Album Review - Tyler The Creator “Call Me If You Get Lost

In the early 2000s, the mixtape was the mode of transportation for hip-hop audio. It was the most popular stable of ear-pleasing content, led by Cash Money’s Lil Wayne.  The love for mixtapes has maintained a nostalgic presence in our hearts, and even the mention of a new mixtape can excite the hearts of any loyalist hip-hop head. Tyler The Creator’s new album, “Call Me If You Get Lost.” exemplifies this love for the bygone era. CMIYGL is an album in disguise as a mixtape, fully equipped with DJ Drama quips, “Dramatic” adlibs, and the freeing, bar-spitting urgency that typically accompanied these free-tapes.

Tyler the Creator, or Tyler Beaudelaire as he’s known throughout this album, spends the album going back to his bar-spitting roots. Full of atmospheric pianos, lively drums with sequenced beats, sweetening harmonies, and ferocious rhymes. It’s a musical painting of a man dead-set on reminding fans that hip-hop can be equal parts threatening, informative, freeing, and fun.

An homage to the mixtape era style, one of my personal favorites is the addition of DJ Drama, who takes every moment and infuses energy one hasn’t seen since the days of DJ Clue. Drama is the battery pack to Tyler Beaudelaire, and what concludes is a lyrical tirade that is beautifully flammable. Whether it’s the impactful storytelling of tracks like “WILSHIRE.” Or the Domo Genesis assisted “MANIFESTO” this album is an element one hasn’t seen from Tyler since 2011.

A beautiful combination of unapologetically raw artistry, while displaying hard-earned maturity. “Call Me If You Get Lost” is an experience for hip-hop heads looking to experience the mixtape era’s sense of nostalgia with 2021’s vision. You can listen to the album here.