Tyler, The Creator Reflects On Pharrell's Debut Album, "In My Mind," 10 Years Later

Tyler, The Creator has never been shy about citing Pharrell as his biggest influence, and on top of worshiping the N*E*R*D discography, The Neptunes' Clones, and the Star Trak output of artists like Clipse, Slim Thug, and Fam-Lay, Tyler has always had a special place in his heart for Pharrell's debut solo album, In My Mind.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary today, Tyler has written a personal reflection on the largely forgotten album. He recalls anticipating the album by searching out advance snippets, before purchasing and studying the album, becoming inspired by both the music and the creative freedom he witnessed, and eventually creating Odd Future in the following months. 

"BEING 15 BLACK NOT REALLY "INTERESTED" IN WHAT THE MAJORITY OF MY PEERS WERE INTO, IT MADE ME FEEL SAFE. I WAS OPTIMISTIC, ALWAYS DAYDREAMING AND SETTING GOALS SO I FELT YOU WERE DIRECTLY SPEAKING TO ME," he said. "I WAS ACTUALLY NAIVE ENOUGH TO BELIEVE YOU AND THOUGHT I COULD DO ALL THESE AMAZING THINGS IF I REALLY TRIED. WHERE I GREW UP, NIGGAS GET STUCK AND NEVER MAKE IT OUT. JAIL, DEAD, SHIT JOBS, NOT REALLY GROWING. IT SEEMS LIKE AT A CERTAIN AGE, IDEAS; ORIGINAL THOUGHTS ARE NO LONGER A THING; I DIDNT FALL INTO THAT CYCLE. I'M NOW A YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR ALL BECAUSE I BELIEVED YOU WHEN YOU SAID I COULD BE."

You can read his full letter below.