As far as things like flow go, and really mainly just as flow and cadence is concerned, Kendrick probably does win. He sounds nicer for the most part, even with his nasally voice thing. But Tyler has a more dominant presence, some pretty dense rhyme schemes sometimes (though never really in the way of internal patterns or anything), witty allusions/plays on words, and a disregard for what you should rap about or what really "matters" as far as content goes. Sure he's whiny like Drake and has punchlines similar to Wayne's or Ye's, but he's also built a lot of his/OF's mythology on inside jokes and bait-like falsities, as well as being a clearly discernible force in his minor penetration into the mainstream.

Hey Btw:

Tyler, the Creator Says He and Frank Ocean Wrote a Song for Justin Bieber, But It Was Rejected

And in other news:

Tyler, the Creator Is on the New Miley Cyrus Album, on a Track Co-Written With Mary J. Blige

Just gained some newfound respect for tyler

OK so my initial response is that this album is definitely a little harder to swallow even than Goblin. Making it so long with Tyler's signature but sometimes static style (especially in tempo) is probably the biggest problem. He also is very short on focus, which I think he recognizes in his concept on this album - there's, like, five characters who come and go as they please and you just have to pay attention to actually know who's saying what when (i still don't know who Salem is). Some songs probably break the story, and sometimes these are the best - "Trashwang" is killer as the "Tina" or "BSD" track here. Though the production doesn't vary much on the album, it is distinct from his earlier stuff (the percussion aside, which has been the primary anchor of the sound). His rhymes are on point, but he does seem like he kind of backed into a corner at times, especially concerning the storyline. It's kinda like watching the season of a show that was really great and on point for the first couple of seasons, but then kinda started to disintegrate the next time around; even though it's still really entertaining, it's just not as ingenious as before.

But some songs are definitely among his best: "Colossus," though still a bit much, is much better as a heartfelt tune than the drag of "Radicals;" "Lone" is equally poignant for its content and the extremely jazzy, Ghostface reminiscent beat; "48" for its interesting experiment in topic for Tyler and a solid beat as well; and then the superb beats on songs like "Pigs," "Jamba" (a good song in its own right), "Rusty" (a great song in its own right), and, of course, "Bimmer," definitely a highlight which should have gotten its own track. I did like "Partyisntover" and "Campfire" is good but it's just a drag all together and doesn't culminate properly. Overall, there are a lot of moments to love, but it's just too long and a little monotonous. Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" suffered a similar fate: though it had a lot of great ideas and solid songwriting and all, it was just too long, actually the same track length as this.

So though I'm sliiightly disappointed (though that word seems too harsh) I am really enjoying it. It's also got a lot of fun, kinda colorful moments, much more than either album before had. Plus! i feel like the lack of focus in the concept is really a great conceit for what his predicament seems to be right now. I guess that doesn't really justify his fragmentation of his own narrative though.

Great review man! I agree with you on pretty much every level. I've only listened to it 4 times though, need to give it more listens. It's definitely a warm and inviting record that so far, seems very replayable. Not only is his production great, but his rhymes are more on point than ever.

Too bad his concept couldn't keep up, but really, as much talent as he has, it seems he usually can't summon all of his skills all at once.

His concept was loose though and basically acted as the foundation for him to pour out a lot of feelings about his personal life on "Wolf". The rhymes are great and clever and the biggest thing about the album imo is Tyler's display of progression as a producer. The production is awesome!

It's downbeat and laid back most of the time but it creates a moody aura that acts as the perfect atmosphere for Tyler's subject matter. I think that maybe Wolf could've used a few cuts to make it shorter but it's a solid 8/10 imo.

I say 6/10 personally. By far his best work yet, I just don't like the guy much at all, and his personality ruins much of what he does (as well as some of the just outright bad songs on the album).

What songs do you feel are outright bad?

Also, where did you get that kickass Tribe avatar? :p

I am not very good with track names as I usually listen to music whilst playing on video games. The first four or five tracks were great though. 8/10 worthy type shit.

And I took the picture myself. I have inserts from CD's I own stuck on my wall in random patterns, so for whatever reason I decided to take a picture of that insert with my Madvillainy CD cover. I noticed the reflection and thought it was cool. Then it was all about the angle.