Tyler, The Creator’s five best features
Tyler, The Creator has built a reputation as an artist who perfectly executes his albums. Over the years, his projects have gone from strength to strength, from Cherry Bomb to IGOR to Chromakopia, impressively producing them on his own. Despite meticulously crafting his albums, you can sense the excitement in his voice when he gets the chance to spit a guest verse.
It almost feels like the weight on his shoulders is lifted when he’s asked to contribute to another artist’s record. Rather than rapping over his beats and making it part of a bigger picture in his catalogue, Tyler seems to challenge himself and embrace the opportunity of spitting on a beat from a talented producer.
Tyler has jumped in and out of guest appearances since the start of his career, which came naturally from his early days with Odd Future. He’s collaborated with Earl Sweatshirt, The Game, Mac Miller, Lil Yachty, The Weeknd, and many others, having the seamless ability to jump between different sounds.
However, Tyler doesn’t just collaborate with anyone; he carefully picks those he wants to rap alongside. He once told Numero, “I’m sometimes asked to collaborate on tracks I don’t like. So, I clearly say that I don’t want to do it, and the person asking always remains cool in my view! I believe it’s fine. We have to be more sincere between us. I hate liars and rejection.”
Below, check out some of Tyler’s best collaborations with fellow rappers, showcasing him thriving outside his solo discography.
Tyler, The Creator’s five best features:
Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist – ‘Something to Rap About’
Most rappers flourish over beats from The Alchemist, but hearing Tyler on the producer’s first collaborative album with Freddie Gibbs felt like a real treat. The Grammy-nominated Alfredo, released in 2020, featured a standout performance from Tyler on ‘Something to Rap About’, discussing his wealth and superstar status.
He raps in his verse, “Nail is in the coffin, Freddie sent me this shit/ This sound like the boat I haven’t bought yet/ This sound like the moment I jump off it/ Sun shinin’, cold water fillin’ in my pockets.” Poetry in motion.
Frank Ocean – ‘Biking’
Frank Ocean and Tyler have collaborated as members of Odd Future since their earliest musical releases. The pair continued to work together after the group disbanded, with Frank appearing on songs such as ‘She’ and ‘911/Mr Lonely’. While Tyler hasn’t featured on any of his albums, Channel Orange and Blonde, he did make a rare appearance on ‘Biking’.
The standalone single, released in 2017, also featured Jay-Z, and finds Tyler rapping over production from Frank Dukes and Jarami. Tying each of their verses together, Tyler spits, “From Coldwater to the Shaw/ Alcoholic way I handle the bars/ This a PK, PK Ripper/ Nah, you can’t fuck with the boy.”
Westside Gunn – ‘327’
Smooth production often gives Tyler the chance to get introspective. That was the case in 2020, when he appeared on Westside Gunn’s Pray for Paris album. On the song ‘327’, Tyler links up with Gunn and Joey Bada$$ over an instrumental from Camoflauge Monk. He name-drops everyone from Josh Safdie and Colonel Sanders to Kenan and Kel and Popeyes in his verse.
He positively raps, “I ain’t lyin’ or nothin’/ Yes, I’m is, I’m so happy/ I turned nothin’ to somethin’, skin glowin’, my hair nappy/ My health good, my mama good, my n*ggas too.”
Pusha T – ‘Trouble on My Mind’
Tyler’s dream came true when he collaborated with Clipse on ‘P.O.V.’, produced by Pharrell, on their Let God Sort Em Out album this year. However, it wasn’t the first time Tyler crossed paths with Pusha T. In 2011, the Virginia rapper recruited Tyler for ‘Trouble on My Mind’, a song from his Fear of God II: Let Us Pray project.
Over production from The Neptunes and Left Brain, Tyler delivers two memorable verses, referencing his famous “fucking walking paradox” line from his hit single, ‘Yonkers’. It was released at a time when Tyler was being bold as ever with his lyrics, rapping things like, “I wanna fuck the world but not a fan of using condoms.”
ScHoolboy Q – ‘The Purge’
ScHoolboy Q once described Tyler as one of his five friends in the hip-hop industry. They’ve collaborated on songs from Cherry Bomb and Chromakopia, and a record from Q’s debut Oxymoron album in 2014. The TDE rapper ticked something off his bucket list by collaborating with Kurupt on ‘The Purge’, featuring Tyler.
Rather than a verse on the track, Tyler comes through with a menacing chorus, rapping, “Coming in for yours/ N*ggas got them choppers and they knocking at your door/ The sirens getting louder when the bodies hit the floor/ Why you look confused? Motherfucker, this is war.” His contribution is enhanced by the fact that he also produced the song, being the one to craft the overall eeriness of the track.