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''Flower Boy'' (alternatively titled ''Scum Fuck Flower Boy'') is the fourth studio album 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 ' ...
. The album was released on July 21, 2017, by
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
. Produced entirely by Tyler, the album features guest vocals from a range of artists, including
Frank Ocean Christopher Francis "Frank" Ocean (born Christopher Edwin Breaux; October 28, 1987), is an American singer, songwriter, and rapper. His works are noted by music critics for featuring avant-garde styles and introspective, elliptical lyrics. Ocean ...
,
ASAP Rocky Rakim Athelaston Mayers (born October 3, 1988), known professionally as ASAP Rocky ( ; stylized as A$AP Rocky), is an American rapper, music producer and record executive. Born and raised in Harlem, he embarked on his musical career as a membe ...
,
Anna of the North Anna of the North is the solo project of Anna Lotterud, an Oslo-based Norwegian singer-songwriter from Gjøvik. Originally formed as a duo with producer Brady Daniell-Smith in 2014, their debut studio album '' Lovers'' was released in 2017. Dan ...
,
Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman (rapper), ...
,
Kali Uchis Karly-Marina Loaiza (born July 17, 1994), known professionally as Kali Uchis ( ), is an American singer. She released her debut mixtape, ''Drunken Babble'', in 2012, which was followed by her debut EP, '' Por Vida'', released in 2015. In 2018, U ...
, Steve Lacy, Estelle,
Jaden Smith Jaden Christopher Syre Smith (born July 8, 1998), also known mononymously as Jaden, is an American rapper, singer, and actor. He has received various accolades, including a Teen Choice Award, an MTV Movie Award, a BET Award and a Young Artist ...
and
Rex Orange County Alexander James O'Connor (born 4 May 1998), known professionally as Rex Orange County, is an English singer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. O'Connor rose to prominence in 2017 following multiple features on Tyler, the Creator's Grammy-n ...
. ''Flower Boy'' was supported by four
singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...
: " Who Dat Boy" / "
911 911 or 9/11 may refer to: Dates * AD 911 * 911 BC * September 11 ** 9/11, the September 11 attacks of 2001 ** 11 de Septiembre, Chilean coup d'état in 1973 that outed the democratically elected Salvador Allende * November 9 Numbers * 91 ...
", "
Boredom In conventional usage, boredom, ennui, or tedium is an emotional and occasionally psychological state experienced when an individual is left without anything in particular to do, is listlessness and dissatisfaction arising from a lack of occu ...
", "I Ain't Got Time!" and "
See You Again "See You Again" is a song by American rapper and singer Wiz Khalifa featuring fellow American singer Charlie Puth. It was commissioned for the soundtrack of the 2015 film ''Furious 7'' as a tribute to actor Paul Walker, who died in a single-ve ...
". The album received widespread acclaim from critics for its smoothness, unique blend of genres, collaborations and its production. It debuted at number two on the US ''Billboard'' 200. The album was named among the best albums of 2017 and the decade by multiple publications and was nominated for
Best Rap Album The Grammy Award for Best Rap Album is an award presented to recording artists for quality albums with rapping at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors in several categories ...
at the 2018 Grammy Awards.


Background and recording

With ''Flower Boy'', Tyler decided to take a more personal approach compared to his previous album, ''
Cherry Bomb A cherry bomb (also known as a globe salute or kraft salute) is an approximately spherical exploding firework, roughly resembling a cherry in size and shape (with the fuse resembling the cherry's stem). Cherry bombs range in size from in diamet ...
'', stating "For ''Cherry Bomb'' I purposely was like, I don't want to get personal at all. Like, I'm just going to make songs. And in this one I was like alright, let me write down every feeling". Tyler felt that the general response to ''Cherry Bomb'' was poor and he wanted to deliver an album that succeeded it well. The official title was originally thought to be ''Scum Fuck Flower Boy'' but was later confirmed simply as ''Flower Boy'' shortly prior to release. Tyler noted the works of
Max Martin Karl Martin Sandberg (; born 26 February 1971),Max Martin
allmusic.com
known profess ...
,
Pharrell Williams Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973) is an American record producer, rapper, singer, and songwriter. Alongside close colleague Chad Hugo, he formed the hip hop and R&B production duo the Neptunes in the early 1990s, with whom he ...
and
Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 88 million records. Timberlake is the recipient of numerous awards and ac ...
as musical inspirations for the album. Recording began in late 2015. Like previous releases, the album was produced by Tyler himself. He decided to keep his rap verses short and to-the-point to give guest artists and instrumentation more of a focal point. Many songs on the album featured guitar playing by Austin Feinstein. The beat used on the song "I Ain't Got Time!" was initially made for
Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
during recording sessions for West's seventh studio album ''
The Life of Pablo ''The Life of Pablo'' is the seventh studio album by American rapper and producer Kanye West. It was released on February 14, 2016, through GOOD Music and distributed by Def Jam Recordings. Recording sessions took place from 2013 to 2016, in I ...
''. After West declined it, the beat was sent to rapper
Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated flow in her rapping, alter egos and accent ...
who, after a month, also turned it down. "Glitter" was written for
Justin Bieber Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...
; Tyler kept it after Bieber did not return any of his calls. "See You Again" was written for former
One Direction One Direction, often shortened to 1D, are an English-Irish pop boy band formed in London in 2010. The group are composed of Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and previously Zayn Malik until his departure from the gr ...
member
Zayn Malik Zain Javadd Malik ( ; born 12 January 1993), known mononymously as Zayn, is an English pop and R&B singer. Zayn auditioned as a solo contestant for the British music competition television series ''The X Factor'' in 2010. After being eliminate ...
but was later kept after Malik rejected the song twice. " Who Dat Boy" was rejected by rapper
Schoolboy Q Quincy Matthew Hanley (born October 26, 1986), better known by his stage name Schoolboy Q (stylized as ScHoolboy Q), is an American rapper. In 2009, Hanley signed to Carson-based independent record label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) and in late ...
.


Music and lyrics

Correlating with the album's title, Tyler has noted
flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...
s as a recurring theme of the album. Andy Kellman of
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
describes the overall lyrical content of the album as Tyler's "least vulgar release" compared to the shock value lyrics in his previous projects. The album's opening track, "Foreword", is described by Scott Glaysher of '' XXL'' as an open letter to the fans and the nation, citing the lines "How many raps can I write 'til I get me a chain?/How many chains can I wear 'til I'm considered a slave?/How many slaves can it be until
Nat Turner Nat Turner's Rebellion, historically known as the Southampton Insurrection, was a rebellion of enslaved Virginians that took place in Southampton County, Virginia, in August 1831.Schwarz, Frederic D.1831 Nat Turner's Rebellion" ''American Heri ...
arise?/How many riots can it be 'til them Black lives matter?" "Where This Flower Blooms" refers back to his times before fame and money in the first line. Tyler says "Let's take it back to them days/Counting sheep on Sadie Hannah's floor" which refers to the time before and during the release of his debut mixtape ''
Bastard Bastard may refer to: Parentage * Illegitimate child, a child born to unmarried parents ** Bastard (law of England and Wales), illegitimacy in English law People People with the name * Bastard (surname), including a list of people with that na ...
'' (2009) when he lived in his grandmother's house. "Sometimes..." is a short track which includes an unidentified male stating that he wants to hear the song about him, hinting that following song, "
See You Again "See You Again" is a song by American rapper and singer Wiz Khalifa featuring fellow American singer Charlie Puth. It was commissioned for the soundtrack of the 2015 film ''Furious 7'' as a tribute to actor Paul Walker, who died in a single-ve ...
", is about Tyler's male lover. "See You Again" is described as a "positively kaleidoscopic love song" about an unidentified person. Jesse Fairfax of ''
HipHopDX ''HipHopDX'' is an online magazine of hip hop music criticism and news. The website's current president and publisher is Sharath Cherian and the Head Of Content is Jerry L. Barrow. ''HipHopDX'' is the flagship publication of Cheri Media Group. ...
'' describes "Who Dat Boy" as a "raucous jam that sounds like a score to a horror film", while Zachary Hoskins of ''
Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...
'' compared the song to Kanye West's song " Freestyle 4". "Pothole" is described as a "low-profile standout" that features vehicular metaphors; potholes are used as a metaphor for being stuck in life. Calum Slingerland of ''
Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...
'' describes "Garden Shed" featuring "psychedelic guitar licks and synths
hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
build up a ballad featuring Estelle vocals, as liberation is encouraged before noisy feedback makes way for a confessional verse". Slingerland proclaimed the song is "one of yler'smost powerful recorded moments to date", and also picked out the references to sexuality. Zachary Hoskins of ''Slant Magazine'' describes "Garden Shed" as a "woozy trapped-in-the-closet metaphor". Kevin Lozano of ''
Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...
'' spoke on the song "
Boredom In conventional usage, boredom, ennui, or tedium is an emotional and occasionally psychological state experienced when an individual is left without anything in particular to do, is listlessness and dissatisfaction arising from a lack of occu ...
", stating " yler'srange is kaleidoscopic, and the neo-soul sound he started to shape on ''Wolf'' is in full flower" and "large parts of the song is an exercise for him to flex his production skills". Calum Slingerland of ''Exclaim!'' identifies the reference to
River Phoenix River Jude Phoenix (; August 23, 1970 – October 31, 1993) was an American actor, musician and activist. Phoenix grew up in an itinerant family, as the older brother of Rain Phoenix, Joaquin Phoenix, Liberty Phoenix, and Summer Phoenix. He ha ...
on "I Ain't Got Time!". Tyler raps "Passenger a white boy, look like River Phoenix". This may also be a reference to the music video of "Who Dat Boy" in which Tyler is in a car with a River Phoenix lookalike sitting in the passenger seat. "I Ain't Got Time!" contains lines that were considered comparable to
Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America and is critically acclai ...
's "outlandish statements" throughout his career. ''
The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' comments on the sampling on "I Ain't Got Time!", saying that it turns an "accordion into a fun-house mirror, warped and disorienting". The song "I Ain't Got Time!" contains the lyrics "I've been kissing white boys since 2004". The song "Garden Shed" also contains subtle references to sexuality with the lyrics "That was real love I was in/Ain't no reason to pretend" and "All my friends was lost/They couldn't read the signs/I didn't want to talk/I tell 'em my location and they ain't want to walk". This led many to speculate that Tyler was "coming out of the closet" as either
bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...
or
homosexual Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to peop ...
. This was especially interesting because his lyrics in previous albums were considered homophobic and led to him being banned from entering the United Kingdom for three to five years in 2015. Tyler had previously hinted towards his sexuality status a few years prior. Vanessa Okoth-Obbo of ''Pitchfork'' described " 911 / Mr. Lonely" as "look ngat the overarching theme of loneliness, on two contrasting, but equally intriguing beats" and stated that the song "represents a further maturation in sound, and apparently his problems too". Hiba Argane of ''Affinity Magazine'' analyzed the song "Glitter", stating that it "possesses a repetitive quality, but you can almost feel a crescendo in the content". The final track, "Enjoy Right Now, Today", is an instrumental that features backing vocals from Pharrell Williams.


Promotion

The album title, tracklist and release date was announced by Tyler, the Creator on July 6, 2017, via social media. Two covers were unveiled upon announcement, the main cover designed by
Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
-born artist Eric White and the alternative cover designed by Tyler himself. ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
''s Tatiana Cirisano listed White's cover as one of the best of 2017, dubbing it "
surreal Surreal may refer to: *Anything related to or characteristic of Surrealism, a movement in philosophy and art * "Surreal" (song), a 2000 song by Ayumi Hamasaki * ''Surreal'' (album), an album by Man Raze *Surreal humour, a common aspect of humor ...
". The album leaked 11 days before the announced release date of July 21.


Singles

After a one-week countdown on
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
and
Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
, Tyler, the Creator released a music video, titled "Who Dat Boy", to his official YouTube channel on June 29, 2017. The album's
lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...
, "Who Dat Boy" / "911", containing two songs: "Who Dat Boy" and "911 / Mr. Lonely" was released as a dual single on June 30, 2017. The single peaked at number 87 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The album's second single, "Boredom", was released on July 11, 2017. The album's third single, "I Ain't Got Time!", was released on July 19, 2017. The album's fourth single, "See You Again", was released on August 29, 2017, to
rhythmic Rhythmic may refer to: * Related to rhythm * Rhythmic contemporary, a radio format * Rhythmic adult contemporary, a radio format * Rhythmic gymnastics, a form of gymnastics * Rhythmic (chart) The Rhythmic chart (also called Rhythmic Airplay, and ...
and
urban contemporary Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, hip hop, urban pop, or just simply urban, is a music radio format. The term was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music. Urban contem ...
radio.


Critical reception

''Flower Boy'' was met with widespread critical acclaim. At
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an
average In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7, ...
score of 84, based on 18 reviews. Aggregator
AnyDecentMusic? AnyDecentMusic? is a website that collates album reviews from magazines, websites, and newspapers. Primarily focused on popular music – covering rock, pop, electronic, dance, folk, country, roots, hip-hop, R&B, and rap – albums are adjudg ...
gave it 7.9 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus. Andy Kellman of AllMusic gave a positive review, stating "While most of these songs are rife with anxiety and isolation, the open-hearted lyricism and wide-scoped productions, put together by an artist in peak form, make them immensely engrossing.
Frank Ocean Christopher Francis "Frank" Ocean (born Christopher Edwin Breaux; October 28, 1987), is an American singer, songwriter, and rapper. His works are noted by music critics for featuring avant-garde styles and introspective, elliptical lyrics. Ocean ...
, Pharrell Williams,
Kali Uchis Karly-Marina Loaiza (born July 17, 1994), known professionally as Kali Uchis ( ), is an American singer. She released her debut mixtape, ''Drunken Babble'', in 2012, which was followed by her debut EP, '' Por Vida'', released in 2015. In 2018, U ...
, Syd, and Estelle are among 11 supporting cast members, not one of whom is inessential to the whole". ''Flower Boy'' was named "Best New Music" by ''Pitchfork'', with reviewer Sheldon Pearce writing, "Tyler's most sincere and most accomplished album, he gets to the essence of what he's been chiseling at: the angst of a missed connection, the pain of unrequited love, and navigating youthful ennui". In his review, Andy Gill of ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' states, "''Flower Boy'' presents a surprisingly sensitive, thoughtful, even pleasant personality". Jesse Fairfax of ''HipHopDX'' stated, "Clocking in at 47 minutes, the album is both Tyler, the Creator's shortest and most cohesive album to date and is full of introspective admissions that logically line up with his public character". Renato Pagnani of ''The A.V. Club'' said, "''Flower Boy'' is the first time he's been equally as forthcoming in his actual music. His flow has tightened up, and for a man whose voice basically destined him for rap stardom, he's become even better at stretching his booming baritone into novel shapes, employing a plethora of flows". Scott Glaysher of ''XXL'' praised the album saying, "These days, there aren't many rap albums that can service as a deeply digested work of art as well as music for easy listening, yet Tyler, The Creator fills both lanes well. He manages to find the happy medium on ''Flower Boy'' and translates it to his best album yet". Jamie Milton of ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' wrote that the album is "Backed by a supporting cast of R&B superstars and bright newcomers, it's a record of long, lazy summers; sitting back and staring at the clouds". Lewis Lister of '' Clash'' said, "Previously it felt like as though these two sides have been difficult to reconcile on record; the abrasive would often be at odds with the tranquil, particularly on last studio album ''Cherry Bomb''. On ''Flower Boy'', though, Tyler has perfected his marriage of the two". Paul Lester of ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' wrote: "If anything, ''Flower Boy'' captures Tyler at his least tormented and twisted; it is an album of exquisitely arranged, melodious synth-rap, wistful and reflective, heavy on the heavenly. It's not all dreamy—watch out for the occasional profane pothole—but largely this is the work of an evolved artist and mature person." Austin Reed of ''Pretty Much Amazing'' said, "''Flower Boy'' has elevated Tyler closer to the line. An unexpected move to be sure, but no less impressive whatsoever". In a mixed review, ''
Consequence Consequence may refer to: * Logical consequence, also known as a ''consequence relation'', or ''entailment'' * In operant conditioning, a result of some behavior * Consequentialism, a theory in philosophy in which the morality of an act is determi ...
''s Kelly McClure stated: "It's more of the same. It seems to be needing something more. An extra spark of interest." In September 2022, ''Consequence'' regretted the review, with Eddie Fu stating: "''Flower Boy'' represented musical growth characterized by its embrace of neo soul and jazz. Even then, it was apparent that the LP was a major leap in Tyler's career."


Year-end lists


Industry awards


Commercial performance

''Flower Boy'' debuted at number two on the US ''Billboard'' 200 with 106,000
album-equivalent unit The album-equivalent unit, or album equivalent, is a measurement unit in music industry to define the consumption of music that equals the purchase of one album copy. This consumption includes streaming and song downloads in addition to traditi ...
s of which 70,000 were pure album sales.


Track listing

All tracks produced by
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 ' ...
. Samples * "Foreword" incorporates elements of " Spoon (Sonic Youth Remix)", written by
Michael Karoli Michael Karoli (29 April 1948 – 17 November 2001) was a German guitarist, violinist and composer. He was a founding member of the influential krautrock band Can. Career Karoli was born and grew up in Straubing, Bavaria, moving to St. Gall ...
,
Jaki Liebezeit Jaki Liebezeit (born Hans Liebezeit; 26 May 1938 – 22 January 2017) was a German drummer, best known as a founding member of experimental rock band Can. He was called "one of the few drummers to convincingly meld the funky and the cerebral". ...
,
Irmin Schmidt Irmin Schmidt (born 29 May 1937) is a German keyboardist and composer, best known as a founding member of the band Can (band), Can. Biography Schmidt was born in Berlin, Germany, began his studies in music at the conservatorium in Dortmund, at t ...
, Holger Schuering, and
Damo Suzuki , better known as Damo Suzuki (ダモ鈴木), is a Japanese musician who has been living in Germany since the early 1970s and is best known as the former lead singer of the krautrock group Can. Biography As a teenager, Suzuki spent the late 196 ...
, as performed by Can. * "Pothole" contains elements of "Ooh", written and performed by
Roy Ayers Roy Ayers (born September 10, 1940) is an American funk, soul, and jazz composer, vibraphone player, and music producer. Ayers began his career as a post-bop jazz artist, releasing several albums with Atlantic Records, before his tenure at Pol ...
. * "I Ain't Got Time!" incorporates elements of "Introduction", as performed by Bel-Sha-Zaar with Tommy Genapopoluis and the Grecian Knights. * "911 / Mr. Lonely" contains a rendition of "
Outstanding "Outstanding" is a song originally performed by the Gap Band and written by member Raymond Calhoun. The song originally appeared on the group's platinum-selling 1982 album '' Gap Band IV''. It is one of their signature songs and biggest hits, re ...
", written by Raymond Calhoun and performed by
the Gap Band The Gap Band was an American R&B and funk band that rose to fame during the 1970s and 1980s. The band consisted of three brothers: Charlie, Ronnie, and Robert Wilson, along with other members; it was named after streets (Greenwood, Archer, and ...
.


Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. * Tyler, the Creator – lead vocals, production, recording, art, packaging design *
Rex Orange County Alexander James O'Connor (born 4 May 1998), known professionally as Rex Orange County, is an English singer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. O'Connor rose to prominence in 2017 following multiple features on Tyler, the Creator's Grammy-n ...
– featured vocals (tracks 1, 8), background vocals (track 7) *
Frank Ocean Christopher Francis "Frank" Ocean (born Christopher Edwin Breaux; October 28, 1987), is an American singer, songwriter, and rapper. His works are noted by music critics for featuring avant-garde styles and introspective, elliptical lyrics. Ocean ...
– featured vocals (tracks 2, 10) *
Kali Uchis Karly-Marina Loaiza (born July 17, 1994), known professionally as Kali Uchis ( ), is an American singer. She released her debut mixtape, ''Drunken Babble'', in 2012, which was followed by her debut EP, '' Por Vida'', released in 2015. In 2018, U ...
– featured vocals (track 4) *
ASAP Rocky Rakim Athelaston Mayers (born October 3, 1988), known professionally as ASAP Rocky ( ; stylized as A$AP Rocky), is an American rapper, music producer and record executive. Born and raised in Harlem, he embarked on his musical career as a membe ...
– featured vocals (track 5), additional vocals (track 10) *
Jaden Smith Jaden Christopher Syre Smith (born July 8, 1998), also known mononymously as Jaden, is an American rapper, singer, and actor. He has received various accolades, including a Teen Choice Award, an MTV Movie Award, a BET Award and a Young Artist ...
– featured vocals (track 6) * Estelle – featured vocals (track 7) *
Anna of the North Anna of the North is the solo project of Anna Lotterud, an Oslo-based Norwegian singer-songwriter from Gjøvik. Originally formed as a duo with producer Brady Daniell-Smith in 2014, their debut studio album '' Lovers'' was released in 2017. Dan ...
– featured vocals (track 8), additional vocals (track 10) * Steve Lacy – featured vocals (track 10), guitar (track 13) *
Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman (rapper), ...
– featured vocals (track 11) *
Pharrell Williams Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973) is an American record producer, rapper, singer, and songwriter. Alongside close colleague Chad Hugo, he formed the hip hop and R&B production duo the Neptunes in the early 1990s, with whom he ...
– vocals (track 14) * Shane Powers – additional vocals (track 3) *
Corinne Bailey Rae Corinne Jacqueline Bailey Rae (; born 26 February 1979) is an English singer and songwriter. She is best known for her 2006 single "Put Your Records On". Bailey Rae was named the number-one predicted breakthrough act of 2006 in an annual BBC po ...
– additional vocals (track 8) * Davon "Jasper" Wilson – additional vocals (track 10) *
Schoolboy Q Quincy Matthew Hanley (born October 26, 1986), better known by his stage name Schoolboy Q (stylized as ScHoolboy Q), is an American rapper. In 2009, Hanley signed to Carson-based independent record label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) and in late ...
– additional vocals (track 10) * Lionel Boyce – additional vocals (track 10) * Alexander Brettin – background vocals (track 6) * Austin Feinstein – guitar (tracks 1, 7, 8) * Vic Wainstein – recording * Derek Jenner – assistant engineering * Josh Sellers – assistant engineering *
Neal H Pogue Neal H Pogue is an American producer, audio engineer and mixer originally from Roselle, New Jersey, and based in Los Angeles. Pogue is a multi-time Grammy Award winner, having first won for his engineering and mixing work on Outkast's ''Speak ...
– mixing * Zachary Acosta – mixing assistance *
Mike Bozzi Mike Bozzi is an American mastering engineer at Bernie Grundman Mastering in Hollywood, California. He won a Grammy Award for Record of the Year for mastering Childish Gambino's " This Is America", and is a six-time nominee for the Grammy Awa ...
– mastering * Sofia Okkonen – photography * Wyatt – photography * Eric White – art * Koopz – packaging design


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


References

{{Authority control 2017 albums Albums produced by Tyler, the Creator Odd Future Records albums Tyler, the Creator albums Columbia Records albums Song cycles Jazz rap albums Neo soul albums