OKRA reflects the best of Tyler The Creator sound

By Megan Mosquera

Tyler The Creator’s “Flower Boy” was a culmination of his strengths and was rightfully nominated for a Grammy. The California rapper is known for his interesting yet outlandish lyrics revolving eccentric topics. His mixes his styles once again to compose his latest emotionally-driven track, OKRA.

OKRA deviates from his more sweet, melodic harmonies found on “Flower Boy” and goes more into the sound he had in “Goblin” with his heavy bass and biting tone of voice. He does not stop for a pause, and has very minimalistic instrumentals that compliment the desolate resonance the song has.

While this song is a clear announcement of victory and has a lot of arrogance, it also shows vulnerability and self-doubt. Tyler boasts his fortune, fame and life plan to become more successful. Simultaneously, the chorus is a recognition that while he has become well-known he has lost friends in the process.

“Man, now they go / I cut off some friends, where they go?/ I stick to the plan, that’s the goal / F— these n—–s man, that’s for sure.” The lyrics show that he is coming to terms with the fact that while he climbs to the top he still might find himself alone, a common theme for popular artists.

Within the song he mentions his Grammy nomination for “Flower Boy” and other past albums implying that he has remained the same while others around him are the ones who have changed. This is shown in lyrics such as “Got enough rocks, see, check my hand/And I got crack, watch how I talk/And it’s still Wolf Gang, b—h, watch how I bark,” and “Financial advisor buggin’, Flower Boy is buzzin’/Grammy-nominated, tell yo’ cousin ain’t nobody f—-n’ with him.”

Tyler remains quirky in his latest single with funny bars like “Swampy n—-s out the bayou/Pockets flooded, y’all be dilute/Watered down, I’m Big Mac/I’m quarter pound, you chicken nugget,” but also takes it back to his precedent sound. He implements minimal sound effects in the background and a warped take on his voice in the chorus. This all combines for a barren song emphasizing on his deep voice and overwhelming temperament.

The song is enjoyable and combines the best of “Goblin” with his newer sound. Tyler is perfecting his definitive music style and it shows on every new release. The heaviness of this song would make it a banger, but its meaningfulness allows it to be a more retrospective and personal song.

Photo retrieved by Flickr.