Brian Josephs is currently petitioning for a Wes Anderson remake of the “Hate Me Now” video.
Somewhere between Earl and Goblin, people furrowed eyebrows when one thought came to mind: What happens when the kids grow up? They split, but stay afloat. Earl Sweatshirt becomes this quick-spitting, self-aware contrarian. Tyler The Creator is similarly self-aware, but remains the whimsical creative.
We’ve seen that trait played out in the absurd, but occasionally brilliant Loiter Squad. It doesn’t give one complete confidence in Tyler though. The bright points in Bastard and Goblin got muddled because of how bloated they are. Tyler’s FADER cover story notes that he’s worked on a set of songs pointing a finger at hip-hop’s glamorization of violence and materialism.
The first singles from Cherry Bomb are a mixed bag in “DEATHCAMP” and “Fucking Young/Perfect.” The former is a jab at the fame monster mixed within a middling take on the N*E*R*D sound. The latter taps into Tyler’s idiosyncratic charms, combining harmonies and thematic silliness to a near-cartoonish effervescence.
But the Wes Anderson-meets-Mad Max-meets-Adult Swim buffoonery video dropped. And then after watching it, you realize you have an album to process about that other shit. Did Tyler mature? Is Cherry Bomb good? Will that creative mind be neutered?
In Tyler’s case, it hasn’t. His vision has usually been and still is at its fullest when it comes to music videos. The non-sequitur edits, the surface level hilarity (a crying Tyler followed by his friend’s disappointed-expression), and the Mad Max coda all are surreal and magnetic. It climaxes when Tyler flips and spews invective at his underaged former romantic interest after she lights a fire by his mother’s home. It’s over the top, but he’s sustained that wild imagination and that’s what makes it work.
