Tyler Gregory Okonma (born March 6, 1991), known professionally as Tyler, the Creator, is an American rapper and record producer. Tyler Gregory Okonma was born on March 6, 1991, in Hawthorne, California, the son of a Nigerian father with Igbo ancestry and an American mother of mixed African-American and white Canadian descent.
Four: Yonkers
“Yonkers” is a song written, produced, and performed by American rapper Tyler, the Creator, released digitally as the second single from his debut studio album Goblin on February 14, 2011. It received controversy due to its violent lyrics and numerous disses, although it was critically acclaimed and landed on numerous year-end lists. The music video directed by Tyler the Creator garnered over 145M views on its official music video on YouTube. Regardless of the controversy surrounding the song, it met with positive critical reception and Numerous magazine publications noted “Yonkers” as Tyler’s breakout song.
FYI
- He is one of the founding members of the music collective Odd Future.
- At the age of 14, he taught himself to play the piano. In his 12 years of schooling, he attended 12 different schools in the Los Angeles and Sacramento areas
- Okonma took his stage name from a Myspace page he used to post his creative endeavors.
- He never met his father
Three: Earfquake
With over 867M streams on Spotify and over 142M views on its official music video on YouTube, “Earfquake” (stylized in all caps) by American musician Tyler, the Creator is the second song from his fifth studio album, Igor (2019). It was released as the album’s single on the 4th of June, 2019. “Earfquake” is Tyler, the Creator’s highest charting song in the US, peaking at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was also ranked 14th on Billboard’s 100 Best Songs of 2019 list. It peaked top spots on music charts like number 5 on UK Hot R&B/ Hip-Hop Songs and US Rhythmic Billboard Charts and many more. It was also certified Gold and Platinum in the United States, Mexico, Canada, Poland, United Kingdom, Denmark.
Two: Sorry not Sorry
Off his album “Call Me if you Get Lost: The Estate Sale”, “Sorry Not Sorry” garnered over 19M views on its official music video on YouTube. It was released on the 29th of March, 2023 produced by Tyler The Creator and written by Tyler the Creator, Frachone Shells and Lucille White. The song peaked at the number three spot on New Zealand Hot Singles Chart.
Awards / Nominations
- Okonma has won two Grammy Awards, three BET Hip Hop Awards, a BRIT Award, and a MTV Video Music Award.
- Okonma won Best New Artist for “Yonkers” at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards
- “Igor” won Best Rap Album at the 2020 Grammy Awards, becoming Tyler’s first Grammy win.
- Call Me If You Get Lost won the award for Best Rap Album at the 64th Grammy Awards.
Discography
- Goblin (2011)
- Wolf(2013)
- Cherry Bomb(2015)
- Flower Boy (2017)
- Igor (2019)
- Call Me if you get Lost (2021)
- Call Me if you get Lost: The Estate Sale(2023)
Controversy
- Okonma popularly known as Tyler the Creator has been arrested quite a number of times. In December 2011, he was arrested for Vandalism. In March 2014, he was arrested for inciting a riot, telling fans to push their way past security guards during his performance.
- On August 26, 2015, Okonma revealed that he had been banned from visiting the United Kingdom for three to five years. The reason for the ban comes from lyrics dating back to 2009. In 2019, the ban was lifted.
- He has had feuds with Eminem and DJ Khaled. Eminem released a single called “Fall” where he called Tyler the Creator a homophobic slur and claimed Okonma explored sexuality in his music for more attention. Eminem also dissed him further in other songs. Tyler the Creator responded saying he knew what the intent was and he just shrugged it off.
- In regard to DJ Khaled, In June 2019, after Igor debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 over DJ Khaled’s album Father of Asahd, DJ Khaled posted a video on Instagram, criticizing Okonma’s music. He said he makes songs where you actually hear what he’s saying not the ones stuff you never hear. He later on deleted the video. Im response to this, Tyler the Creator said that he enjoyed seeing him be intimidated by a weirdo who was winning. Later on in 2023, DJ Khaled hinted he’d like to work with Tyler. So it’s safe to say, the beef was squashed.
One: See you Again ft Kali UCHIS
Amassing over 132M views on YouTube and over 1.3B streams on Spotify, “See You Again” is a song written, produced, and performed by American rapper Tyler, the Creator featuring vocals from American singer Kali Uchis. It was released as the fourth single from Tyler’s fourth studio album Flower Boy (2017) on August 29, 2017. The single went viral on TikTok, leading the song to enter several charts around the world for the first time as a sleeper hit in April 2023. It peaked at the number one spot on US Billboard Under R&B/ Hip-Hop Singles and certified Gold and Platinum in United Kingdom, United States, Australia, Canada, Greece and many more.
Fun Fact: Tyler, the Creator originally wrote the song for former One Direction member Zayn Malik, who turned it down.
