The Top 10 Wildest Tyler, The Creator Lyrics
Calling Tyler, The Creator one of the most controversial rappers of our generation hews far closer to actual fact than opinion. In his illustrious career, he has managed to be arrested for inciting his fans to act riotous during a SXSW festival, created a series of ads for Pepsi - subsequently pulled from broadcasting - described as "arguably the most racist commercial in history" and, of course, was banned from entering the U.K. for the content of his lyrics.
And what lyrics indeed. He has come under fire ever since since his debut in 2009 for his frequent use of homophobic slurs and violent, disturbing content regarding his portrayal of women, though on both points he persistently claims his intention is one of absurdism and not of an anti-LGBT or misogynistic agenda.
Yet for every off-color joke or disturbing comment he makes in his work both as a solo artist and as the impresario of Odd Future, just as many demonstrate his invigorating imagination. Whether its offbeat pop culture references or demonstrations of breathtaking dexterity, Tyler's bars are truly a force to be reckoned with.
And so we've rounded up what we think are his Top 10 Wildest Lyrics. Take a look at our picks below:
10. "Sam Is Dead"
"It's really awkward to know that a bunch of kids do adore me It's like I fathered these f*ckers So you won't find me on Maury"
Tyler has made it abundantly clear throughout his career that he has some major Daddy issues. But there is something delightfully perverse about the fact he recognizes the subversion of this role in his relationship to his fanbase and that he follows up such a deep self-analysis with a reference to one of the trashiest daytime television shows around.
9. "She"
I just wanna talk, and conversate Cause I usually just stalk you and masturbate And I finally got the courage to ask you on a date
"She" is a track that is riddled with the aforementioned lyrics about women that are... questionable, to say the least. And yet if one is willing to use a looser definition of the word 'stalk,' this little admission is actually kind of cute; implying that he got a little courage to spend quality time with a woman non-sexually. It is still, of course, a little odd.
8. "Deathcamp"
La-di-da-di, I'm going harder than coming out the closet to conservative Christian fathers
Coming out to your parents can be a devastating, traumatic event. It takes guts for sure, and in some ways it could indeed be described as "going hard." But all weightiness aside, this a truly hysterically funny line, perhaps the greatest single toss-away line in his career.
7. "Domo 23"
Hit me on my beeper while Captain Hook sucks my Peter Pan camera, repeat procedure And when the beat drops, have a God damn seizure
Splitting Peter and Pan into separate bars is a clever bit of wordplay. Dreaming up the idea of Captain Hook performing fellatio on you and then having the guts to share this concept to the entire world is just sublime artistry.
6. "Who Dat Boy"
That cherry be the bomb like he ran in Boston Won't stop 'til the cops surround him One n*gga jiggy and the other awesome With his f*ckin' face blown off, that's how they found him
The Boston marathon bombing is a touchy subject to use as fodder for rhymes, but it wouldn't be a Tyler outing unless controversy was stoked. But it's not all stick-poking; the visceral line about faces being blown off is in reference to the Flower Boy-single's visual, while he manages to slyly reference his previous album Cherry Bomb.
5. "Fella"
Then my dick went limp so, took about 3 pills of Extenzo Now my dick's longer than a 5 door limo Harder than a soft right hook from Kimbo on PCP and cilantro
We're no medical experts, but something tells us that taking the natural male enhancement Extenzo does not turn one's genitals into the size of an automobile. Comparing this insinuation to receiving a punch from mixed martial artist Kimbo on PCP and cilantro (which is definitely a spice used in Mexican cuisine and not a drug) is just... wow.
4. "Tamale"
My urethra, hole that I pee from Bigger than an obese snack on Aretha
Is it comforting or disturbing that pre-teen and teenage boys around the world are learning about their genital anatomy from Tyler? That can only be answered by you. But it feels safe to say that slandering musical icon Aretha Franklin's weight and rhyming it with said genital anatomy is disturbing to anyone. But oh how how delightfully disturbing it is.
3. "Yonkers"
I’ll crash that fucking airplane that that f*ggot nigga B.o.B is in And stab Bruno Mars in his goddamn esophagus And won't stop until the cops come in
It's the song that skyrocketed Tyler to the heights of fame and the public conscious, and it contained a lyric that remains one of his most controversial. It is violent, yes, and perhaps in poor taste. But for those of us with humor that skews to the dark side of the mind, this group of words describes the most fitting end possible for the duo responsible for having this putrid blasphemy of a song played in public places, car radios, and literally everywhere else for the entire year of 2010.
2. "I Ain't Got Time!"
Next line will have 'em like "Woah" I've been kissing white boys since 2004
While not as outright confrontational or disturbing as a trove of his other lyrics, we would be remiss if we didn't include the above couplet, a contender for what is possibly the most talked-about rhyme of 2017. In essence, Tyler, the Creator came out of the closet - or at least, came to terms with his queer identity - on this climactic line from Flower Boy's "I Ain't Got Time!" He would delve into more detail about this admission on the track "Garden Shed," but it is here that this reveal is most direct and most bracing.
1. "Tron Cat"
Rape a pregnant bitch and tell my friends I had a threesome
Nearly every line in "Tron Cat" is a contender for being some of the darkest, most foul things Tyler has comitted to tape; from "I want to be the reason all lesbians hate dick" to "I said fuck coke and now I'm snorting Hitler's ashes." But the above line takes the cake; it remains a lyric that is still perhaps in too poor a taste to be released now. It's shocking it was ever produced in the first place, but that's Tyler for you.
Want more lyrical goodness? Check out our ranking of the very best bars from Kanye West's The College Dropout right here.