''Bastard'' is the debut mixtape by American rapper

Tyler, the Creator Tyler Gregory Okonma (born March 6, 1991), known professionally as Tyler, the Creator, is an American rapper and record producer. He is one of the founding members of the music collective Odd Future. Okonma self-released his debut mixtape Bast ...

. It was self-produced by Tyler, the Creator, and was first self-released on December 25, 2009. Due to its free online release and lack of retail availability, ''Bastard'' is commonly considered a

mixtape A mixtape (alternatively mix-tape, mix tape or mixed tape) is a compilation of music, typically from multiple sources, recorded onto a medium. With origins in the 1980s, the term normally describes a homemade compilation of music onto a cassette ...

, although Tyler himself refers to the project as his debut studio album. The mixtape was published on

DatPiff DatPiff is an online audio distribution platform that was launched in 2005. It is headquartered in Pennsylvania. It specializes in hip-hop, rap, and urban music. The site was founded in the spring of 2005 by Marcus Frasier. It is owned by Media ...

Concept and content

The songs were written and recorded by Tyler from 2007 through 2009, and released on December 25, 2009. Tyler produced most of the album using

FL Studio FL Studio (previously known as FruityLoops before 2003) is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed by the Belgian company Image-Line. FL Studio features a graphical user interface with a pattern-based music sequencer. The program is avail ...

. ''Bastard'' features Tyler speaking to a character named Dr. TC, who acts as Tyler's therapist and guidance counselor. The title track contains Dr. TC hinting that Tyler's then-upcoming debut album, called ''

Goblin A goblin is a small, grotesque, monstrous creature that appears in the folklore of multiple European cultures. First attested in stories from the Middle Ages, they are ascribed conflicting abilities, temperaments, and appearances depending on t ...

'' (2011), will be an additional session with him, stating that there would be three sessions. Both songs "Odd Toddlers" and "Slow It Down" were previously released on ''

The Odd Future Tape Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, better known as Odd Future and often abbreviated as OF, was an American hip-hop music collective formed in Los Angeles County, California in 2007. The original members were Tyler, the Creator, Casey Veggies, ...

'' (2008). The

chopped and screwed Chopped and screwed (also called screwed and chopped or slowed and throwed) is a music genre and technique of remixing music that involves slowing down the tempo and deejaying. It developed in the Houston hip hop scene in the early 1990s by DJ ...

version (which was hosted by fellow rapper and label-mate

Mike G Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, better known as Odd Future and often abbreviated as OF, was an American hip-hop music collective formed in Los Angeles County, California in 2007. The original members were Tyler, the Creator, Casey Veggies, ...

) was released for free online. On December 25, 2010, one year after the album's initial release, Bastard was re-released with Brandun DeShay's verse on "Session" being replaced with a verse from Mike G, due to a dissension between Tyler and DeShay. The project is now made available on Odd Future's

online music store A digital music store is a business that sells digital audio files of music recordings over the Internet. Customers gain ownership of a license to use the files, in contrast to a music streaming service, where they listen to recordings without ...

, with DeShay's vocals returning to that same track. Tyler later announced intended plans on re-releasing ''Bastard'' in a remastered physical form through

Odd Future Records Odd Future Records was an American record label founded by rapper and producer Tyler, the Creator of Odd Future in 2011. It operated as a division of Sony Music Entertainment. History Odd Future Records was founded by Tyler, the Creator in 2011 ...

. However, since this announcement, nothing has materialized.

Reception and controversy

''Bastard'' received critical acclaim, and was ranked at number 32 on ''Pitchfork'''s list of the Top 50 Albums of 2010, while the single "French!" was ranked at number 61 on

Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog. Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...

's list of the Top 100 Tracks of 2010. The mixtape, alongside Tyler's debut studio album, ''

'' (2011), caused controversy among members of the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

in the United Kingdom, which led to

Theresa May Theresa Mary May, Lady May (; née Brasier; born 1 October 1956) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2016 to 2019. She previously served in David Cameron's cab ...

, who was

Home Secretary The secretary of state for the Home Department, otherwise known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom. The home secretary leads the Home Office, and is responsible for all national ...

at the time, imposing a ban on Tyler from entering the country for three to five years. The ban was met with uproar, which was revisited when May became

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern pr ...

. Tyler and many of his fans believe the ban was racially motivated, with Tyler stating he felt he was being treated "like a terrorist", and that they did not like the fact that their children were idolizing a black man. The ban was lifted in May 2019. In the album's title track, the first words Tyler says are cursing 2DOPEBOYZ, NahRight, and other blogs who Tyler viewed as snubbing him early in his career. After several attacks on different tracks in the following years, 2DOPEBOYZ founders Joel Zela and Meka Udoh addressed Tyler's comments in a February 17, 2011 post, claiming they weren't even aware of him as an artist until he started insulting them in interviews and on tracks. They said they never received music from Tyler or Odd Future and they would not work with him in the future, calling Tyler's outrage a marketing ploy.

Track listing

All songs produced by Tyler, the Creator. ;Notes * "Blow" contains additional vocals from

Syd tha Kyd Sydney Loren Bennett (born April 23, 1992), known professionally as Syd (formerly Syd tha Kyd), is an American musician and singer from Los Angeles, California. She initially gained recognition as a member of the alternative hip hop collective O ...

* On December 25, 2010, one year after the album's initial release, it was re-released with brandUn DeShay's verse on "Session" replaced by a verse from Mike G. However, in 2012, the album was re-uploaded to the official Odd Future website with both DeShay and Mike G credited on the song. * "VCR" contains uncredited vocals from Earl Sweatshirt * "Inglorious" contains uncredited vocals from Hodgy Beats ;Sample credits * "Seven" contains a sample from "The Sweetest Pain" performed by

Dexter Wansel Dexter Gilman Wansel (born August 22, 1950) is an American R&B/jazz fusion singer, arranger, musician, composer, conductor, synthesist and A&R director. Early life Dexter Wansel began as an errand boy backstage at the Uptown Theater in Philade ...

* "Odd Toddlers" contains a sample from "Huit Octobre 1971" performed by Cortex * "Jack and the Beanstalk" contains a vocal sample from "

What More Can I Say "What More Can I Say" is a song from rap artist Jay-Z's studio album '' The Black Album''. It was released as a street single simultaneously as the official single "Change Clothes". It premiered on Hot 97 on October 22, 2003 and was the first tra ...

" performed by

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...

References

{{Authority control 2009 mixtape albums Albums produced by Tyler, the Creator Concept albums Horrorcore albums Tyler, the Creator albums Self-released albums