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Review Summary: Visionary? More like second or third-rate Eminem... #swag Future of rap. Brilliant. Original. Visionary. I have seen all the above ascribed to a certain Tyler, the Creator and his Odd Future Wolfgang Whatever Whatever crew. They grab headlines for their edgy lyrics and zany antics at shows and releases. What gets lost in much of what is said or written about these guys is their actual music, separated from the outcry of certain communities against their lyrics and the juggalo-cultish douche baggery of many of their fans. But I think it would be interesting to think of this album removed from this context. In 50 years, people may come across this internet (and New York indie rock critic) craze about Odd Future and wonder what the hell was going on. While this album is born from its surroundings and can never be judged completely separately from it, I would like to try to review the album itself, you know, as an artistic expression. I’m not going to argue against his choice in lyrics because, as an artist, Tyler can choose to say whatever he wants. What I will judge, however, is the fact that this album is not compelling, original, or visionary.
Many songs on Bastard appear to be loosely structured, with a sort of stream-of-consciousness style where Tyler says whatever comes to his mind. But I actually think most of this album is contrived, either to say the most shocking thing he can think of or trying to get a rise out of people. Whereas Eminem’s classic LP’s took down celebrity worship (especially of himself) and a host of other issues, Tyler doesn’t get much more substantial than girls, the rap/fame game or being pissed at his father. In other words, what almost every single other rapper has mentioned and something Eminem also specialized in (who had some fun with it). It’s just not original. If this was a true stream-of-consciousness style, you’d think Tyler would have something else to say.
Most of the album either falls into the most juvenile of shock-rap (see “Transylvania”, “Tron Cat”, “Bitch Suck Dick”) or some incoherent, sprawling mess (see “Yonkers”, “Fish”). But it’s just so poorly contrived that it falls into Eminem’s Relapse territory, just short of the goofy accents. The much-talked about line “rape a pregnant bitch and tell my friends I had a threesome” represents exactly what I’m talking about here- saying something for the sake of scaring or shocking someone. I got a jolt myself when I heard this for the first time, but it’s not in the service of any deeper meaning. This is all window dressing and it’s no different from cut-rate Eminem. Yeah, we’re all insecure about things and all think horrible thoughts now and again, but this is so shallow and meaningless that it doesn’t make for compelling or interesting music.
This album has its bright spots, however. The production is rather haunting. Nothing special, but he captures the mood he wants to set pretty well. On “Her”, Tyler reaches a level of honesty that seems to be the very antithesis of rap, where authenticity is important without actually being important (most gangsta rappers are not gangsters in the least). Tyler actually appears to be a human being here. “Sandwitches” comes off much more natural, expressing a real anger and resentment. These tracks are great, but then I remember that “Radicals” is possibly the least intelligent track of any kind I’ve heard this year. “Kill People Burn *** *** School”??? Come on now.
In this age where people call Drake introspective, Wiz Khalifa anything but limp and forgettable, where Lupe Fiasco has his penis cut off and idiots like Kid Cudi can whine about their life much to the appreciation of white teenagers, I appreciate Tyler for creating music that I can actually feel something about, however. Not something so generic that I don’t remember what I heard five minutes after listening to it. But that doesn’t make Tyler talented at anything more than just that- jolting the senses for a bit before you realize his incoherent rambling, whining, and all-too-precious shock-rap just don’t add up to all that much. Indie rock critics may like his appreciation for indie music, his punk aesthetic and attempt to stand out from the mainstream, but he hasn’t actually done much substantial, at least with this album.
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Album Rating: 4.5
lol no
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
" These tracks are great, but then I remember that “Radicals” is possibly the least intelligent track of any kind I’ve heard this year. “Kill People Burn *** *** School”??? Come on now."
u dont geddit
| | | Album Rating: 3.0 | Sound Off
completely different from eminem
| | | Album Rating: 3.0 | Sound Off
poorly contrived?
| | | Album Rating: 3.0
lol words are hard
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
this review is literally useless. I could've just let my mom listen to it and tell me the same thing.
| | | Album Rating: 3.0 | Sound Off
Gtfo.
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Doesn't deserve 4 negs. Some grammar issues and a little too heavy on the Eminem comparisons but you got the points you wanted to make across. Good enough for a pos
EDIT: Wow it jumped to 7 negs while I was typing that
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yeah this record was cool the first day, but the beats are shit and the lyrics are shittier
2 - 2.5
| | | Album Rating: 3.0 | Sound Off
"What gets lost in much of what is said or written about these guys is their actual music"
pretty true
"But I think it would be interesting to think of this album removed from this context."
this is a pointless exercise because 1) you can't do it and 2) so many albums are good because they embody a particular culture or ideology or demographic or whatever and removed from those contexts they sound meaningless.
"While this album is born from its surroundings and can never be judged completely separately from it, I would like to try to review the album itself, you know, as an artistic expression."
so you're taking out what contributes to his artistic expression in the hopes that you'll be able to judge his artistic expression.
you say this
"I’m not going to argue against his choice in lyrics because, as an artist, Tyler can choose to say whatever he wants."
then in the next paragraph you say this
"Tyler doesn’t get much more substantial than girls, the rap/fame game or being pissed at his father. In other words, what almost every single other rapper has mentioned "
| | | Album Rating: 3.0 | Sound Off
"The much-talked about line “rape a pregnant bitch and tell my friends I had a threesome” represents exactly what I’m talking about here- saying something for the sake of scaring or shocking someone. I got a jolt myself when I heard this for the first time, but it’s not in the service of any deeper meaning."
why does it have to have any other meaning than wanting to be shocking and rapping cleverly about shocking things? does it have to poignantly describe a particular facet of humanity too? you're listening to something and instead of getting what it's trying to get across you're asking why it isn't doing something else.
"“Radicals” is possibly the least intelligent track of any kind I’ve heard this year. “Kill People Burn *** *** School”??? Come on now."
are you serious
you don't talk about lyrical passages at all, nor the production. you called yonkers a mess without describing anything about it. why is it a mess? it has a verse, a chorus, a verse, a chorus and a verse. they contain lines. the beat is there. so structurally it's not a mess. lyrically it's completely on point too. i mean you can just not like the sound but what in the world makes it seem "sprawling" and "incoherent?"
"Many songs on Bastard appear to be loosely structured, with a sort of stream-of-consciousness style where Tyler says whatever comes to his mind"
well they're not, he thinks about it. and something can't seem to be loosely structured, it either is or isn't.
| | | Album Rating: 5.0 | Sound Off
what a delightfully terrible review!
| | | Album Rating: 3.0
review is basically an exercise in straw-grasping
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there's about five lines on this album that aren't cringeworthy
| | | Album Rating: 3.0 | Sound Off
Sophomore slump perhaps? The Review I mean.
| | | Album Rating: 5.0 | Sound Off
i think some of the beats on this are pretty impressive tbh
| | | Album Rating: 3.0 | Sound Off
"he hasn’t actually done much substantial, at least with this album."
was your review meant to have the same effect
"But that doesn’t make Tyler talented at anything more than just that- jolting the senses for a bit before you realize his incoherent rambling, whining, and all-too-precious shock-rap just don’t add up to all that much. "
you still haven't said why this is incoherent, rambling, whining or precious.
"In this age where people call Drake introspective, Wiz Khalifa anything but limp and forgettable, where Lupe Fiasco has his penis cut off and idiots like Kid Cudi can whine about their life much to the appreciation of white teenagers I appreciate Tyler for creating music that I can actually feel something about, however."
way too long to get your point across. we don't need you to name artists you think are bad in the review. the penis thing is silly, too.
| | | Album Rating: 5.0 | Sound Off
im gonna go work out + watch AMC's "The Killing"
| | | Album Rating: 3.0 | Sound Off
"there's about five lines on this album that aren't cringeworthy"
how many lines has yonkers got because that's already shitloads more than 5
| | | Album Rating: 5.0 | Sound Off
im the kind of guy who works out
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