TYLER THE CREATOR: CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST REVIEW
With the release of Igor, Tyler the Creator has been on the vertical musically. With little to no leaks or teasers in the past couple of years, fans could only speculate his approach to this album would be. I like how Tyler used the number (855)-444-8888 as an easter egg to the project. We hear a conversation between Tyler and his mom on this voicemail, depending on when you called. The other message was of Tyler singing a voicemail that tells the person to call him when you can. When I first heard about this voicemail easter egg, I was so eager to call that I called before they set up any voicemail and the number didn’t work.
With this review, I heard the album twice, but I don’t remember much. One listen is not enough to give an official review. The second time around is when I begin to understand each track. I was very excited to hear that Tyler the Creator was releasing again. With the release of lumberjack, we kind of had a feel for the direction he was going with this album. I think it fully encapsulates the feel of the whole album. If Igor was more soulful, Call Me If You Get Lost contrasts. I will explain this more in the review.
WHAT I LISTEN FOR IN PROJECTS
When listening to music, I listen for the vibe, lyrics, and production of the song, and as a listener, I expect artists to get out of their comfort zones and experiment. I will be discussing lyrics, production, features, sales, and I will give this project a rating, but, as with all art reviews, my review of Call Me If You Get Lost is based on personal opinion.
TYLER THE CREATOR, CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST: LYRICS
In contrast to Igor, this album is more aggressive with hints of mellow tracks. It also is not a concept album, but I think the album is similar to many concept albums in terms of theme. The lyrics are more heavy-hitting with the inclusion of similes, metaphors, and wordplay. It definitely is a change of pace when compared to Igor, but also a nod to some of his previous work. I never thought of Tyler the Creator being very skilled in writing, but he was never bad. I would say that he is lyrically above average in his abilities. With the friendship between Tyler and Rocky, I think lyrical ability is something of his that has flourished over time, especially from being around Rocky. I will discuss the current status of their friendship towards the feature portion. I wouldn’t be surprised if most of the songs on this album have no hooks because of the style of the album, but lyric-wise, I think this album was tasteful. With the help of Dj Drama, I think Tyler again encapsulates an otherworldly experience. I like that the theme of this project expresses the experiences of being in Geneva, Switzerland. With rap being dominant in the Americas, places like Switzerland are foreign to many. I like that he also mentions topics of sexuality, the BLM movement, his appreciation for friends and family, and his artistic transition in music. Some of my favorite lyrics include:
*Lyrics provided by Genius*
I’m a true connoisseur, hotel concierge
Know me as that spaced-out n***a with the chunky airs
UFC, that shit swole up, that’s VVS, keep Vic safe
That’s a mansion on that USB, it’s T- Tyler on Sir Baudelaire
I’m on the hunt for perfect but decent is what I been on
I know she fell in love but commitment is not my end goal
And all my friends that did got too comfy, a little chubby
And that drive to make that money dried up when that nose was runny- Tyler on Massa
I took that gold bitch home, n***as is big mad (oh s**t)
I put that b***h on the shelf, to let it ventilate
And bought another car ’cause I ain’t how to celebrate (top shelf, n***a)
That big boy, that big b***h for all weather
It never rain in Cali’, came with an umbrella (ooh)- Tyler on Lumberjack
MY FAVORITE TRACKS
- Hot Wind Blows
- Lemonhead
- Blessed
LEAST FAVORITE TRACKS
- Sweet/ I Thought You Wanted to Dance (I didn’t like the length of the song)
9/10
TYLER THE CREATOR, CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST: FEATURES
This album features the likes of 42 Dugg, Lil Wayne, Lil Uzi Vert, Pharrell, NBA Youngboy, Ty Dolla Sign, Teezo Touchdown, Domo Genesis, Brent Faiyaz, Fana Hues, Daisy World, and Dj Drama. I wouldn’t consider Dj Drama a feature, but more of a collaborator and narrator for this album. I like the energy he brought to the project. I think it gave a solid foundation for the overall feel that Tyler may have wanted to portray. 42 Dugg on lemonhead was the feature that his audience may not have known they needed, but definitely sets the tone for the album in terms of features. Lil Wayne absolutely annihilates his verse on hot wind blows. Lil Uzi and Pharrell collaboratively worked very well together, which spawns back to Uzi’s Neon Guts. I highly doubt their chemistry would fade over the past few years. They really brought energy on juggernaut. I like NBA Youngboy and Ty Dolla Sign features on wusyaname. That song reminds me of love songs from the 1990s and early 2000s. Teezo Touchdown also brought high energy on runitup. With its vocal chants, that song, in particular, reminds me of telephone calls. Domo Genesis has been collaborating with Tyler for years, so I knew he would bring a very engaging verse on manifesto. That song is comparable to Earl Sweatshirt and Vince Staples centurion, especially with the instrumental change. Brent Faiyaz and Fana Hues both did well on Sweet/ I Thought you Wanted to Dance, but the song was significantly too long. The track rise features Daisy world, but mostly for background vocals and the bridge. Her vocals are very bright and soft, which works in contrast to Tyler’s deep voice. Although these features did exceptional work for this album, this project is missing someone very important.
In my post about what we should expect from this album, I predicted that Asap Rocky would be in collaboration with Tyler. As stated by Tyler, Rocky was expected to appear on this album. During one of Tyler’s live performances, he states that Asap Rocky, unfortunately, ghosted Tyler for the past 5 months. Rocky also began dating Rihanna within that time span, but in my opinion, he could have the best of both worlds. In the video, the tone in Tyler’s voice sounds as if he was deeply hurt, covered by his infectious smile. Is this the genesis of a beef between the two? Hopefully, in the future, we will hear from Rocky’s perspective.
10/10 (Hopefully Rocky and Tyler will rekindle their friendship)
TYLER THE CREATOR, CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST: PRODUCTION
This project was also produced mostly by Tyler. The credits also state productions from the likes of Jay Versace and Jamie XX. The production was equally as great on this album as Igor. I like the samples that Tyler utilizes. They are very vintage in sound and equally as lofi/ nostalgic as Igor. I like how Tyler was able to manipulate the sample to work for the style of this album. The samples are interesting, especially on songs like Hot Wind Blows. I like that he added the whistle in that song as if it was an onomatopoeia. That was unique. I like that the samples were filled with flutes, drums, clarinets, bass, etc. I think most, if not all of the album was created from a sample. According to Who sampled, there are samples on 9 tracks out of 16. The tracks that didn’t utilize samples also deserve credits. Without the utilization of samples, this album shows an incredible amount of diversity. On one hand, we get songs with rave-like production on lemonhead and juggernaut. On the other hand, we received more relaxed productions on songs like massa and safari. Altogether, the samples and production were perfect for the style of the album.
10/10
SALES, RATINGS AND OVERALL REVIEW
According to Complex, Call Me if You Get Lost debut at Number 1 on the Billboard 200. This album sold 169,000 units, which I think is deserving. This album gave many vibes comparable to Tyler’s earlier projects. I like that his features are relevant and unexpected because Tyler is unique. With the exception of Lil Uzi Vert, from my recollection, none of these artists was featured on Igor. I also like how different this was from Igor. I think the overall feel for this album was really good. I respect Tyler for also recognizing and being thankful for his fans, friends, and family on blessed. I like how Tyler is not afraid to be experimental on most of his recent work. I can applaud his creativity because he is never stagnant. I think that would become stale very quickly. I also think that is what keeps many of his fans on the edge of their seats.
While this album is comparable to Igor in terms of likeability, I think Igor was better. This doesn’t mean this album bad, but in my opinion, it would be difficult to make something as equally as good as his magnum opus. I feel like many fans (including myself) would put Igor on a pedestal, often comparing the two. It is difficult to make a comparison between Igor and Call Me if You Get Lost because they are almost mutually exclusive in sound and genre. I really like the direction Tyler took with this album because I wouldn’t expect this from him. I like how he was able to combine elements of rap and R and B, along with samples that accompany both genres within his works. His skills are better than many of the more relevant rappers of today. With this album under his belt, I wonder what is next for Tyler. We will just have to wait and tune in to his next release!
9/10
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