Image via Getty/Tim Mosenfelder
Ever since the video for "Yonkers" dropped back in 2011, Tyler, The Creator has bucked convention with a unique mix of unhinged creativity, bold willingness to take risks, and a constant pace of evolution. When that video first hit, it was Tyler's introduction to the mainstream and an exciting look at a brand new artist with the potential to make an impact.
But we had no idea just how big that impact would be. Today, 27-year-old Tyler is a leader in hip-hop and culture. He's inspired a new wave of artists who value the DIY approach, the limitless opportunities beyond music, and the ability to stay true to yourself even when you've got millions of fans. He's opened a new lane for outsiders with major ambition, and he's created the blueprint for artists who aren't willing to compromise their own vision and integrity.
When Tyler first came out, he and his Odd Future crew were something of a mystery. Today, you probably feel like you know him even if you've never been to one of his shows, but he's still not one for oversharing, and there's a lot of things you might not know. Here are some of those things.
1. He's friendly with Elon Musk and will (reluctantly) visit Mars if he gets a chance.
Image via Daniel Boczarski/Getty
In a 2017 interview with Shane Powers, Tyler casually mentioned that he sometimes hangs out with Elon Musk and talks about cars."He's really cool," Tyler said. "He just loves the design aesthetic of McLaren and how sleek and cool it was."Despite his relationship with the SpaceX founder, Tyler was hesitant about ever wanting to visit Mars, though. He explained, "There's nothing on Mars. There's no air. There's no food. I don't know if I can listen to music yet."Shane pushed and Tyler eventually admitted he would go after they figured things out in the early trips: "I'll go on trip nine or twelve."
3. He likes Frank Ocean's 'Blonde' more than 'Channel Orange.'
Image via Getty/Karl Walter
In an interview with Apple's Zane Lowe, Tyler talked about his connection with Frank Ocean and explains that the two never planned a collaboration, that it always just happened spontaneously in the studio. He also told Zane that he prefers Blonde over Channel Orange.
“Blonde is so sick. I always tell him I like that sh*t way better than Channel Orange, and I don’t like comparing. But the looseness of structure and the chords and sh*t on Blonde speaks to me more than Channel Orange. But I think Channel Orange has a little bit more pop structures, which gets to people a little more.”
4.
5. He was making vlogs on YouTube before YouTube vlogging was a thing.
Image via Getty/Kevin Winter
Tyler was really early to the YouTube game. In 2008, Jake Paul was only 11 years old and the concept of YouTube vlogging hadn't taken off yet, but Tyler was already documenting his daily life by uploadingshaky videos of Jasper f*cking around in music stores, riding around on scooterswith his friends, and skating through puddles. His bloxhead YouTube channel is full of old gems. You can see his very first video, "Normal Day," below.
7. In 2010, his favorite rapper was Pusha T.
Image via Getty/Tim Mosenfelder
Tyler has always been vocal about his love for Pharrell and Clipse, but in 2010 he took to his recently launched Twitter page to hit up Pusha T directly and tell him that he's the best—and that he made a beat for him. Not even a year later, Tyler and Pusha would connect on "Trouble On My Mind."
8.
@PUSHA_T Just Wanted To Let You Know That You Are my Favorite Rapper, And That I'm Going out Of My Way To Send You One Beat Ive Made For You
— T (@tylerthecreator) October 8, 2010
Also, back then he wasn't a big J. Cole fan.
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J cole is weak to me.
— T (@tylerthecreator) September 18, 2010
10. His mom is half Canadian.
Image via Getty/Andrew Benge
Nardwuar the Human Serviette's research yielded that Tyler's mom is actually half Canadian. Obviously, the Canadian tradition of mild manners skipped a generation. When Nardwuar brought it up to a surprised Tyler in 2011 at SXSW, Tyler replied, "Yeah, what the f*ck? How you know this sh*t? Yeah, my mom's mixed. Oh sh*t."
12. He's anti-drugs, but says he'll probably try mushrooms one day.
Image via Getty/Axelle/Bauer-Griffin
Tyler doesn't drink or do drugs.He admits that in 2009, he ate a weed brownie and had "the worst time of his life" and "wanted to die" so he hasn't tried marijuana since. He did recently say he'd be open to trying mushrooms one day, though.
During a 2017 interview on The Shane Show, host Shane Powers asked him, "Have you experimented with the shrooms or any of that?" He responded, "Nah, not yet. I'll probably do shrooms one day, but as of now, I'm good." Shane said he was afraid of him trying it, but Tyler responded, "I'm not." He explained that his base personality is happy and curious, and he believes mushrooms would open that side of him up even more. Listen below at the 38:30 mark.
14. He met (and trolled) Bow Wow back in 2008.
Image via Getty/Daniel Boczarski
"I wanted a kiss but his body guard was about to f*ck me up," Tyler said in a 2008 post along with this hilarious image:
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16. He likes to go on SoundCloud dives in search of undiscovered artists.
Image via Getty/Scott Legato
Tyler has a history of collaborating with artists like Rex Orange County and Anna of the North long before they see any kind of mainstream success. So, where does he find them? Shane Blanchard recently told us that Tyler came across his DIY Long Beach band Bane's World by discovering the group's guitarist Michael Seyer on SoundCloud. "He kind of scours SoundCloud and looks for new things," Blanchard said. After finding them, Tyler booked the band to open for him at a show alongside Brockhampton, Steve Lacy, Taco, and Clairo.
17. Justin Bieber couldn't co-sign him on Twitter.
Back when Tyler was still buzzing in the blogosphere, co-signs were currency. A retweet from a high profile artist or tastemaker could make an artist's career. But when Justin Bieber and Tyler started to hang out, there was a hitch: Biebercouldn't retweet any of Tyler's tweets or photos because of Tyler's NSFW handle at the time,@f*cktyler. Since then, he's switched it to @tylerthecreator. In 2013, Bieber finally acknowledged Tyler on Twitter for the first time.
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@f*cktyler all good buddy. i deal with this everyday. thanks though. the baby aint mine either.
— Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) June 3, 2013
19. He doesn't even like golf.
Image via Getty/Paul Natkin
Despite emblazoning the word on countless pieces of OF merch and Golf Wang apparel, Tyler told Billboard that golf was his "least favorite sport, to be honest... the word just looks sick." It's worth noting that Tyler hates most sports, anyway, so imagine how little he f*cks with golf.
20. He was a fan of Good Charlotte and Kenny G in high school.
Image via Getty/Roger Kisby
Tyler is known for his eclectic music tastes, but some of his high school favorites might surprise you. "I was a black skater kid," he told Spinabout his school years."I liked f*cking Good Charlotte and Kenny G, and I was black. And I went to school with a bunch of black kids so they kinda swayed away from me."
21. He hates having his glass of water refilled.
Image via Getty/Suzy Pratt
Tyler really can't stand being micromanaged when he goes to restaurants. He told a bunch of English fans that he hates having his glass refilled when he's only halfway done with it.
23. He used to lurk forums.
Tyler used to post on the Hypebeast forums under the screenname 'bloxheads.' Here's what he had to say about Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy:
you dont have to like it, but you have to respect it. everyone is so stuck inside of that first album box, that it blinds them when they release new music. for instance, i f*cking hate Recovery. Eminem is my favorite rapper. but i respect the project because of where he is in his life. and seriously, i dont want to hear a slim shady LP 10 years later. Progression is a really important part in a career. anyone who has success has moved foward. for instance, 50 talks about the same sh*t. wait, let me rephrase that, 50 wants to make sh*t like get rih or die trying again, forcing some sh*t, where mentally thats not where he's at, and his fans are like WTF? thats why mussiclly no one f*cks with him like that anymore. if you want that college drop out sh*t, go listen to that. kanye isnt there anymore. people say he;s changed. no f*cking sh*t. im 19 right now, i can gurantee i will not be talking about the same sh*t at 27 that i was talkign about at 19. its called Growing. xswag
24. November 2016 was the best time of his life.
Image via Getty/The Washington Post
Thetwelfth track on Flower Boyis a song called "November" about finding the things that make you happiest in life. The lyrics were inspired by his own happiest moment, which came during November 2016. Very on brand for Tyler, the month was full of creating and hanging out with friends.
"November of 2016 was the greatest time of my life," he said in a self-released interview. "We rented a house out and every morning we would wake up for The Jellies. I was starting to get involved with Converse. After that was done, me and Jasper would spend time playing games. I went and bought the stupid VR Playstation thing and we had the new Mario Switch. When we were done working, Wyatt would come out and we would go to the park or go bike riding or go to shows. And then I would go to the studio and work on the album."
Continue for five things we learned from Tyler's Cherry Bomb documentary.
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Tyler, the Creator has never shied away from the spotlight. Ever since the video for "Yonkers" dropped back in 2011, he has invited controversy and bucked convention with a unique mix of sarcasm, subordination, and dope music.
From Odd Future to his sock line to his TV show, Tyler has had a well-documented path to success. But there's another Tyler you might not know: a quarter-Canadian, Bow Wow-trolling golf hater.
28. His mom is half Canadian.
Nardwuar the Human Serviette's research yielded that Tyler's mom—famous for high-fiving her son and catching the holy ghost at the VMAs in 2011—is actually half Canadian. Obviously, the Canadian tradition of mild manners skipped a generation.
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31. He met (and trolled) Bow Wow back in 2008.
Image via Getty/Daniel Boczarski
"I wanted a kiss but his body guard was about to f*ck me up," Tyler said in a 2008 post along with this hilarious image:
32. Tyler has written sketches for Loiter Squad that have been legally questionable.
In an interview with HuffPost Live, Tyler, Earl, Jasper and co. divulged that while Adult Swim have been incredibly lax about reining in Loiter Squad's outlandish content, there have been sketches so distasteful that they did not air in order to avoid lawsuits. Tyler was hesitant to give any details, saying that he was "trying to figure out how to do them" anyway.
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34. The co*ckroach in the "Yonkers" video was named Nissan.
RIP little guy.
(Source)
36. The only members of OF he competes with are Earl and Hodgy.
The OF camp has members in tons of fields, from photography to skateboarding to music, but Tyler's not sweating his fellow members' output—with two exceptions. He tries to keep up with Earl and Hodgy, rapping-wise.
"I try to keep up with Earl," says Tyler. "He’s a really, really, really good rapper. Hodgy though, nigg*s sleep on Hodgy. His verse on 'Jamba' is so f*cking good. He has my favorite verse on the whole album. When Hodgy’s in his zone he’s the f*cking best. I love that dude."
(Source)
39. He no longer designs the Odd Future merch.
Tyler may have been 15 when he first drew that iconic doughnut, but he has since ceded creative control over Odd Future's apparel and aesthetic to a Portland-based graphic designer named Chris Burnett.
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(Source)
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