Lyrical storytelling – Tyler, the Creator’s IGOR
Written By Aden Yip
Tyler Gregory Okonma, known by his stage name “Tyler, the Creator”, is a 33-year-old American-born fashion designer, and record producer; but most importantly, he is known as a rapper. Having begun his musical journey in 2011 with the thoughtful album “Goblin”, Tyler’s potential was apparent (Peebles). His career was under close watch by rap fans and critics alike.
The year is 2017. Tyler, the Creator’s career is in full swing, with his release of a brand new album called “Flower Boy”. This album takes a deep dive into the themes of love and the loneliness that comes with it. As of late 2024, the most popular song “See You Again”, featuring Kali Uchis, has over 1.8 billion streams on Spotify, fully showcasing Tyler’s success (Spotify).
Tyler, the Creator has a pattern of “dropping” a new album every two years. Therefore, two years later after Flower Boy, in 2019, he would release his most anticipated album: IGOR. It was everything; but also nothing at the same time. “Don’t go into this expecting a rap album. Don’t go into this expecting any album.”, as Tyler himself puts it (Okonma). An experimental alternative masterpiece, IGOR follows the themes in Flower Boy, yet the songs form a journey in a completely different way. The lyrics are masterfully written to depict a (fictional) love triangle between Tyler, a boy he fell in love with, and the boy’s girlfriend.
In this story, Tyler goes through happiness, heartbreak, and eventually frustration; which turns him into his alter ego Igor. He begins by “thinking he’s fallen in love” (Song: “I THINK”); after realising that the aforementioned girl may be one step ahead of him, he wants to get rid of her with a magic wand (Song: “NEW MAGIC WAND”) which is actually just a gun. The song “A BOY IS A GUN*” shows Tyler noticing how dangerous his love interest can be to him. The asterisk here marks a change in Tyler’s perspective; the album fully reaches its dark turn in “WHAT’S GOOD”, when his crazed alter-ego Igor is unleashed. The album tones down a bit when Tyler finally lets go of his love in “GONE, GONE / THANK YOU”, but the more astute listener may notice that “the final song “Are We Still Friends?” (final song) is in F major, and should end on F, but it ends on B♭, the dominant (V) of E♭. Igor’s Theme (first song) is in E♭ and begins on an E♭, completely the V to I cadence.” (DissectPodcast) This makes the album a musical loop, possibly even looping the narrative.
In conclusion, IGOR is a masterfully produced album by Tyler, the Creator. I recommend that you go and give it a listen; listen to it all the way through, like reading a book in one go. If you’re looking for more, Tyler has already released his newest and “rawest” album “Chromakopia” about the ups and downs of his personal life. An article about his latest drop is coming soon, so be sure to stick around.
Works Cited
DissectPodcast. “IGOR Is a Musical Loop 🔁#Shorts.” Www.youtube.com, 26 July 2021, http://www.youtube.com/shorts/w9Du1MEvXHw. Accessed 3 Oct. 2024.
Okonma, Tyler. “X.com.” X (Formerly Twitter), 2024, x.com/tylerthecreator/status/1129217283493060608?lang=en. Accessed 3 Oct. 2024.
Peebles, Jeralee. “42 Facts about Tyler Creator.” Facts.net, 22 Aug. 2023,
facts.net/celebrity/42-facts-about-tyler-creator/. Accessed 3 Oct. 2024.Spotify. “Spotify.” Spotify, 2024, open.spotify.com/. Accessed 3 Oct. 2024.