IGOR
| Tyler, the Creator
IGOR
Igor (stylized in all caps) is the fifth studio album by American rapper Tyler, the Creator, released on May 17, 2019, by A Boy is a Gun and Columbia Records. Produced entirely by Tyler, the album follows the 2017 release of Flower Boy. It features guest appearances from Playboi Carti, Lil Uzi Vert, Solange, Kanye West, and Jerrod Carmichael, along with backing vocals from Santigold, Jessy Wilson, La Roux, CeeLo Green, Charlie Wilson, Slowthai, and Pharrell, among others. - Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
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Pitchfork
Tyler, the Creator’s sixth album is impressionistic and emotionally charged, the result of an auteur refining his style and baring more of his soul than ever before.
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Rolling Stone
The hip-hop provocateur drops his guard on a meticulously crafted LP.
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Billboard
It’s a record that didn’t display an expanded palette as much as reiterate what Tyler did best -- gorgeous beats, searing attacks on enemies, and struggles with celebrity.
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Consequence of Sound
IGOR is an album of subverted expectations, both for Tyler and his listeners.
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New York Times
Tyler is a stronger rapper than he generally lets on, and on this album he again downplays that skill in favor of filtering and processing his voice in myriad ways, turning his singing into something that lands anywhere from saccharine to morbid.
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NME
The multi-talented LA rapper, musician and producer continues to flourish as a songwriter on his sixth solo project.
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The Quietus
Tyler, the Creator's latest album remains ambiguous and uncertain.
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Vulture
This album is so pretty, confident, and considered that you wonder why he named it IGOR.
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Earmilk
The persona of IGOR embraces his feelings, expresses them, has blond relaxed hair, and sings his heart out. He's emotional, and he's indeed hip-hop.
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The Post
Overall, IGOR is nothing short of a masterpiece. Tyler has truly outdone himself with the album, and it’s quite possibly the must-listen of the summer.
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Hiphopdx
On IGOR, Tyler showcases a more polished iteration of the hazy pop he’s been perfecting for years. Though some might be disappointed that he’s becoming more of a singer than a rapper, this is the kind of project that should encourage more artists to disavow labels and relish in taking risks.
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The Guardian
Impulsive artist takes the rapping off.
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Treblezine
Each track on IGOR is a surprise, the progression of the record giving listeners something engaging and unique that will stick with them after the album’s over. IGOR is both a unique and satisfying work that’s as lyrically rich as it is musically innovative.
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High Snobiety
Within the framing of Tyler, the Creator, IGOR does feel like a triumph, the best of both worlds, a balance between the crazy kid he was and the precariously stable adult he’s still trying to become.
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DJ Booth
Reaching the end of an album, and having the urge to play it again from the top is a feeling that’s been rare this year. IGOR gave me that feeling.
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The Fader
It’s a transitional record, but one that shows a new, exciting technical acuity. Sometimes the most indulgent premises yield the most useful results.
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The Ringer
Igor is possibly a very good album that is definitely not going to clear anything up.
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Hot New Hip Hop
Tyler leans even further into psychedelic R&B and delivers an album whose execution can't match its ambition.
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Clash Music
Ultimately ‘Igor’ shows a maturity that his previous albums have been accused of missing.
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Beat Route
On IGOR, Tyler plays around with the sunny synths of his last work and shows how far he’s come as a producer in the interim. Take Tyler’s advice and really dive into this one. It’s a dense but rewarding listen.
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Datebook
The wildly inventive set pulls together the 28-year-old multifaceted artist’s love of sensual R&B, lopsided rhythms and candid confessions in a crisp, sonically restless 40-minute set that rarely hews to expectations.
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The Highlander
“IGOR” is Tyler, the Creator’s best album yet as he makes strides toward the artist he’s always wanted to be.
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Spill Magazine
IGOR was another immersive glimpse into the creative genius of Tyler, The Creator.
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Stereogum
Yes, introspection is critic bait (see the fawning over Jay-Z’s 4:44), but in Tyler’s case, it outright sounds good. The vulnerable Tyler we met on Flower Boy is here to stay.
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Medium
More than anything, IGOR speaks to Tyler’s evolution as an artist. He’s steadily progressed. If you would’ve told me in 2011–12 that Tyler, The Creator was capable of making music this soulful and intricate, I would’ve laughed for hours.
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ABC
However, IGOR has done more with less, with a constant ability to establish its own unique sound in short time span, and arguably showing us more of Tyler, The Creator in 39 minutes than any of his previous work.
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Dazed Digital
Even if Tyler has had his heart broken, he now has his freedom – and that’s why the music on IGOR sounds so alive.
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Riff Magazine
IGOR heralds in the next phase of Tyler, the Creator’s music. Its a major development for his sound, remaining true to his brand and revealing new facets of his complicated personality.
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The Forest Scout
My high expectations for IGOR were thoroughly satisfied.
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The Politic
This is Tyler’s first album to top the chart, and judging from the impact of his kaleidoscopic musical vision, it won’t be his last.
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Magnetic Magazine
Tyler, The Creator has evolved once again on 'IGOR' with one of the best albums of the year so far.
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Sputnik Music
A monster 'bout to come alive again.
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Now Toronto
Like a non-relationship, the psychedelic soul-inspired album feels endless and all-encompassing, then hard not to put on repeat.
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Radio 13
IGOR, is an album that continues his hot streak of records.
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Sound Blab
IGOR isn't just a break up from an individual, it's a breakup from the last iteration of Tyler, the Creator.
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Expose
IGOR ends on unresolved notes, paddling in the shallow water between one romance and the next. It’s where Tyler does his finest work.
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Popdust
Tyler, The Creator is back, and this time he's shattering every preconceived notion you had about what a hip hop album could be.
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SF Gate
The wildly inventive set pulls together the 28-year-old multifaceted artist’s love of sensual R&B, lopsided rhythms and candid confessions in a crisp, sonically restless 40-minute set that rarely hews to expectations.
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The Ratings Game
”IGOR” isn’t a traditional listen, (Especially for someone with a low IQ like myself) so I won’t pretend like I’m going to play it night and day or understand the intricacies of what it is about. What I will do is understand the complexities behind it, especially how it promotes creativity and approaches self-identity, heartbreak and love from an angle I’ve never heard before.
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Thirstkey
"IGOR" Is Tyler The Creator living up to his name and being a creator. A creator of gorgeous music, emotionally powerful lyrics and a story that blends both and gives them purpose.
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The Musical Hype
Grammy-nominated rapper and producer Tyler, the Creator returns with the most ambitious and unexpected album of his career with IGOR.
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Soul In Stereo
Some of y’all will love it. Others will despise it. That’s a day in the life of Tyler. Igor has its share of misfires but, all tracks considered, mostly hits the target.
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We Plug Good Music
IGOR’s theme hits the ground running with an overture that sets up the albums musical themes, featuring Uzi Vert, who only really takes part in adding vocals, but ideal nonetheless.
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TUC
Once again, Tyler has solidified himself as a true musical gem and furthers his artistry with every release.
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Stars and Scars
With IGOR, Tyler, The Creator has pulled off arguably his biggest surprise yet. He’s revealed he’s just as human as all of us, and thanks to IGOR, that realization is a true musical masterpiece.
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Crack Magazine
Tyler continues to shed layer after layer, revealing more of himself. On IGOR, Tyler is at his most vulnerable and heartfelt, and it suits him perfectly.
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speakertv
The happy/sad, R&B/funk mélange of IGOR is undeniably written, produced and arranged by Tyler, the Creator. This time, it’s for the better.
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Daily Nexus
IGOR depicts a heartfelt narrative with minimal words and maximal musicality and succeeds in creating an album that feels completely different from older works, while still feeling like a type of music that reflects the natural progression of his sound.
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Kute Radio
IGOR has the ability to evoke many emotions and helps you to think deeply about love, relationships, and what it all means to love. That’s what makes it a fantastic album.
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All Music
The productions are as nuanced and judiciously tricked out as they are on the previous album, adjusted to enhance all the agitation and grief, yet it's all ear candy -- spiraling synthesizers, vaguely psychedelic flourishes, and bumping drums galore. Roll down the windows, crank it, and keep the tissue on the armrest.
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Riffs and Rhymes
IGOR stands as a captivating breakup album, completely unique because of Tyler’s unmistakable musical prowess.
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Spectrum Pulse
Potent stuff and definitely good... just wish I found it great.
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Viberant
IGOR feels like Tyler’s magnum opus; an album so deeply rooted in personality that you can’t help but fall in love with it’s glow.
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Uproxx
But it’s hard to deny that Igor is perhaps the best example of letting artists mature to get to the good stuff. Maybe he’ll never grow all the way up, but Igor is a promising glimpse at a potential final form, one whose talent is the focus, and not his provocative ways.
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IDS
On “IGOR,” Tyler, the Creator certainly wastes no potential. In fact, he once again exceeds expectations.
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Just Random Things
As far as Tyler’s POV, his new album is unlike any of his works before. He wants us to pay attention to the lyrics, the music and the details of it all. We might need to change our headphones to something good for this.
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Please Shut Up
IGOR is a bold album that follows through on a whole lot of promise Tyler has made for the better part of the decade.
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The Roosevelt Review
His creativity holds no bounds for the former leader and it seems to be only the beginning.
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KZSC
Listen to IGOR and listen to it start to finish. Go enjoy the subtle transitions between tracks, I guarantee there will be a few times you won’t even realize you’re listening to the next song.
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University Chronicle
It is an ambitious and beautiful album that deserves its praises because Tyler has worked incredibly hard to change his image from a dark musician to a down to earth and experimental artist.
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Redroll
Tyler, the Creator‘s ability to mesh gritty, roughly produced themes and bass-lines with hi-fi drums and choruses creates an atmospheric album that leaves an impression.
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Bearded Gentlemen Music
IGOR is good, loud, and sought after and I can’t ask for much more than that.
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The Fresh Committee
There is so much to like here: artistic progression; unique musicality; genre-bending appeal. But with a more precise lyrical approach, this could have been the year’s best overall album.
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Repeat
No one knew what to expect, and frankly I'd be surprised if anyone has come away disappointed from listening to IGOR.
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The Gateway Online
I’m glad Tyler had the chance to leave Odd Future, grow up, and flourish musically, as it’s led him to create some of the best rap and neo-soul of the decade. Much of that is on this album.
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Scots Scoop
“IGOR” is a career-changing album as it reinvents his sound.
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The Flash
Igor is Tyler the Creator’s fifth studio album, and is no disappointment. IGOR is one of the most well produced albums I have ever heard.
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Hit Up Angie
Nothing causes a core-of-your-soul pain the way that a love lost does, and that is where the beauty of this album comes from and where a real light shines out of.
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The Student Playlist
Tyler, The Creator takes the creative template he established on ‘Flower Boy’ to the next level on stunning new album ‘IGOR’.
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Arena
He's not an edgy teen anymore, and seems hellbent on proving he can be more. IGOR proves this with flying colors.
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Sloppy Vinyl
This is sonically the best album Tyler has ever released. IGOR is cohesive and the story is relatable to everybody no matter their background.
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The Underground
Tyler, The Creator chose the right musical path, and his new sound proves that his future as an artist will be as evolutionary as it is revolutionary.
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Send Track One
If this album and its predecessor have proven anything, it’s that Tyler will continue to make the music he wants to make, and if his recent output is any indication, such personal efforts will continue to turn out great.
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Echo
‘IGOR’ provides another fresh take on rap genre.
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The Parrot
Nonetheless, Tyler, the Creator’s IGOR is most certainly a must listen for fans of his and newcomers alike.
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Nouse
Alex Thompson has nothing but praise as he dives into the diverse and chaotic world of the LA rapper’s latest album
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RapNerdLeeb
“IGOR” as an album was a very enjoyable listen.
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