It started with a billboard.
Now, fans are expecting a new record titled Call Me If You Get Lost to arrive from Tyler, The Creator by the end of the week. Longtime fans know Tyler as an endlessly creative visionary that puts a concerted effort beyond just the music to create entire eras and aesthetics to go along with each album release, evidenced by his ever-evolving GOLF WANG clothing brand, his countless self-directed music videos and the impressive Camp Flog Gnaw Festival held in Los Angeles every year.
More importantly, fans of Tyler have seen him grow exponentially as both an artist and an individual since Odd Future's early-2010s inception. Many point to his 2017 record Flower Boy as both a creative and personal turning point that highlighted Tyler's heightened sense of growth and maturity, across lyrics that revealed the rapper's homosexuality, sharply contrasting the homophobic slurs and derogatory bars present in his earlier works.
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A two-years-later follow-up to 2019's IGOR – which was anointed Best Rap Album at the 2020 Grammys – the announcement of the LA-based artist's forthcoming album came quick and as somewhat of a surprise after a Columbia Records billboard popped up in Los Angeles in early June, signifying the beginning of its rollout.
So, let's start from the top and run through everything we know so far, about Call Me If You Get Lost.
Billboard in Los Angeles
On June 9th, fans first spotted a billboard in Los Angeles with the words "CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST" in bold, along with a phone number on the bottom. Marked on the side was the Columbia Records logo – Tyler's record label. Now, a call to the phone number will play a snippet of a song on the album in which Tyler raps aggressively over some rumbling drums, but the initial call played a recorded conversation between the artist and his mother in which his mother passionately outlines her love for her son over a signature Tyler instrumental.
"SIDE STREET" Teaser
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On June 14th, the ominous album rollout continued with a video teaser posted to Tyler's YouTube channel and Instagram page. In it, Tyler's character is seen making out with a woman on the hood of a vintage, faded pink Fiat sports car before speeding off. Taco, Odd Future member and longtime friend of Tyler's, then appears, seemingly in a relationship with the girl and asks her who Tyler's character was, only for her to brush the ordeal off like nothing happened. The teaser ends with the album tagline as the soft background instrumental hits piano notes that sound similar to a generic commercial jingle.
Tyler's Instagram caption for the teaser reads "10. SWEET," which might indicate that the instrumental is for the tenth track on the record and/or song title-- similar to his caption for the "LUMBERJACK" record as well.
"LUMBERJACK" Single and Video
On June 16th, Tyler put the mysterious teasing to a halt by officially releasing the first single called "LUMBERJACK" for the project, which was accompanied by a music video teaser. The teaser begins with narration from Tyler, which sets the scene for the visuals before it breaks out into full song. Tyler was last heard singing with primarily pitched vocals on IGOR, however here, he is heard rapping aggressively over a beat that heavily samples Gravediggaz' "2 Cups of Blood."The song is also propped up and accompanied by DJ Drama's iconic ad-libs. This grimy, barebones style of rapping is quite new for Tyler-- or else, it may recall Tyler's early raps-- so this single could be indicative of the different direction he'll be taking the new album.
Album Cover and Release Date Announcement
Tyler, The Creator "Call Me If You Get Lost" album cover versus Ol' Dirty Bastard "Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version"
On June 17th, Tyler put it out into the world that his album is coming, sharing the title, cover art and release date for the project. The cover art appears to be an homage to Ol' Dirty Bastard's 1995 album Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version, which is a photo of a food stamps card with ODB's face, name, date of birth and album title on it. On Tyler's cover, the ID card is a license to travel with all the similar features to ODB's cover, but it instead includes a pseudonym name "Tyler Baudelaire," which might be an alter ego or an important component to the album's narrative. A tracklist was not shared in this announcement, leaving fans to speculate about the album's content beyond its first single.
"WUSYANAME" Teaser
Today, Tyler shared another video teaser for the upcoming record on YouTube and Instagram called "WUSYANAME." The teaser again starts with narration from Tyler that underscores the album's apparent theme of traveling, as the shot follows Tyler driving across different terrains. The teaser song then begins playing, which is very much inspired by a nostalgic, late-90s R&B sound as Tyler raps to the girl he was seen making out with in the "SIDE STREET" teaser. Also, backing vocals from singer Ty Dolla $ign can be heard toward the end. Tyler's Instagram caption indicates that the song will be the fourth track on the album, titled "WusYaName."
Fan Speculation
Because Tyler has been quite secretive and ominous about Call Me If You're Lost, while his curated teasers have been drumming up hype for the record, fans are actively speculating about what the record will sound like or which possible features might appear when the album drops on Friday. Check out some of the discussion below.
Are you excited for Call Me If You Get Lost? What are you hoping to hear from Tyler's latest effort? Who are some features you want to see? Let us know in the comments below.