Disclaimer: I am, by and large, not a fan of hip-hop/rap. There are a handful of albums that I really like (mostly older stuff and more underground, "artsy" stuff), but for the most part it's not my thing. Suffice it to say I can't fucking stand rappers that just sample an old beat and then spend an album on an ego trip about their bitches and money. It's boring and annoying to me.
That having been said... Holy shit! This album is amazing. Tyler, the Creator just released Goblin about a month ago, and after my friend Andy (whose rap opinions I can usually get on board with) played me a song or two of his I was definitely interested in what the rest of this album would be like. I'm really, really glad I listened to it because it might now be my favorite hip-hop album ever.
Tyler's style overall is incredibly creepy and over the top offensive. The beats are very dark and have a sort of ominous, unsettling quality about them. On top of that, the lyrics and themes are really pissed off and funny. Looking into it more, the album is a sort of loose concept album based around a conversation with his fictional therapist Dr. TC. The rhymes are creative, often funny, and overall just smart and badass. He seems to catch a lot of flak for being pretty "offensive" (he does throw the "faggot" around quite a bit, and there is a healthy dose of anti-religious material that I love), but it's not like being offensive is new for rap. Just about nothing offends me, so I just find it more entertaining. Being shocking is part of what is so cool about it, and it's done in a way that accentuates his style rather than defining it. He plays around with fast and slow rhymes, talking sections, pitch shifted vocals and characters, etc. yet with all of the experimental aspects, it flows together and feels like a solid, cohesive, and incredibly badass album.
I can't say enough positive things about this album, which is pretty damn rare for hip-hop I listen to. Considering this guy is only 20 (!!!) and seems to be starting to get some MTV attention, hopefully we'll be hearing a lot more from him and the rest of his Odd Future friends. Go find this album and listen to it as soon as you possibly can.
It's hard to show how cool the overall album is with just one (EDIT: TWO!) song, but here is a sample.
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