Tyler Okonma, aka Tyler the Creator’s lyrics are often a conversation with his mind and his soul. His production transcends conventional songwriting, throwing his listeners into his world filled with emotional depth and vivid storytelling. His music often serves as a canvas for intense internal battles, blending striking complexities and vulnerability often unseen in music made by men. Through his genius word-play and genre bending artistry, Okonma crafts narratives that reflect the chaotic beauty of the human psyche. In the height of the celebration of his new album release, this essay explores the textile that his music creates with his tales of self discovery, heartbreak, love, and defiance. I hope to reveal some layers I’ve found interesting from his album, Flower Boy (my favorite album), that make his storytelling so unforgettable.
In a conversation with Jerrod Carmichael about the album Flower Boy, Okonma revealed that he tried to make his previous album Cherry Bomb less personal, however for this album, he intentionally started with writing his emotions down on paper and making music around it. He says “man I was like because for cherry bomb my I purposely was like I don’t want to get personal at all like i’m gonna just make songs yeah it’s just all just this is a song and in this one I was like, all right, let me write down every feeling oh you started with emotions” (FLOWER BOY: a conversation).
The first couple songs in the album talk about his transformation from being lonely and afraid of his success to blooming into accepting himself and trying his best to be a role model for men who look like him. In Foreword, Okonma delves into his disconnection between his personal success and the systemic struggles faced by Black Americans. He expresses a lingering sense of guilt for his now privileged position where he can afford safety while others from his community are subjected to violence and oppression. This juxtaposition of his personal success and his feelings of “undeservedness” underscores a deep internal conflict as he questions his role within his community. This is probably also why he mentions to Carmichael that “a lot of people do stuff for the conversation of when they’re dead” (FLOWER BOY: a conversation)- He wants his name to have a positive echo in the black community when he’s dead, which is why he does the things he does. Towards the end of the song, Okonma confronts his fears, revealing vulnerability over the “weird drum patterns and… [the] haunting base lines” (FLOWER BOY: a conversation), representing an escape from the boredom his money will eventually lead him to. This duality, between guilt and fear, emphasizes Tyler’s ability to intertwine societal critique with deeply personal reflections, making the song a poignant exploration of identity and mortality.
In the second song of the album, Where this Flower Blooms, he embraces his evolving identity as a prominent artist in the music industry. He challenges traditional norms in the Black Male community by “[telling] these black kids they could be who they are” (Tyler the Creator, Where this Flower Blooms). He tries to use the platform he has built to make it a safe space for “kids” like him who express themselves with bold colors, fresh manicure, and jewelry- things unseen amongst the men in his community with strict masculine expectations. This unapologetic reclamation of identity marks Okonma’s personal growth and also serves as an inspiration for others in his community to pursue their own journeys. His lyrics convey a powerful message: Black men can defy conventions and thrive in spaces that celebrate creativity, vulnerability, and self-expression. As Okonma blooms and grows, he is able to inspire others to bloom and grow with him. However, in conversation with Carmichael, he says that this song also represents his frustration with the music industry for not recognizing him for his unique marketing strategies at the time but immediately recognized others in the industry who did similar things. He therefore tries to “[not] be too cool” (Tyler the Creator, Where this Flower Blooms) in an effort to not become too stuck with that egotistical mindset.
As we go down his path of self acceptance and love, the short song, Sometimes, provides a transition from him accepting himself and loving himself to giving that love and acceptance to someone else in his life, a mystery love interest. However, in “See You Again”, the 4th song in the album, he has an ideal person in mind- like a dream person- but no matter how much he looks for this person, Okonma is unable to find them. My favorite line in this song is him saying “my infatuation is translation into another form of what you call it (love)” (Tyler the Creator, See you Again), especially because he never actually mentions the word love in this song except for that one line (but it is also not him actually saying it in that verse it is just another clip overlaid on that verse). This line is so interesting because it displays how the concept of love is too foreign to him to the point where he can’t even say the word to a person in his dreams. His longing and frustration of chasing this dream person, a symbol of unattainable perfection in his lovers, soon blurs the lines between fantasy and his reality. This added emotional weight to the song along with him relying on vivid metaphors like “I’d give up my bakery to have a piece of your pie,” (Tyler the Creator, See you Again) illustrates his yearning and the depth of his desire and his inability to articulate his emotions even to a figment of his imagination. This tension highlights his deeper insecurity about communication and vulnerability, as he finds himself at odds with this idealized version of love.
As we cruise through Who Dat Boy, we find Okonma in a furious state of mind which is then revealed as concern and confusion in Pothole. As the song opens with a warning from his mother about fake people, we understand his mother’s warnings to be true. In order to protect his peace, Okonma “had to switch the gears on ‘em” (Jaden Smith, Pothole). The song progresses and we learn that despite his best attempts to pull his friends out of the metaphorical pothole, they choose to stay there. Throughout the song, Okonma “drives” through memories, revisiting moments that reveal the truth in his mother’s warnings. These trips uncover subtle clues that piece together the evidence of betrayal and insincerity from the people he thought were good. Each clue serves as a step along his journey of self awareness and emotional growth as he learns to protect his peace from those who fail to reciprocate his loyalty.
The song Garden Shed opens with a melodious tune which contrasts with Pothole’s angry rap. There are three noticeable shifts in the songs- a melodious tune, a steady rap, and then a haunting and angry verse. Estelle’s first verse, “Don’t kill a rose before it could bloom, fly baby fly, out the cocoon” (Estelle, Garden Shed) also refers to Okonma’s struggle with embracing his ambiguous sexuality- it’s her asking him to take his time and nurture this journey. This song is an encouraging push for Okonma to come to terms with his secrets and walk freely, without the ties of having to hide.
Through the fist half of Tyler the Creator’s trip through the different reflections of his life, we uncover many aspects to his personality. Each song peels back another layer of his spirit, weaving through stories of self doubt, growth, love, and betrayal. As he illustrates his transition from feeling lonely and unhappy to accepting this loneliness, we understand his willingness to confront uncomfortable truths. These revelations help him uplift his community to defy societal norms and be true to themselves. As we uncover more of his story through this album, I hope to explore the last part of the album and dive deeper into the emotional complexities that make Flower Boy an unforgettable experience.