbeat synth is playing with a deep drum beat, complemented by both the vocals of DJ Drama and Tyler, the Creator. This is one of the few songs on CMIYGL that Tyler actually sings — which is what he does on the chorus here.
“When I rise to the top
I’m tellin’ you right now
As crazy as I sound
Oh, I’ll show you something”
The instrumental really complements the lyrics / flow that Tyler goes with here. Like most things on this album, it works really well.
“Tyler got the talent, Tyler got the vision
Tyler that (fella) so really you can’t compare us
Why you filled with terror whenever you in my presence?
Is it ’cause we look just alike and (fellas) said it?”
Tyler switches things up here, going in with a more rap-centric tone — the gritty, abrasive Tyler that everyone has come to know. He talks about how he’s ahead of everyone else — and that others should be intimidated by just how good he can be at, well, music.
BLESSED (interlude)
At 57 seconds, BLESSED is the second interlude on the tracklist, following RISE! but previewing JUGGERNAUT. Tyler speaks for the whole track, talking about how great his life is and how blessed he is to have what he has.
“Golf Wang’s doin’ amazing, my open up another store
Le FLEUR* is goin’ insane, smell good, nail polish
Converse, Gucci
Camp Flog Gnaw one of the best festivals
I’m healthy, my skin glowin’, my friends healthy”
Casual yet not-so-subtle flex. Let’s move on.
—
JUGGERNAUT (feat. Lil Uzi Vert, Pharrell Williams)
JUGGERNAUT is one of the best tracks on this album. It fits the name very well, hits you hard following the intro with verses from Tyler, Lil Uzi Vert, and Pharrell Williams. All of them are well put-together, fit the flow, and push the tempo.
JUGGERNAUT is a song that, in my listening experience — is perfect when driving. There’s not much that’s better that bumping this in the freeway — or, in my experience, on the way to the beach.
The first 25 seconds, the intro, is a slow, loose flow by Tyler, then the beat drops and you know exactly where the song is headed.
“What is it? It’s that (fella) T, skin look colored in
Ridin’ in double-double R, that’s my Cullinan
Pullin in that four hundred grant, I just ordered this
Switzerland, Lake Geneva where I spend my summer in
GOLF le FLEUR*, that’s Gianno shoe, what I’m runnin’ in
Earlobe look like headlights on a minivan
I’m so motherfuckin’ dead-ass, I need some Timberlands
I battle any man, Uzi Vert, don’t think they understand”
Tyler really attacks this verse with an energy and charisma unique to this track. He sets up Uzi’s verse, which is also very, very good.
“[Lil Uzi Vert]
Say the money comin’ in, yeah, that’s true
The more money I get, I don’t wan’ sex you
Can’t think about the last time that I text you”
This very well could be from Tyler’s perspective — with the theme being about the loss of a love interest — this time self-inflicted. As Tyler’s status and wealth grows, he thinks less and less about the person that is talked about in WUSYANAME, SWEET/I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO DANCE, among other tracks.
“[Pharrell Williams]
What troubles me is you couple me
With these subtle fleas tryna double league
Hornet trapped in the hive of a mother-fuckin’ bumblebee
They just got the closest picture of the fuckin’ sun surface, that was us
Got the LaFerrari, park that bitch just for one purpose, catchin’ dust”
Pharrell’s verse is probably my favorite feature on the entirety of CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST — but the stanza above are some of my favorite lyrics on the album. There’s a lot of flexing, coming post-I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO DANCE, and that’s intentional. Tyler gets a lot out of both Uzi and Pharrell.
Sonically, this is an extraordinary song. Listen to it again — and just listen to how many non-traditional instruments are used as sound effects — I hear tornado/natural disaster sirens, EMT vehicles, old-90’s movies sound effects, someone panting/breathing heavy, phones ringing — and lots that I won’t take the time to write out. All of these fit well with the atmosphere and world that Tyler has created on this track.
WILSHIRE
WILSHIRE is the piece of work where Tyler is clearly telling a story — the story about the love interest that has been referenced throughout the course of CMIYGL.
The beat on this track is low, self-sustaining, and does not shift much over the course of 8 minutes, 35 seconds.
If I wanted to, I could write a whole essay on this song, there’s a lot of content to go through, but I’m just going to hit some of the more major points.
“Met you on a Saturday, knew it was somethin’ soon as you spoke it
Eye fuckin’ across the table, don’t think anybody noticed
You asked me if I was comin’ the city you from
Maybe we should kick it, I was interested, that would be dumb
If I denied long legs, good ears, great taste
Smell good, sense of humor, obvious a good face
And we clicked, we was at each other’s hips
I ain’t even wanna fuck ’cause your presence was enough”
Tyler details how he met the woman he’s referenced so much, and how he began to fall for her. He knew it was a bad idea from the jump — “I was interested, that would be dumb” but continued to pursue her anyways.
From an instrumental point of view, this song doesn’t change. There is no intro nor outro, no bridges, and no chorus. It’s just eight and a half minutes of rapping over a Lo-Fi-type beat — something you’d hear on one of those study playlists.
“They say, ‘Bros over hoes,’ I’m like ‘mm, nah hey’
I would rather hold your hand than have a cool handshake”
Tyler spoke about how his friend was currently dating this girl — hence the issue with why they cannot be together. T would rather have this girl than his own friend, though, to emphasize just how great of a pair he thinks they could be.
“I been down for days, you in my city and I can’t see your face
I can’t eat knowin’ you with him and not at my place
I never been jealous of another man
Especially when I have everything I want at hand
Except you, you”
Tyler is down cataclysmically for a girl he can’t have.
“Shit, I can’t even look at you and think about bad words
That’s what I called and said we couldn’t end this on bad terms
We straight like a bad perm, we’ll always be good friends”
Tyler ended his 2019 album IGOR on the track ARE WE STILL FRIENDS?, and he continues the theme of ending relationships (or lack thereof) on good terms — choosing to remain friends.
This song has remarkable storytelling elements, and it’s something you should listen to if you haven’t. I will say, though, that this track does drag on a bit while not switching up anything musically. That doesn’t make it a weak song, it just has a lot less replay value than others on CMIYGL.
SAFARI
SAFARI is a fitting end to an album about both travel and love — with a high-energy beat that contains a little bit of everything — xylophone, horns, piano, drums — everything you’d come to expect from a Tyler, the Creator track.
“[DJ Drama]
Desination — remote
We done been everywhere
Only thing we ain’t traveled-
- is time”
This is one of the more memorable DJ Drama moments on CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST. After having a huge portion of the introduction song(s), his role waned on the back half of the album, but he’s back here, with a very nice introduction stanza.
“Got my passport in my weak hand
I’ma cool off, get a sweet tan
Loafers filled with beach sand
We climbed ’til we found the peace sign
Fuck all the checks and calls, get a passport
See the world, open your eyes ’til your back hurt”
Tyler is coming full circle here, displaying his love for traveling and seeing the world. He’s flexing, but shows that he values the experiences he creates for himself. Additionally, he talks about his passport a lot, which… the album cover.
“Huh, took that Grammy home, couldn’t lose again”
It’s true.
“Mama call him Tyler and his brothers call him T
And the bank, they call him when that wire clear like season three or somethin’
Skateboard named him Bunnyhop, it’s Baudelaire Wolfie though”
All while this is playing, recorded vocals in the background are singing a high-pitched tone that complements the audio well.
It’s a great finale to an otherwise skillful album which Tyler raps, sings, flexes, tells multiple stories, and gives world-class production quality to it all.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I’m not going to grade this album, nor am I going to grade its tracks. But I will say that it’s an audio experience that you won’t regret listening through at least once.
CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST is experimental by most standards — but mainstream for Tyler, the Creator. It has elements of Lo-Fi, Rap, Trap, Melody R&B, Reggae, and Pop. It’s incredibly diverse with what it brings — all at a production value second to none.
The features are fitting and go well with how Tyler paces the album, getting the most out of each of 42 Dugg, Youngboy Never Broke Again, Lil Uzi Vert, DJ Drama, and Pharrell Williams.
Everything is tasteful, the lyrics are remarkable, and this is sonically the best album of the year so far.
CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST is my second-favorite Tyler, the Creator project of his lengthy career — only behind Flower Boy — and it will be interesting to see how he progresses from this spot.
“The plan was to stick my toe in and
Check the Temperature, but
Next thing I know, I’m
I’m drowning
Appelle-moi si tu te perds”