"Why Call Me If You Get Lost" Is Tyler, The Creator's Best Rap Album

Tyler, The Creator just dropped his new album, Call Me If You Get Lost, and we are one hundred percent here for it. While his last album, Igor, featured more neo-soul and jazz tunes than anything else, this latest album sees Tyler's triumphant return to rapping. 

Tyler, The Creator dropped his seventh studio album, Call Me If You Get Lost, on June 25th, 2021. It features rap verses from Tyler himself with contributions from 42 Dugg, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Ty Dolla Sign, Lil Wayne, Domo Genesis, Brent Faiyaz, Lil Uzi Vert, Pharrell Williams, and DJ Drama.

Tyler has always been an excellent and original producer. He has shown this skill off on all of his previous projects. Coming off the success of his 2019 album, Igor, which won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album, expectations were high. It seems safe to say that Tyler definitely delivered.

Although Tyler is the centerpiece of this album, he makes his guests feel very comfortable. Featured artists 42 Dugg and YoungBoy Never Broke Again have rarely sounded as good as they do over Tyler's production on this very album. Tyler has pulled out all of the stops to place these rappers on beats that will showcase their skills.

This album does a lot well, but it seems the main focus was to capture the excitement of a mixtape. Picking DJ Drama to host this album, while also having several fun bangers that showcase lyrical ability, it is easy to see the inspiration. Tyler has always said he wanted DJ Drama to host one of his tapes, and finally, his dream has come true.

Call Me If You Get Lost Tracklist

1. Sir Baudelaire

Somber, yet focused, the intro track lets us know Tyler is here to rap. And if that’s not enough, DJ Drama is here to tell you twice.

2. Corso

Well, Tyler isn’t messing around. Never has the bass dropped this hard in a Tyler song. This is a literal slapper and the back and forth with DJ Drama is quite complimentary. Tyler borrows flows from his favorites as he rides the tempo with precision.

3. Lemonhead (featuring 42 Dugg)

Tyler has said before that the instant COVID-classic Lil Baby and 42 Dugg collaboration “We Paid” was one of his favorite songs of 2020. Tyler has Dugg repeat that flow, then lays out some nasty horns and percussion beneath it. Heavy mixtape vibes from Tyler’s Odd Future days pervade the track. On 42 Dugg’s skills, Tyler said this: “then Detroit guys are so good. Very detailed, very specific.”

4. WusYaName (featuring YoungBoy Never Broke Again and Ty Dolla Sign)

This is the one I keep going back to. It is such a lush 90’s R&B track. It feels like Ma$e should be featured on this. Tyler brings back his singing chops from Igor and skillfully deploys Ty Dolla $ign to help him hit those epic harmonies. YoungBoy comes with a silky verse and rides the beat like he never has before. Tyler pops off with a catchy hook. This could and should be a radio hit. Even if it never hits the airwaves, this is probably one of the best Tyler productions of all time.

5. Lumberjack

This is the one that started it all. Hard flow and nice quotable lines make this one essential to the feeling of the album. Tyler raps hard here and shows he still has what it takes. Don’t forget that Tyler was one of the rappers Kendrick mentioned on “Control” in 2013. Tyler reminds us why on this song and this entire album.

6. Hot Wind Blows (featuring Lil Wayne)

Wayne and Tyler have always clicked. From “Smuckers” to “Dropping Seeds”, they have always hit it off. Tyler pipes in an exotic thumping beat with enough bass and drums to blow the trunk. Weepy F continues his epic streak of guest features and pops off over a smooth piano line from Wolf Haley.

7. Massa

Feeling and flow are everything on a rap album. Tyler brings the braggadocio and keeps it real about how travel saved his life. This is his most Goblin-Esque song on the album. Its sparse, minimalistic beat allows the lyrics and cadence to take center stage. They’re real and depressing, which is classic 2011 Tyler. 

8. RunItUp (featuring Teezo Touchdown)

This is one of the more surprisingly attractive songs on the album. It doesn’t start off catchy, but the synth, horns, and ad-libs all coalesce to reach some kind of sonic chant which is Tyler’s attempt at mumble rap. Who knows? None of this should work, but Tyler has such an ear for complimentary sounds that it comes off like an effortless earworm.

9. Manifesto (featuring Domo Genesis)

Perhaps the most interesting song on the album, Tyler takes this moment to address cancel culture. As a gay rights activist and African-American male, he gives his own unique view on unity. He brings Odd Future alumni and fellow lyrical phenomenon Domo Genesis on to spar with and the result is a pretty gangster track.

10. Sweet / I Thought You Wanted to Dance (featuring Brent Faiyaz and Fana Hues)

This is the most beautiful song on the album. Taking us back to the days of the lake, Tyler does his best Silk Sonic impression and gives us a funky, soulful, jazzy, and gorgeous track. Brent Faiyaz and Tyler collide to form a genuinely special singing duo. The second half of the song gives us an island-infused melody and Fana Hues sings her heart out. This is really a beautifully executed song.

11. Momma Talk

This is a moment for us to see where Tyler got his sense of humor from, as this track serves to give us a glimpse into the creation of Tyler, The Creator. Funnier than anything else, Mrs. Haley has her boy’s back and that’s a beautiful thing.

12. Rise! (featuring Daisy World)

Featuring guest production by Jamie XX and vocals from Daisy World, Tyler continues his hip-hop lesson and lays down a triumphant verse on top of a clanging guitar line. 

13. Blessed

The second interlude on the album is basically just a retrospective flex on the whole game. Tyler talks about his writing, producing, love life, the success of Camp Flog Gnaw, Golf clothing, and… well… “opulence baby!”

14. Juggernaut (featuring Lil Uzi Vert and Pharrell Williams)

This is my favorite song on this entire album. Tyler gives us a grimy trap beat and some thumping bass and then tosses the mic to his boys. Uzi comes in hot with a nasty verse about Bugatti’s and babes. Major Tyler's influence Skateboard P comes in even nastier, sounding his most convincing since his “Move That Dope” verse. Silly, zany, and eclectic, this song is a garbled mess, but as always with Tyler, it works. It’s a fun little posse cut that is no doubt a gem. 

15. Wilshire

Story-telling Tyler is back. And thankfully so, Wilshire allows Tyler to take us down a personal lane as he tries to pursue a love of his. Jealous and fawning, Tyler reminds us how hard it is to love someone who doesn’t return the feeling.

16. Safari

As DJ Drama says, this is the destination. Tyler is still rapping hard as the album closes, putting a cherry on top of a truly great rap album. Samples from Westside Gunn and his pal Jay Versace make this song sound like a Pray For Paris loosie. There isn’t anything wrong with that though!

17. Fishtail (CD Only)

A somewhat inspirational message from Tyler comes over cloudy production. The flow and wordplay are on point here as Tyler talks about the come-up and his mighty climb to the top. This is what we’ve come to expect from Tyler. Lyrical Tyler is back!

Call Me If You Get Lost Album Review

Tyler, The Creator's new album, Call Me If You Get Lost is a triumphant return to lyrical form for the enigmatic rapper and singer. Tyler effectively reminds us that he’s the same guy who wowed us on “Yonkers”.

Although many people thought this version of Tyler was dead after the very deliberate direction of Igor, we count ourselves among the millions of fans who welcome rapping Tyler back with open arms. He never fell off, he never stopped spitting, and this new album shows us just that.

Tyler pulled out all the stops for us. He made some heavy beats, brought all his friends to rap, laid down some catchy hooks, and even got DJ Drama to scream nonsense in the background. If there ever was a Tyler, The Creator mixtape, this is it.

On one hand, Tyler has always loved bass and hard-hitting trap synths. On the other, we haven’t seen his hard rap beats in so long that we forgot he knew how. With songs like “Corso” and “Juggernaut”, he not only reminds us of that hard-hitting past but establishes a new threshold for his thumping anthems.

On the other hand, his most recent album prior to this, Igor, was a Neo-soul masterpiece that saw Tyler singing more than ever. It was in this spirit that Tyler won the Grammy and the hearts of many.

The massively successful singer-songwriter that penned “Earfquake” is still on here too. Songs like “Sweet / I Thought You Wanted to Dance” and “RunItUp” remind us that when he tries, no one is catchier than Wolf Haley.

As if Tyler rapping again wasn’t enough, he gives us all a ton of treats on this album. His featured artists come off sounding like their own greatest hits, but it’s his album. That’s called placement, and that’s what Wolf Haley the producer does best. He creates beats for his boys to bomb on.

Lil Wayne shreds the soulful sample on “Hot Wind Blows”. Dugg brings his bouncing thuggin’ flow to “Lemonheads” that is ever so reminiscent of “We Paid.” YoungBoy has literally never sounded this good, although “WusYaName” would have been a banger without any guests. YoungBoy rides the beat like a technician and lays down one of the smoothest verses ever heard on a Tyler album.

What about “Juggernaut”? I love this album, but I’d give the whole thing back if I could keep just this one song. The horns are on point, and the rhythmic percussion punctuates this nasty beat. Pharrell and Uzi go ham as expected, and it’s exciting. It’s the kind of song you love before even listening to it, just because of the awesome combination of collaborators. 

As of now, Call Me If You Get Lost is set to debut at #1 tomorrow on the Billboard Charts. Tyler is set to sell over 175,000 units the first week alone, making this his most popular album to date, as well as his second #1. Most publications are giving Tyler’s new one ratings of 8.5-9 out of 10.

Why I Love Tyler, The Creator

There are lots to love about Tyler's latest album. For many of us, the sense of nostalgia we get when we hear Tyler rapping as he did at the beginning of his career is more than enough to draw us into the album. Tyler is rapping his ass off on Call Me If You Get Lost. I remember that hot summer night at The Majestic in Detroit in 2011 when I first saw Tyler, The Creator, and the rest of Odd Future.

Even though that particular show was marred with controversy, I remember it fondly as the first time I got to witness one of my favorite artists perform. Tyler's energy was contagious and we all remarked on how tall he was in person. We were just kids, drunk and rowdy, having just bumped Goblin for the last two hours.

On one hand, it was a pretty typical night for a Detroit show. The crowd had turned up and the mosh pit had started well before any performers came out. Everyone was enjoying themselves, many concertgoers were drinking out of open glass bottles and passing them around.

At the time, I remember seeing Frank Ocean in person and not being in awe. He was shorter, looked like a pretty normal guy. He was far from the musical deity he has cemented himself as these days. I remember thinking that I wished he would play "American Wedding" from his Nostalgia, Ultra mixtape. Back then, that was the only Frank that existed. Can you imagine? A world without Blonde?

However, the main reason we were there was Tyler, The Creator. We had all lost our minds the summer before when we saw Tyler eat a cockroach on camera in his iconic "Yonkers" video. We had never heard production like the grimy industrial boom-bap featured in that song.

There was so much that captivated us and brought us into Tyler's fold. With Christian organizations claiming he was a "satanist" as well as various other criticisms regarding his violent and offensive lyrics, the pull towards him was magnetic. Everyone wanted to buck the system and bump Tyler, The Creator's music.

We were no different. Some of the coolest people I have ever met were through our shared love for Tyler's music. There is something about his dual persona, the ugly, bass-rending hits side by side with beautiful sonnets about lakes and sweet sugar, that drew us in and held us there forever.

We knew he was a good man, but he presented himself as vicious and angry. What really came through his music though was his incredible vulnerability. Songs like "Nightmare" showcased his sadness and his universal sense of not belonging. 

If it were up to us, we'd let Tyler know that he belonged in the hearts of all the fans and kids who bumped his music all over. But this was 2011, and he was not yet the global phenomenon that he'd become. It wasn't really until Odd Future's 2012 mixtape The OF Tape: Vol 2, that we really even knew he could produce. 

That summer, we hit every skatepark in the area, and all we ever heard were those synth-heavy mixtape beats and obscene lyrics that seemed to showcase our inner rage so well. This was the Tyler we fell in love with, and he came back in full force on June 25th, 2021 with Call Me If You Get Lost.

For me, a fan now of over a decade, this latest album is a window back into my youth, a time when everything seemed fresh and possible. Knowing that everything I've been through has been connected by Tyler's music, bookended at both ends by his exceptional rapping abilities, gives me deep comfort.

I don't know Tyler personally, even though I did see him live. I don't need to though, I have been in his inner psyche because I listen to his music with an interested ear. Some of the best times in my life have coincided with the release of new Tyler music. His love for summer is always evident as he always makes sure to drop his new album just in time for the hottest season of the year.

Being outside listening to Tyler, The Creator, skating or whatever is probably one of the most fun things a kid can possibly do. Being with other people who appreciate Tyler is great too. Tyler has heavily refined his skills and sound, and at this point, his influence is everywhere. His revolutionary spin on alternative rap was everything.

Although he had big aspirations for his career, Tyler is one of the rappers who showed us that you could do it independently. He started his own clothing line, GOLF, and did it with ease and success. A man to be admired for his courage in going against the grain of society, his music is timeless and created through a labor of true love.