
Tyler, the Creator has by no means shied away from creative reinvention, however that evolution typically checks the persistence of longtime followers.
When one Twitter consumer lamented, “Was a giant fan idk wtf he acquired occurring now,” the rapper responded with a mixture of sarcasm and self-awareness: “oh you just like the previous shit huh, that’s visually nowhere like the brand new shit huh. this was sarcasm yall lol.”
Tyler’s response is just like Jay-Z’s traditional line that additionally addressed followers needing the icon’s classic music. On The Blueprint 3 monitor, “On To The Subsequent One,” Jigga raps, “Hov’ on that new shit, n***as like “How come?” / N***as need my previous shit, purchase my previous album / N***as caught on silly, I gotta hold it movin.”
The tweet captured Tyler’s strategy to criticism—playful, pointed, and unwilling to bend to nostalgia. His reply acknowledged the hole between his early, uncooked aesthetic and his present, extra refined and conceptual output. By referencing “previous shit” versus “new shit,” Tyler nodded to the shift from his Odd Future chaos to the luxurious preparations and thoroughly crafted visuals of albums like IGOR and Name Me If You Get Misplaced.
Ending the put up with “this was sarcasm yall lol” reframed your entire change. It wasn’t an assault; it was a wink. Tyler defused potential hostility with humor, turning what may have been a defensive retort right into a second of levity.
Beneath the joke lies a press release about his creative trajectory. Tyler is conscious that his evolution—each musically and visually—has alienated some followers, however he embraces that progress as important. Fairly than pander to nostalgia, he leans into reinvention, understanding that not each listener will comply with.
His reply additionally displays a deeper understanding of fan dynamics. He acknowledges the emotional funding of those that miss the power of his earlier work, however he frames the dialog as considered one of distinction, not rejection. In doing so, he retains the door open for followers to rediscover him on new phrases.
Tyler’s tweet is in the end much less a clapback than a reminder: he’s nonetheless right here, simply not in the identical kind. And for him, that’s the purpose.