Can Tyler, The Creator claim to be one of the best rappers alive today? The 30-year-old California native showed off his lyrical skills on his new album Call Me If You Get Lost.
“I just love rap so g###### much… listening to [The] Dedication with [Lil] Wayne, and ‘We Got It For Cheap’ with Clipse, they really shaped me into who I am,” Tyler told Billboard.
He continued, “I think a lot of people forget that I’m a rapper because I’m so multifaceted. I just had to remind everyone, ‘Don’t let the wig get it twisted, y’all n##### can’t f### with me.’”
Tyler added another layer to Call Me If You Get Lost by having DJ Drama host the project. Drama’s contribution gave the LP the feel of a Gangsta Grillz mixtape.
DJ Drama and Tyler worked on the album in Los Angeles during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Generation Now label co-founder explained to Billboard how the union came together.
“Tyler reached out to me last summer,” said DJ Drama. “He always said it was a dream of his to do a Gangsta Grillz.”
Call Me If You Get Lost is projected to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart. According to HitsDailyDouble, Tyler is on pace to pull in 175,000 first-week units which would be the best opening of his career.
2019’s Igor launched at #1 on the Billboard 200 with 165,000 album-equivalent units. It was Tyler, The Creator’s first Number One. Igor went on to win Best Rap Album at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.
For Call Me If You Get Lost, Tyler, The Creator recruited 42 Dugg, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Ty Dolla Sign, Lil Wayne, Domo Genesis, Brent Faiyaz, Lil Uzi Vert, Pharrell Williams, and others. All tracks are written and produced by Tyler.