Flower Boy (alternatively titled Scum Fuck Flower Boy) is the fourth studio album by American rapper Tyler, the Creator. The album was released on July 21, 2017, by Columbia Records. Although the album's production was handled entirely by Tyler, the Creator himself, it features guest vocals from a range of artists, including Frank Ocean, ASAP Rocky, Anna of the North, Lil Wayne, Kali Uchis, Steve Lacy, Estelle, Jaden Smith and Rex Orange County.
The album was supported by four singles: "Who Dat Boy" / "911", "Boredom", "I Ain't Got Time!" and "See You Again". Flower Boy received widespread acclaim from critics and debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200. It was named among the best albums of 2017 by multiple publications and was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards.
Video Flower Boy
Background and production
The album is the follow-up to his third studio album Cherry Bomb. Tyler decided to take a more personal approach compared to Cherry Bomb, stating "For 'Cherry Bomb' I purposely was like, I don't want to get personal at all. Like, I'm just going to make songs. And in this one I was like alright, let me write down every feeling." He felt that the general response to Cherry Bomb was poor and wanted to deliver an album that succeeded it well. The official title was originally thought to be Scum Fuck Flower Boy but was later confirmed simply as Flower Boy shortly prior to release. Tyler noted the works of Max Martin, Pharrell Williams and Justin Timberlake as musical inspirations for the album, and also studied people's responses to songs in clubs.
Recording began in late 2015. Like previous releases, the majority of the album was produced by Tyler himself. He decided to keep his rap verses short and to-the-point to give guest artists and instrumentation more of a focal point. Many songs on the album featured guitar playing by Austin Feinstein. A number of the songs were initially meant for other artists. The beat used on the song "I Ain't Got Time!" was initially made for Kanye West during sessions for West's seventh studio album The Life of Pablo. After West declined it, the beat was sent to rapper Nicki Minaj who, after a month, also turned it down. "Glitter" was written for Canadian singer Justin Bieber but he never returned any calls. "See You Again" was originally written for English singer Zayn Malik but was later kept after Malik rejected the song twice. "Who Dat Boy" was rejected by rapper Schoolboy Q.
Maps Flower Boy
Music and lyrics
Correlating with the album's title, Tyler has noted flowers as a theme of the album.
Throughout the album, the lyrical content refers to Tyler's sexuality and suggests that he is "coming out of the closet" as either bisexual or homosexual. The song "I Ain't Got Time!" contains the lyrics "I've been kissing white boys since 2004". The song "Garden Shed" also contains subtle references to sexuality. This comes as a sharp contrast to lyrics in previous albums that were considered homophobic and even led to him being banned from the UK for three to five years.
Promotion
The album title, track list and release date was announced by Tyler, the Creator on July 6, 2017 via social media. Two covers were unveiled upon announcement, the main cover designed by Michigan-born artist Eric White and the alternative cover designed by Tyler himself. The album leaked 11 days before the announced release date of July 21.
Singles
After a one-week countdown on Twitter and Instagram, Tyler, the Creator released a music video, titled "Who Dat Boy", to his official YouTube channel on June 29, 2017. The album's lead single, "Who Dat Boy" / "911", containing two songs: "Who Dat Boy" and "911 / Mr. Lonely" was released on June 30, 2017, to digital outlets. The single peaked at number 87 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Tyler, the Creator's highest charting single to date. The album's second single, "Boredom", was released on July 11, 2017. The song features guest vocals from Rex Orange County and Anna of the North. The album's third single, "I Ain't Got Time!", was released on July 19, 2017. The album's fourth single, "See You Again", was released on August 29, 2017, to rhythmic and urban contemporary radio. The song features guest vocals from Kali Uchis.
Critical reception
Flower Boy received widespread acclaim from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 84, based on 18 reviews. Andy Kellman of AllMusic gave a positive review, stating "While most of these songs are rife with anxiety and isolation, the open-hearted lyricism and wide-scoped productions, put together by an artist in peak form, make them immensely engrossing. Frank Ocean, Pharrell Williams, Kali Uchis, Syd, and Estelle are among 11 supporting cast members, not one of whom is inessential to the whole." Flower Boy was named "Best New Music", with Pitchfork reviewer Sheldon Pearce calls it "Tyler's most sincere and most accomplished album, he gets to the essence of what he's been chiseling at: the angst of a missed connection, the pain of unrequited love, and navigating youthful ennui." In his review, Andy Gill of The Independent states, "Flower Boy presents a surprisingly sensitive, thoughtful, even pleasant personality." Jesse Fairfax of HipHopDX gave the album a 4.5 out of 5, stating "Clocking in at 47 minutes, the album is both Tyler, the Creator's shortest and most cohesive album to date and is full of introspective admissions that logically line up with his public character."
Jamie Milton NME writes the album is "Backed by a supporting cast of R&B superstars and bright newcomers, it's a record of long, lazy summers; sitting back and staring at the clouds." Lewis Lister of Clash said, "Previously it felt like as though these two sides have been difficult to reconcile on record; the abrasive would often be at odds with the tranquil, particularly on last studio album Cherry Bomb. On Flower Boy, though, Tyler has perfected his marriage of the two." Paul Lester of The Guardian wrote: "If anything, Flower Boy captures Tyler at his least tormented and twisted; it is an album of exquisitely arranged, melodious synth-rap, wistful and reflective, heavy on the heavenly. It's not all dreamy--watch out for the occasional profane pothole--but largely this is the work of an evolved artist and mature person." Austin Reed of Pretty Much Amazing said, "Flower Boy has elevated Tyler closer to the line. An unexpected move to be sure, but no less impressive whatsoever." In a mixed review, Consequence of Sound's Kelly McClure stated: "It's more of the same. It seems to be needing something more. An extra spark of interest."
Year-end lists
Commercial performance
Flower Boy debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 with 106,000 album-equivalent units of which 70,000 were pure album sales.
Track listing
All tracks produced by Tyler, the Creator.
Notes
- "Sometimes..." features additional vocals by Shane Powers
- "Pothole" features background vocals by Alexander Brettin
- "Garden Shed" features background vocals by Rex Orange County
- "Boredom" features additional vocals by Corinne Bailey Rae
- "911 / Mr. Lonely" features additional vocals by Anna of the North, Davon "Jasper" Wilson, ASAP Rocky, Schoolboy Q and Lionel Boyce
- "Enjoy Right Now, Today" features vocals by Pharrell Williams
Sample credits
- ^[a] "Foreword" incorporates elements of "Spoon (Sonic Youth Remix)", written by Michael Karoli, Jaki Liebezeit, Irmin Schmidt, Holger Schuering and Damo Suzuki, and performed by Can.
- ^[b] "Pothole" contains elements of "Ooh", written and performed by Roy Ayers.
- "I Ain't Got Time!" incorporates elements of "Introduction", performed by Bel-Sha-Zaar with Tommy Genapopoluis & The Grecian Knights.
- ^[c] "911 / Mr. Lonely" contains a rendition of "Outstanding", written by Raymond Calhoun and performed by The Gap Band.
Personnel
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.
Charts
Certifications
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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