Album Review | ‘Cherry Bomb’ by Tyler, The Creator
In 2009, American rapper Tyler, The Creator shocked the world with his first mixtape, Bastard. The project not only featured dark production and a rage-filled rapping style but also overly edgy lyrics focusing on rape, torture, cannibalism, and more. An unrelenting Tyler followed the mixtape with his first album, Goblin, in 2011, featuring similar themes but with much more anger and hate.
After 2013’s grunge-inspired, slightly less edgy (but still just as dark) Wolf, Tyler finally decided to shake things up in 2015 with Cherry Bomb: a mix of rap, rock, and RnB that entirely does away with Tyler’s previous style. The album received mixed reviews from critics and fans, with many citing it as cluttered and too chaotic, while others saw it as a misunderstood masterpiece. Nearly a decade later, there’s still no consensus on Cherry Bomb, so I want to give some of my thoughts on what might be Tyler’s most divisive release.
It’s not hard to see how messy Cherry Bomb is. The sound is all over the place, which works in some areas and sometimes results in disaster. So many opposing genres are combined here, creating an incredibly unique sound in the process. Though simultaneously, these genres don’t always blend perfectly. At times, the album soars into beauty as saxophones and pianos meet guitars and 808s, while at other times, these same elements can all clutter on top of each other, sending the album into ear-shattering chaos. It just depends on how they’re used and how it’s all layered and mixed.
At the time of Cherry Bomb’s release, it may have been his most energetic, experimental project yet. It’s far from his most digestible album, but the songs that work excel. No matter who the listener is, there’s at least one song they’re guaranteed to like, whether it’s the calm serenity of “Okaga, Ca,” the raw anger of “Buffalo,” or the excitement of “Deathcamp.” However, with the sequencing of the tracks, the album can get messy and cluttered — despite the songs being individually beautiful, they fail to flow together as one work of art.
So, does the album work? Well, yes and no. It’s messy, chaotic, beautiful, and diverse. Ultimately, the best part of Cherry Bomb is how much Tyler pushes himself, even if it doesn’t always work. He tries out all new types of rapping, combines different production styles, and even gives singing a try. He’s experimenting with a different technique, one which he doesn’t fully master here — yet he would finally succeed with this new sound two years later with Flower Boy.
Cherry Bomb is the awkward phase between Tyler’s older, edgier, aggressive, and newer, catchy, upbeat style. He hadn’t quite figured out what he wanted to do yet, but the album was necessary to get Tyler to where he needed to be.
Final Rating: 6/10
Favorite Tracks: Okaga CA, Fucking Young / Perfect, Buffalo
