“I roll with skaters and musicians
with an intuition, I created O.F cause I feel we’re more talented than 40 year
old rappers talkin’ ‘bout Gucci”.
To what extent has alternative hip hop, like that
produced by Odd Future, established itself?
Powerful lyrics taken from the
track “Bastard” where Tyler, The Creator expresses how he feels about himself
and his group Odd Future have something more to give than just generic lyrics. “Green
paper, gold teeth and pregnant golden retrievers all I want, fuck money,
diamonds and bitches, don’t need them[1]”
This lyric taken from the song “Yonkers” shows how Tyler is going against the
normal conventions of hip hop where most rappers brag about “money, diamonds
and bitches”. The lyricism is a convention that can be argued in terms of
contributing the evolution of the style as every artist is different. However
what is to be explored is more than just lyrics but the music produced, the
style and the cultural influences of today.
The emphasis should be where
hip-hop has taken consistent contributions from other cultural forms of other
communities to allow for an evolution of style. Using an interpretation, we can
analyse how different factors have allowed for the development of alternative
hip-hop. “Hip Hop is black American music. Even with its hybridity: the
consistent contributions from nonblack artists, and the cultural forms of other
communities, it is never the less black American music.[2]”
Alternative Hip Hop (sometimes
referred to as Alternative Rap) is a sub-genre of Hip Hop that contains a wide
range of styles of Hip Hop that have not been identified as mainstream. AllMusic
states that “Alternative rap
refers to hip hop groups
that tend not to conform to any of the traditional stereotypes of rap, such as gangsta, bass,
hardcore pop, and party rap. Instead, they blur genres - drawing equally from funk and rock, as well as jazz, soul, reggae, country, electronica, and even folk”[3].
Music Like that produced by Odd
Future is allowing the genre to have more exposure meaning that the fan base
for alternative Hip Hop is growing. A Review from pigeons and planes states
that “From their earliest videos to their DIY aesthetic and the punk energy of
their shows, Odd Future are a shining example of success for creative
young people everywhere. Their commitment to creativity across mediums has put
them in an enviable position—they have incredibly loyal fans who will buy their
music, go to their shows, proudly wear their clothing”[4]. This
statement emphasises how an alternative hip hop band described of having a punk
like energy are an example of success
from where they have loyal fans that are a part of their culture.
Even though Alternative Hip hop is a sub-genre of
Hip Hop, the increase of popularity revolving around Tyler, The Creator is allowing
for the genre to be recognised by a larger audience and also increasing its
popularity. This can be supported by the fact he
signed a joint venture deal for his own label called Odd Future with RED
distribution and Sony Music Entertainment. His latest album released on his own
label sold more than 90,000 records in the first week of sales. Also an increasing amount of views that Tyler, The Creator
is getting from his youtube Videos with a total of over 300 Million Views
suggests that his music is allowing the genre to further establish itself.
“And you should hear their records. No, you
really should. For sustained and diverse brilliance, only the Wu-Tang Clan with their
numerous side projects come close, and even they weren't this precocious (Odd
Future are aged 17-23) or prolific[5]”. This is the verdict given by a journalist who
writes for the guardian. A statement like this cleary indicates the diverse
nature of the group as he says that in his opinion only the side projects of a
legendary hip hop group known as Wu Tang Clan come close.
According to NME “The relatability
and strong audience/artist bond, and the diaristic nature of his rhymes, make
him as much emo as hip-hop.His place in the indie music landscape is oddly most
reminiscent of Salem,
another gothic, often-derided group beloved by a core of committed young
listeners but shrugged off by those with a more developed perspective”[6].
This shows how even his listeners
are those who usually listen to emo and indie music.
“Hip-Hop has always been about
having fun, but its also about taking responsibility[7].”
The raw nature of lyricism that is
contained in Alternative Hip – Hop gives the genre a slight disadvantage of
being heard by mainstream listeners even though some conventional hip hop also
has raw content. This is because the radio stations will not even consider
playing this kind of music as they don’t think the majority of the public will
like it. In Media Magazine, issue 36 it states that “Music on
the street level is often created as a direct response to social inequalities
and offers a voice to people who traditionally have limited social and/or
political powerthat allow voices from outside the mainstream[8]”.
Tyler, the Creator makes
Hip-Hop/Rap music. He often mimics the generic themes of rap in his own
music like mocking other rappers that talk about typical things
like money, women and power. Generally in Hip-Hop music artists
like to glorify things they find amusing however Tyler, the Creator mainly
speaks about family problems and how he feels towards his friends which is
an alternative approach of lyricism. I think that the general hip hop
audience would not have initially regarded Tyler as a proper rap artist
thus he is also regarded as a maker of alternative hip hop.
Generically in hip hop music videos there is a male gaze as women are mostly portrayed as sexual objects however this is not the case with Tyler as his videos are alternative. However after mainstream success he has altered this slightly and there are women who are apparent in his videos. However they are not portrayed in the way how other rappers would want to portray females
Tyler, in all videos has a
different concept and does not just make a video for the sake of it. there is
always a story with some acting besides the music. His albums which are named
as Bastard, Goblin and Wolf all have a narrator who is called The Therapist. So
even his albums are known as being one big story.
The negative stereotypes are emphasised by the use of
lyricism, in which the performers express their hatred of the police by
swearing and cursing. The name of the band also emphasises their rebellious
nature as they are called Niggaz wit Attitudes.
Comparing this to an alternative rap music video like
those of Tyler The creator we can see how the rap genre has evolved and other
forms of rap music can still be accepted as these modern groups are also
successful. In today’s hip-hop there has been a rejection of some of the
conventions that were one day making it seem like a negative genre. The
rejections are those that of street videos and rapping about such raw content.
Music like that of Odd Future is more personal where
rappers are talking about various other subjects rather than representing
certain areas and being gangsters. the content of todays hip-hop is much more
diverse than when the genre was still establishing itself. The music videos are
not as serious as hardcore street videos and they are now produced on sets
where the music video can be altered with effects.
The clothes worn by NWA seem to be simple and plain
sweatshirts that do not make them look like celebrities at all however an artist
like Tyler, The Creator would wear colourful clothes including high socks and
shorts as he enjoys skateboarding also. A rapper in this attire would have been
heavily rejected by traditional rappers as this would make them look feminine
and would not support the conventions of the genre.
The genre has also received enough recognition for it to have a Radio Channel Called FlyLow FM on the video game GTA. A well-known alternative Producer and rapper named Flying Lotus has been given his own radio station in the forthcoming Grand Theft Auto V computer game. “FlyLo FM will be one of 17 different stations featured in the game, and as well as featuring his own music - including tracks under his Captain Murphy pseudonym - the station will play songs by Tyler, The Creator, Outkast, Aphex Twin, Hudson Mohawke and Clams Casino[9]” reports Pitchfork. GTA is a game that attracts an immense amount of users being one of the most successful and popular games of all time. It is more than certain that the genre will result in a further increase in popularity and establishment.
The genre has also received enough recognition for it to have a Radio Channel Called FlyLow FM on the video game GTA. A well-known alternative Producer and rapper named Flying Lotus has been given his own radio station in the forthcoming Grand Theft Auto V computer game. “FlyLo FM will be one of 17 different stations featured in the game, and as well as featuring his own music - including tracks under his Captain Murphy pseudonym - the station will play songs by Tyler, The Creator, Outkast, Aphex Twin, Hudson Mohawke and Clams Casino[9]” reports Pitchfork. GTA is a game that attracts an immense amount of users being one of the most successful and popular games of all time. It is more than certain that the genre will result in a further increase in popularity and establishment.
“They were rejected by the hip-hop blogs, and Tyler
is less enamoured of the form ("I respect it but I don't really like
it"). He seems happier with the notion of OF continuing a legacy of rock
radicalism rather than fitting into rap history[10]”
It was hard for the group to get musical exposure as convention hip hop formuns
and online websites did not appreciate their style as they thought it would not
sell to the public as a generic rap group would. “The beats used to create the music do not follow the normal conventions
as the genre, when Tyler was asked where it all comes from he stated "a bunch of French jazz, old soundtracks, library music,
shit with crazy chord progressions and changes in it.[11]" Instruments and compositions like this would
be hard to sell to the generic hip hop fans. “And by the same token, hip hop artists are
rarely given credit for the intellectual ingenuity it takes to create
narratives that spark debates about what they say is true or not.[12]”
There is a strong tie between
the fashion culture and the music of Odd future. They are a collaborative skate
group so their lyrics also inform their fans about their interests in that
area. The tie between Skate culture and Odd Futures collective is very strong.
The group also has a clothing line called OF. They also promote the skate brand
called Supreme which is skate/street fashion. Unlike other conventional rappers
that tend to look more masculine, Odd future tend to promote clothes of bright
colours and patterns that may seem feminine.
Music like that produced of Odd
Future does not only attract those who only have an ear for hip hop but those
who have an ear for other kinds of music. I think that it is likely that
listeners who are used to the normal conventions of hip hop will find it hard
to accept this kind of music even being a part of the genre as it may seem too
eccentric. With other artists to listen to like JAY Z or Kanye west it is also
unlikely that the public would even give alternative artists a listen as they
may be so narrow minded. The audience
for the music created by Tyler, The Creator is very niche and backed up by NME
which states “In short, he's made this
record for alienated kids like himself. If you don't already like his
music, you probably won't like Goblin. And that's apparently the
way he wants it[13]”.
“Facebook and Youtube offer
technologies that allow voices outside the mainstream access to audiences
bypassing the traditional music industry gatekeepers[14]”,
this is exactly the strategy used by Odd Future where they use and take full
advantage of the platforms available in today’s society. The use of social networking platforms like Twitter
has given Tyler the Creator an advantage for promoting his music. He is known
for his extravagant and controversial tweets that contain swearing and cursing.
Opposed to most rappers who appear to be confident and arrogant, Tyler the
Creator is of a different nature in which his twitter name is @fucktyler this
also indicates how he is putting himself down and supports the ideology of him
being alternative to the rest of the rappers in the industry.
His first album was released
by himself on his website in which it was available to the public through free
downloads. This was a clever way to create a fanbase as it is free and the fans
do not need to engage with anything else apart from his own page, this engages
the audience making them feel closer to the artist. The internet has allowed
his groups music to be praised by critics and allowed for wider reach. An article in
the guardian says “You can't really ignore Odd Future Wolf Gang
Kill Them All. Well, you could, but you'd have to not use the internet and not
read any press. They are everywhere[15]”.
To conclude
there have been multiple factors that help from which Odd future have helped the
progression of Alternative Rap/hip-hop to become a more widely accepted genre
that is becoming more available on different platforms. The establishment of
the genre occurred in the early 2000’s however Tyler, the Creator and Odd
future have further helped its progression.
[1]
Tyler, The Creator. (2011, February 10) Tyler,
The Creator – Yonkers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSbZidsgMfw
[2] (2004). Prophets of the hood: Politics and poetics in
hip hop. Durham: Duke University Press. Wingwood, G M. (2003).
[3]
http://www.allmusic.com/explore/style/d2899
[4]
Pigeons. (2014, June 11) 20 Alternative
hip hop artists who are making things interesting http://pigeonsandplanes.com/2014/06/alternative-experimental-hip-hop/s/odd-future/
[5]
Lester, P ( 2011, May 7) Tyler, the
Creator in the UK: Forget hip-hop we’re the new sex pistols http://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/may/07/tyler-the-creator-odd-future
[6]
Pattison, L. (2011, May 11) Album Review:
Tyler, The Creator – “Goblin” http://www.nme.com/reviews/tyler-the-creator--3/12056
[7]
Chang. J Cant stop wont stop: A history of a Hip-Hop Generation
[8]
Media Magazine Issue 36
[9]
Minsker, E. (2013, August 28) Listen: Flying Lotus Gets His Own Radio
Station in Grand Theft Auto V
With New Music from Tyler, The Creator and More http://pitchfork.com/news/52066-listen-flying-lotus-gets-his-own-radio-station-in-grand-theft-auto-v-with-new-music-from-tyler-the-creator-and-more/
[10]
Lester, P ( 2011, May 7) Tyler, the
Creator in the UK: Forget hip-hop we’re the new sex pistols http://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/may/07/tyler-the-creator-odd-future
[11]
Lester, P ( 2011, May 7) Tyler, the
Creator in the UK: Forget hip-hop we’re the new sex pistols http://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/may/07/tyler-the-creator-odd-future
[12]
(2007) Micheal Eric Dyson Know what I
mean?; Reflections on Hip-Hop
[13]
Plagenhoef, S (2011, May 21) Tyler, The
Creator http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/15413-goblin/
[14]
Media Magazine Culture Issue 35
[15]
Lester, P ( 2011, May 7) Tyler, the
Creator in the UK: Forget hip-hop we’re the new sex pistols http://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/may/07/tyler-the-creator-odd-future
