Hip-hop started as an avenue for the oppressed and under-represented in society to express themselves freely, without fear of being held back or being told to hold their tongues. Needless to say, this has a detrimental effect on the millions of impressionable young minds that are influenced by the genre daily.įrom legends like Eminem and Jay Z to contemporary superstars like the Migos and even Tyler, The Creator himself, it can be argued that homophobia in our genre has been perpetuated by many.
Homophobia has been a long raging problem in hip-hop for a while, almost until homophobia and hip-hop were seen to go hand in hand. Case in point Tyler finally decides to open the lid on his sexuality and thus inevitably reignited the outdated spark that is homophobia in hip-hop. This album, however, almost feels like a new awakening for Tyler, who’s growth and new found maturity are clear to see on this project. Good music for the most part, just very polarizing. The album is somewhat of a far cry from Tyler’s previous releases, which were exhibitions of beautiful glitzy, jazz and blues inspired production overlaid with brash and sometimes overaggressive raps. American rapper, record producer, music video director, designer and creative director Tyler Okonma, known by his stage name Tyler, The Creator’s fourth studio album Flower Boy is a journey of self-acceptance, honesty and realism in a hip-hop culture saturated in pretentiousness and dishonesty.