Tyler, The Creator says and does what he wants. He has undergone several phases, in terms of his subject matter and musicality, but the one constant is his irreverent sense of humor. If Tyler, The Creator has a problem with somebody, they are going to know it. Case in point, the rapper's recent performance at ACL Fest. He performed a version of his classic 2017 song "911/Mr. Lonely," but instead of referencing Elon Musk in a positive light, as he did on the recording, he flipped the lyrics to diss Musk.
Musk has become persona non grata in popular culture. He's become one of the most memed and mocked celebrities in the world, and Tyler, The Creator has taken note. The original lyrics on "911/Mr. Lonely" are seemingly indifferent to Musk. The rapper works the Tesla founder into his verse because it worked with the rhyme scheme and the bar about not requiring gas. "Can't see straight, these shades are Céline Dion," he raps. "Sucks you can't gas me up, shout out to Elon... Musk, yeah I got a sold out show. Crowd wild out but don't matter 'cause you not front row." Tyler didn't want it to sound like he shouted out the controversial X (formerly Twitter) owner, though, and made an aggressive change.
Tyler, The Creator Used To Be A Huge Musk Fan
"Man f*ck Elon," Tyler, The Creator rapped to an ecstatic crowd. The rapper change of heart is not uncommon. Musk used to be a semi-popular figure to praise/reference. In 2016, Tyler even heaped praise on Musk for providing an electric alternative to gas powered vehicles. Ironically, the praise was through the app that Musk would eventually purchase, Twitter. "@elonmusk I LOVE YOU THANK YOU FOR CHANGING THE WORLD," he wrote. "AND MAKING THE EVIL OIL MEN WHO RUN THE WORLD HATE YOU." Tyler truly adored Musk during the mid-2010s, and would even have exchanges with the inventor on the platform.
Tyler also praised Musk during a 2015 appearance on Hot 97. The rapper was there to promote his album, Cherry Bomb, but he went off book and decided to shine a light on Musk's achievements. He even compared the Tesla founder to rap moguls like JAY-Z, Master P and Diddy. The last one has not aged well, from any conceivable angle, but it's hard to hold Tyler, The Creator accountable for that. He could not have known how the last decade was going to play out. A lot of people have seemingly fallen out of love with Musk, and Tyler is at the top of the list.
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