Lil Wayne reunites with Tyler for the subdued “Hot Wind Blows,” Lil Uzi Vert hops in for some signature trap on “Juggernaut”, “Manifesto” displays a strained organ, but then flips the switch to a vacant hallway occupied by a fired up Domo Genesis. In fact, Frank returns for a brief appearance on the banger “Lemonhead” alongside 42 Dugg.
Tyler’s recession to producer and musical mastermind didn’t necessarily hurt his last two albums, but it is nice to see him resuming control of the project, rather than sometimes getting lost behind the larger-than-life assists like Frank Ocean on “911 / Mr. He’s not always confrontational, the extravagant centerpiece “Sweet / I Thought You Wanted To Dance,” finds him as personable as he was on Flower Boy “Do you know how I feel ‘bout that? / Infinite / The Love I have for you, a diamond couldn’t put a dent in it.” Tyler’s working all angles for this one, pushing himself to his max potential. “Corso” also shows the album title isn’t just a reference to directions, it carries multiple meanings across the album here its a diss to those who aren’t on this ride with Tyler and DJ Drama, “Give a fuck about you thoughts / call me if you get lost, bitch.” He’s not willing to wait around for any who might not be committed to enjoying this new project. There’s traces of the IGOR autotuning here and there, most notably on closer “Safari”, but it’s only a few dashes. Opener “Sir Baudelaire” plays it subtly, implying a darker tone at first while Tyler’s bars introduce the new character, but as the following “Corso” begins it’s obvious this won’t be anything like IGOR. IGOR allowed its content to unravel slowly, even if it was a shorter album overall, whereas nearly every second of Call Me is filled with energy.
The production on Call Me exudes this confidence even more. Although, he’s now grown from that foul and clumsy shock rapper into a serious man with serious stories to tell. It’s 2021 though, and while no one’s persecuting Tyler for anything anymore, his career has never strayed from the provocative. This new personality, Tyler Baudelaire, is a surprisingly apt reference to Charles Baudelaire, the French poet who was famously persecuted for Les Fleurs du mal, a collection that was banned or censored due to its sexual content. Just like he did on IGOR, he’s playing and staying in ‘character’ while showing off this new extension of his personality. He’s ditched the garish costumes too, opting for a throwback to his juvenile image from the early 2010s, but doing so with a wink and nod. Call Me doesn’t share much in common with IGOR outside of a handful of repeated synths, and he does legitimately sing again, but Tyler mostly leans into his rapping roots, as evidenced on the leadup single “Lumberjack”, which acts as another reinvention of sorts. Some see it as the third entry in an unofficial trilogy that brings Tyler, the Creator back into the good graces. Needless to say, after two stellar releases, there’s a lot riding on his sixth album, Call Me If You Get Lost. It was a necessary pivot for him, his antics and homophobia were tiring, and as the mid-2010s gave way to powerfully conscious voices like Kendrick Lamar and Vince Staples, Tyler was ultimately sick of being considered a lesser talent than those powerful voices or his Odd Future brethren. It was stitched together with his own brief but concise rapping and bolstered by a host of guests, but never felt overcrowded. Flower Boy from 2017 landed like an atomic bomb. Tyler made a conscious decision after the poor reception of Cherry Bomb that he needed to approach his craft differently. This trajectory didn’t start with IGOR though. The character of Igor represented the darker side of Tyler, and as a result the album toyed with several stylistic divergences. Two years ago, Tyler hit the top of the Billboards with his critically adored IGOR, an album that told the story of a love triangle between Tyler’s character Igor, his male lover, and a woman. Between Frank Ocean, Earl Sweatshirt, and Tyler, the Creator, the rap collective has dominated in just about every avenue possible for them. In the span of a decade, the ringleaders of upstart California posse Odd Future have taken over the world of music.
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