Tyler, The Creator

Tyler, The Creator emerged from Los Angeles's Odd Future collective in the late 2000s, wielding provocative lyrics and lo-fi production that antagonised mainstream sensibilities. Born Tyler Gregory Ogunma in 1991, he directed his own chaotic creative vision from the start, producing all his early work and establishing himself as rapper, producer, and visual auteur simultaneously. His 2011 debut Goblin courted controversy with its violent imagery, but subsequent albums revealed expanding harmonic sophistication and introspection.

Flower Boy (2017) marked a tonal shift, its pastel synths and jazz-inflected arrangements exploring loneliness and oblique references to his sexuality. IGOR (2019) won the Grammy for Best Rap Album despite being barely rap at all, its distorted vocals and neo-soul textures proving his genre fluidity. Call Me If You Get Lost (2021) returned to brash lyricism whilst maintaining his evolved production palette.

Tyler's cultural imprint extends beyond music into fashion through his Golf Wang brand, representing a generation that rejected old gatekeepers entirely. He remains singular, difficult, frequently brilliant.