On May 17, 2019, Tyler, the Creator released his fifth studio album titled “IGOR.” The album won Tyler the first Grammy of his career: Best Rap Album of 2020. His fourth album, “Flower Boy,” fell short after being nominated but not selected for Best Rap Album at the 2018 Grammys, so winning was a huge accomplishment for Tyler. 

On “IGOR,” Tyler branched out from what people thought rap was and introduced a heavy R&B influence to his experimental rapping. Tyler utilized a wide array of sounds from psychedelic synths to distorted bass, providing an experience that fans of many different genres could appreciate. 

The album abruptly starts with a single continuous chord lasting almost 25 seconds before transitioning into the smooth beat of the first track, “IGOR’S THEME.” This track provides a mix of all the sounds that will be heard throughout the album. While having almost no words, this song is one of my favorites because of the awestruck feeling you get upon hearing all the sounds vibrantly mixing together. 

Following the intro, the album quickly jumps to the extremely recognizable synths and piano on one of Tyler’s most wildly popular songs, “EARFQUAKE.” Tyler quickly sets a positive tone to the story with the repeated lyric, “You make my earfquake.” This newfound love interest clearly makes Tyler very happy, and the listener truly gets a good feeling from this song. This feeling quickly changes up, however, as he continuously repeats, “Don’t leave, it’s my fault.” To me, this track is supposed to symbolize his instant connection with his lover, and his desperate need for things to work out between them. 

The third song “I THINK” immediately starts up with an upbeat tempo that simply makes you feel good inside. The song’s upbeat nature continues in the lyrics as Tyler explains, “I think I’ve fallen in love, this time I think it’s for real.” Personally, this is one of my favorite songs off of “IGOR” because of the amazing production, upbeat and happy feeling, and the harmony of the male and female vocals provided by Tyler and Solange. 

Following the third track is the 14 second interlude “EXACTLY WHAT YOU RUN FROM YOU END UP CHASING.” My interpretation of this is that Tyler has run away from his previous unsuccessful relationships, yet he can’t help but chase another. He includes that he is giving it his all, solidifying the idea for me that he truly believes he’s in love for real this time.

His last word cuts short, switching to more synth chords in the fifth track, “RUNNING OUT OF TIME.” The title is referring to the lyrics where Tyler explains he is “running out of time, to make you love me.” While the song is under three minutes and doesn’t have a ton of words, it has been theorized that the person Tyler has fallen in love with is actually a man and that when Tyler says, “Take your mask off, I need her out the picture” Tyler is trying to convince him to show his true self.

After learning the big news, the sixth track “NEW MAGIC WAND” starts. “NEW MAGIC WAND” is one of Tyler’s most popular songs, possibly due to having a different sound and energy from the rest of the album. The distorted bass, vocals, and faster-paced rapping are accompanied by a more sinister message than the rest of the album. My interpretation is that the “new magic wand” refers to a weapon or gun. This is found out through lyrics such as, “It’s not a joke, murder she wrote.” It is later revealed more explicitly, when Tyler is telling the man what he plans to do to the girl: “Grab our supplies, no need for masks, bust through the door, get the job done like retirement, I admit you look concerned. New magic wand.” Through the hostile lyrics and message, I feel that his love is turning Tyler crazy, and it is clear that he will do anything to be with him. 

The loud energy quickly shifts to the more melodic, piano-based beat of the next song “A BOY IS A GUN*.” This song is masterfully produced, with multiple samples, including real gunshots (adhering to the title). My interpretation of the title is that “A BOY IS A GUN*” because guns can hurt people, but they can also be there to protect people. This shows how this love may actually be hurting Tyler, or he has the potential to protect him. I believe that this is the most important song to the story, but probably the most confusing for me to understand. Lyrics such as, “How come you’re the best to me? I know you’re the worst for me. Boy, you’re sweet as sugar, diabetic to the first degree” suggest to me that Tyler has come to the realization that being crazy for this person has actually started to do damage to himself (like sugar to a diabetic person). Tyler begins to feel they would both be better off without each other, but it is just too hard for him to leave. This song is the most important to me because as the middle track, it serves to split the album into two halves (first Tyler is falling in love, and second Tyler falls out of love).

The next song “PUPPET” is the first song of the second half, leading to Tyler falling out of love. Tyler repeats, “Cause I’m your puppet, you control me. I’m your puppet, I don’t know me.” Tyler realizes what his obsession has led to, and hastily ends the song with the same distorted voice speaking in the interlude, but this time it says: “But at some point, you come to your senses.” This is the point to me that shows that Tyler has become aware of how the relationship is hurting him, and his wish to break free of the hold his lover has on him. 

The beat quickly switches to the distorted bass and spooky sounds found in “WHAT’S GOOD.” This song, similar to “NEW MAGIC WAND,” has a darker message and reveals the near evil side of Tyler further displaying how crazy this relationship has made him. In the beginning of the song Tyler says in a screaming voice: “If the cop says my name, b— I’m Igor!” This helps the listener understand that when Tyler gets into these moods, episodes, whatever they are, he is an entirely different person, named Igor. This song portrays Igor as almost a monster or wild and deranged human, with grunting and yelling noises in the background. The song ends with the same voice heard on the interlude, and at the end of “PUPPET,” except this time it is saying “I don’t know what’s harder, letting go or just being okay with it,” which I believe tells us he is in a mental battle because he doesn’t know what would be the better option. 

The voice is abruptly cut off by the upbeat drums and guitar strumming of the two-part song “GONE, GONE / THANK YOU.” This song is a fan favorite for many due to the happy feeling you first get, as well as the deep message. While sounding extremely upbeat, the content of “GONE, GONE” is very sad to me. Tyler says: “Or maybe it’s just a dream that I can’t seem to wake up from. My love’s gone, my love’s gone.” This leads me to understand that after all his efforts and all he has been through, Tyler does not end up on top. He wishes that he was in a dream because he wishes all the bad things that have happened aren’t true. He ends the first half of the song with the solemn line “You never lived in your truth, I’m just happy I lived in it. But I finally found peace, so peace.” Tyler knows that this person isn’t a great partner, as he lied a lot, never living in his own truth. Despite this, Tyler is still happy with all that happened, just because of how good it felt when he was in love. And with the final line, he is finally able to say goodbye for the first time. The beat then switches to sampled gunshots, where Tyler repeats, “Thank you for the love. Thank you for the joy. But I don’t ever wanna fall in love again.” Tyler tells his ex-lover he is grateful for the good that happened, reiterating the message he stated above; however, he has been so devastated and heartbroken, he says he never wants love again. 

After the extremely emotional six minute song, the short song “I DON’T LOVE YOU ANYMORE” picks up the story. Tyler seemingly seals the relationship off by repeating, “Cause I don’t love you anymore (You wasted my time and I know that these things are not hard).” The distorted voice heard in multiple previous songs chimes in and adds, “But this might just be better for us, you know?,” showing Tyler may find happiness soon, but not just yet. He continues, saying “What now? Movin’ on, but how? Somethin’ put my feelings in the lost and found. Now I’m stuck forever, and ever, and ever.” He can’t believe that he is moving on and that the relationship has really come to an end. He feels like he can never fall in love again, and all his emotions and feelings are broken after all the trauma. 

Distorted chords, loud and continuous synths, and dramatic singing comprise the final track “ARE WE STILL FRIENDS?” This extremely emotional song is where Tyler really leaves it all out there and desperately cries out, “Are we still friends? Can we be friends?” over and over again. The song ends with an extremely pain-filled, loud scream before a single dull chord draws out until the end. Fans began to notice that this continuous ending chord is just a slightly different pitch from the one beginning “IGOR’S THEME,” suggesting that this love story and heartbreak is just a continuous cycle that will repeat itself again. This is one of my favorite songs, mostly because of the pure emotion heard in Tyler’s voice. The scream at the end gives me chills every time because you can hear the pain and acceptance, followed by the silence and dull chord after. 

My interpretation of the message Tyler displays over the course of his love story is to not get too attached and tangled in your emotions. I believe he amplifies the message by providing his own anecdote of the story using the dynamic, muddled relationships between Tyler, this man, and the ex-girlfriend. 

“IGOR” is my all-time favorite album, and I’ve listened to it all the way through countless times. The amazing production, deeper meaning, and talent displayed on this album just make the perfect mix for me. I recommend everyone to listen to “IGOR,” and the rest of Tyler’s discography at least once, as there is something to discover for everyone.