Tyler, The Creator — CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST — Album Review
Hip-Hop | Rap
Listen on Spotify | Listen on Apple Music
There seems to be a running theme with the recent years that have ended with odd numbers, that always gives people like me something to look forward to. 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and now 2021; these years mark the times in which the album cycles of Tyler, The Creator have come to life.
While I was made aware of Tyler, and the rap collective of his early years, named Odd Future, I first started familiarising myself with his solo material via his third studio album, 2015’s Cherry Bomb. Nowadays, I find this album to be one of Tyler’s most underrated projects, and I feel like this was reflected in the fact that I didn’t dive too deep into it at the time.
But for the following album, my full attention was certainly there. Listening to Flower Boy cemented me as a fan of Tyler, The Creator. That album doesn’t just stand as my favourite album of that year, but perhaps one of my favourite albums the entirety of the 2010s had to offer.
Following the success of that album two years later, was IGOR, another album that proved to be one of the highlights of its year. Not only was it atmospherically and aesthetically amazing, but it arguably has one of the best narratives of any Tyler album. I was definitely beginning to see a running pattern, in which Tyler, The Creator is hitting the mark with each project.
I’ll say with confidence, that Tyler. The Creator might just be one of the most innovative and unique music artists alive today. This is mostly because of how intriguing and enigmatic he is as a character. However, this year sees fans get the most personal taste of who Tyler, The Creator is as a person. Enter, CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST.
Tyler is definitely at that stage where he can look back on the achievements he’s made, and the attention he’s garnered. It definitely seems that the creative rap artist has realised this himself. At a point where it would be a huge challenge to top the narrative strength of IGOR, the following album cycle would be an appropriate time to look back on how far he has come.
As a means to celebrate his previous albums, Tyler, The Creator has injected what is arguably the most versatile array of styles and moods. I could feel the album moving from something like something from Wolf to something from IGOR at the flip of a switch. This versatility may prove to be a double-edged sword for some, as the flow of the album stands as a more chaotic one. But this is something I still have no complaints towards. This is for two reasons; because it makes sense with respect to what this album focuses on, and because it feels like a perfect reflection of Tyler’s chaotic personality.
CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST achieves a tonne, when it comes to acting as a window into Tyler’s soul. It reflects upon everything from his mother (the “MOMMA TALK” interlude explains so much about Tyler’s awesome personality, and is just downright hilarious), to his musical career and rise to stardom (reflected perfectly in “MASSA”), to having tend to expectations from fans.
Everything seems to make one form of artistic sense or another on this record. CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST stand as the long-awaited collaboration with DJ Drama (a.k.a Gangsta Grillz) that Tyler had been dreaming of since teenhood (a perfect full-circle moment). I would speculate that “getting lost”, in the context of this album, is a metaphor for finding your way to fame, and not knowing what to do next. And lastly, I feel that the album cover displaying a “License Of Travel” ingeniously presents both Tyler’s love for travelling the globe (presented numerous times on the record), and the fact that this is his most introspective project yet. Hell, it may even be a big F-you to not being allowed in the UK for four years.
It really didn’t take long at all for almost all the tracks on CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST to accumulate that iconic value. I’ve likely already found myself having each and every song stuck in my head at one point or another. There was hardly any track that I really disliked, although I though “WILSHIRE” was the only one that felt patience-testing for me, as it didn’t really progress enough in its eight-and-a-half minute runtime. I also felt that “SWEET / I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO DANCE” would’ve made way more sense as two seperate songs, although both parts have really grown on me recently.
Overall, the versatility is exciting and colourful, the features are phenomenal, that magical Tyler, The Creator is there in a selection of flavours, what more can a Tyler fan possibly want? This is yet another record that truly hit the mark, and proves once again that this artist is a remarkably talented genius.
Favourite Tracks: CORSO | HOT WIND BLOWS | MASSA | RUNITUP | JUGGERNAUT
Least Favourite Track: WILSHIRE
Columbia Records | Sony Music Entertainment
Enjoyment: 10/10 | Memorability: 10/10 | Atmosphere: 8/10
Uniqueness: 9/10 | Satisfaction: 8/10 | Narrative: 9/10
