8. Cherry Bomb (2015)

Following the successful Wolf (2013), Cherry Bomb turned out to be a disappointment. Cherry Bomb is more upbeat and more experimental than Tyler’s previous releases, but it is not better for it. This album’s biggest flaw is its subpar mixing – with half of these tracks being over-produced to the point that Tyler’s vocals get buried under the distorted instrumentals. Some of the songs on Cherry Bomb are damn near unlistenable because of it (“CHERRY BOMB” most notably). The album opener “DEATHCAMP” is the best track on the record, with fun Tyler bars and a dope instrumental where the noisy musical backdrop actually works – but it all goes downhill quickly from there, a couple of other strong songs in the second half of the tracklist (like “F*CKING YOUNG/PERFECT”) notwithstanding. Messy production and unfocused, inconsistent vocals make for the worst album in Tyler’s catalog – not terrible, but not very good either. 5.5/10

7. Bastard (2011)

Due to its free online release and lack of retail availability, Bastard is commonly considered a mixtape, although Tyler himself refers to the project as his debut album. Bastard is coarse and offensive, an unpolished and unfiltered document from a conflicted teenager – filled with a mix of teen angst and provocation. Tyler was in his late teens when he wrote and produced Bastard, a dark and brooding product that (as he talks to a fictional therapist named Dr. TC) touches upon Tyler’s hatred towards his father and various groups of people, as well as topics such as anger, violence, sexual frustration, rape, depression, and suicidal thoughts – often in uncomfortably graphic detail and with over-the-top vulgar lyrical imagery. That said, with tracks like “Bastard,” “Odd Toddlers,” “French!,” “Slow It Down,” “VCR/Wheels,” “AssMilk,” and especially “Seven,” there are plenty of strong early Tyler joints on Bastard. The shock value of violence, misogyny, and homophobia kind of wears off across the album, but overall this is a better project than is often acknowledged. This tape was a solid start to Tyler’s career, a fitting story to begin the Bastard-Goblin-Wolf trilogy. 6.5/10

6. Goblin (2011)

Like Bastard, Goblin is often unfairly criticized. In many ways, Goblin is similar to Bastard. Goblin‘s lyricism continues to explore the same subjects from Bastard. The therapy theme is carried on, the album is almost entirely produced by Tyler himself, and there’s plenty of juvenile vulgarity providing the same kind of shock value Bastard was built on. Admittedly, Goblin is homophobic, sexist, and misogynistic. It’s a legitimate question to ask why anyone would want to listen to an unlikable narcissistic teenager with a huge craving for attention whine about his sexual insecurities and daddy issues, but there’s a fascinating aspect to Tyler’s juvenile bile. It is not always clear what is meant to be serious and what is meant to be parodical – which makes it easier to dismiss some of Tyler’s more unsettling content.

Whatever it says about our own mental states, we like Goblin. The dank-basement production, while somewhat flat, complements the dark content perfectly. There are a couple of throwaway songs (the awful “Bitch Suck Dick” being the worst of them, even if it was meant to be some kind of parody), but “Goblin”, “Yonkers”, “Radicals”, “Transylvania”, “Nightmare”, “Tron Cat”, “Sandwitches”, and “Analog” are all great Tyler tracks – there’s more good than bad on Goblin. Is Goblin overlong, sonically static, repetitive, juvenile, and offensive? Yes, it is. But it’s also intriguing and entertaining. It’s a hate-it-or-love-it kind of project if there ever was one – we happen to dig it. 7/10

5. IGOR (2019)

A lot of hype surrounded this release, and for many, it’s a favorite Tyler album. However, for us, it’s overrated: we find IGOR underwhelming, messy, and ultimately disappointing. Tyler apparently likes to sing, but the thing is, Tyler can’t sing. For many Tyler fans and stans, that’s not a problem; for us, it is. IGOR is also being applauded for being innovative and edgy musically, but being innovative and edgy doesn’t automatically mean that an album is very good. The break-up story Tyler is telling on IGOR is supposed to be another one of the album’s strong suits, but if the listening experience is unpleasant, it’s difficult to connect with the concept. For us, it didn’t click.

Now, don’t get us wrong. We don’t think IGOR is bad either. Tyler’s production on the album is excellent in places – especially the opening track “IGOR’S THEME,” which is dope as hell (no coincidence this is a mostly instrumental track), and there are more fine moments besides (“WHAT’S GOOD” being a particular standout). Whatever you feel about this album, there’s no denying it was one of the most talked-about releases of 2019, an album that defies genre conventions and sees an artist creatively do exactly what he wants to do in pursuit of mastery of his craft. For that, Tyler deserves props at least, even if we couldn’t connect with it. 7/10

4. Wolf (2013)

Tyler’s two prior projects, Bastard and Goblin, contained lyrics and themes commonly used in the horrorcore subgenre, which Tyler claimed not to be part of. In November 2011, in an interview with Spin, Tyler expressed wanting to shift away from the themes of his previous work, stating:

“Talking about rape and cutting bodies up, it just doesn’t interest me anymore… what interests me is making weird hippie music for people to get high to. With Wolf, I’ll brag a little more, talk about money and buying shit. But not like any other rapper, I’ll be a smart-ass about it. People who wanted the first album again, I can’t do that. I was 18, broke as fuck. On my third album, I have money and I’m hanging out with my idols. I can’t rap about the same shit.”

Wolf is a concept album that features a continuous story of characters Wolf, Sam, and Salem. The therapist character Dr. TC makes his last appearance on a Tyler album on the final track “Lone”. The story presented in Wolf has been said to link to Tyler’s two previous projects, with debates occurring on whether Wolf comes chronologically before or after Goblin.

For us, Wolf is the most underrated album in Tyler’s catalog. At over 70 minutes, Wolf is a LONG album, but there are few wasted moments. Sure, like on all Tyler releases, there are a few head-scratchers (like “Jamba”, “Trashwang”, and “Tamale”), but there are more top-tier Tyler tracks, such as “Cowboy”, “Answer” and “Campfire”. Wolf is colorful and creative and an improvement on its enjoyable but sonically static predecessors. 7.5/10

3. CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST (2021)

CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST feels like Tyler put all of his previous albums in a blender and kept the best aspects to fuse them into this project. He took some of the abrasive Hip Hop sounds from his older albums like Goblin and Wolf and combined them with the neo-soul synth-funk sounds of Flower Boy and IGOR to great effect.

This isn’t the most conceptual or innovative album Tyler has ever released, but that doesn’t matter. The production on this album is immaculate, and impressively done by Tyler alone (except for “JUGGERNAUT”, which was co-produced with Pharrell). Sure, overall production on CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST is less ‘grandiose’ and more understated than it was on his last few projects, but the album is better for it. There’s lots of variety; we get a couple of Hip Hop bangers alternated with smooth neo-soul/R&B flavored songs – which could have resulted in a messy presentation, but Tyler makes it work here.

Also, Tyler is rapping again (his so-so singing is something that brought down IGOR), which is a plus, of course. Tyler is still maturing in his songwriting, and even if this album lacks a cohesive narrative structure, Tyler’s observations, introspective thoughts, and storytelling (especially on the epic “WILSHIRE”) are some of the best he has ever penned – as evidenced by cuts like “CORSO”, “WUSYANAME”, “HOT WIND BLOWS”, “RUNITUP”, “MANIFESTO”, “MASSA”, and the aforementioned “JUGGERNAUT” and “WILSHIRE”, which are all top-tier Tyler tracks. And then there are the features, that more often than not, reinforce the tracks rather than take away from them – even the likes of Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Wayne, Ty Dolla $ign, 42 Dugg, and YoungBoy NBA manage not to irritate but to actually add value.

Not everything’s perfect though. At times the album meanders when R&B vibes take to the forefront, and it could have done without some of the skits. And then there’s DJ Drama, who made a career of ruining mixtapes with his ‘energetic’ ad-libbing. Unfortunately, he is doing his annoying screaming/talking routines on this record a couple of times too often – almost every track here with DJ Drama’s presence would have been significantly better without him. You can use his antics on an intro or an outro, but that should be it. These are minor complaints though – overall CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST is a great album. 8/10

2. Flower Boy (2017)

In typical later-Tyler fashion, Flower Boy is an amalgamation of musical styles – for the most part successfully executed this time, with a minimum of messiness and not a lot of over/underproduction that so marred its predecessor Cherry Bomb. Lyrically, Flower Boy is also different from some of Tyler’s other works, being more introspective and personal this time around. Tyler’s opening up on Flower Boy is a culmination of what he was building up to with his previous works. Flower Boy is Tyler’s second best album. 8.5/10

1. Chromakopia (2024)

Chromakopia dives deep into the shadows of Tyler’s psyche, blending chaos with personal reflection and maturity. Known for his visual and musical storytelling flair, Tyler crafts each song on Chromakopia like a piece of shattered glass, showing us complex new angles of his ever-evolving mind. Pulling from a rich mix of electronic, jazz, soul, R&B, and Hip Hop, he pushes into familiar and unsettling territory, echoing the warm stylings of Flower Boy but with a darker, moodier lens.

The album feels like a feverish confessional, masked but raw. Tyler’s lyrics are brimming with introspection, tackling adulthood, aging, and fame, capturing a journey marked by highs, lows, and fear for what’s to come. He’s not rapping about global escapades or flaunting fame here; instead, he’s reflecting on his legacy, relationships, and even ideas about fatherhood. Tracks like “Take Your Mask Off” peel back the bravado, encouraging characters (and maybe himself) to strip away their facades. Songs like “Noid” carry a textured, reflective weight, where his lyrics expose anxieties and the pressures fame brings, while “Darling, I” and “Like Him” explore familial connections with a softer yet hauntingly sincere tone.

Musically, Tyler balances forceful Hip Hop moments with lush, R&B-infused soundscapes. The production swings between vibrant and minimal, but even so, the subtle production on Chromakopia doesn’t detract; it channels attention back to his lyrics and themes, where Tyler’s evolution as a mature artist shines. Collaborations add fresh layers, from Doechii’s electric verses to Schoolboy Q’s gritty edge, each offering Tyler the space to explore.

With tracks like “Rah Tah Tah,” Tyler dials into pure energy, while songs like “Hey Jane” paint softer, more reflective scenes, evoking a sense of impermanence. Tyler’s mother narrates the album, rooting the record in personal history and a reminder of his journey so far. The album’s mix of themes—from love and fame to internal struggle—evokes a blend of melancholy and resilience. It’s as if Tyler is opening the door on the later chapters of his life, one where he steps out of character while grappling with the permanence of legacy.

Chromakopia is a layered experience, challenging but deeply authentic, embracing Tyler’s growth and offering glimpses of a raw, often chaotic human story. If anything, Chromakopia marks a point where Tyler’s work feels freer than ever—familiar but unconventionally real. | 8.5/10