Alyssa Spencer
Project 1: Voyant and Music
PART 1: Read the Data
Tyler the Creator “IGOR” (2019)
“Igor’s Theme”
“Earfquake”
“I THINK”
“Exactly What You Run from You End Up Chasing”
“Running Out of Time”
“New Magic Wand”
“A Boy Is a Gun”
“Puppet”
“What’s Good”
“Gone, Gone/ Thank You”
“I Don’t Love You Anymore”
“Are We Still Friends?”
The most frequent words in the corpus are I’m (52); love (44); time (37); gone (35); friends (31). These words were generated after removing the filler words: “got”, “yeah”, “la”, “like”, “it’s”, and “skate.”
These words form a somewhat fragmented sentence that reads: I’m [in] love [and] time [has] gone; with the outlier being “friends.” This leaves me to wonder who the narrator is in love with and where have they gone? The term “love” has highest frequency in the beginning and end of the lyrics but persists consistently throughout the lyrics. The term “friends” has the highest frequency right towards the end of the lyrics so perhaps this “friendly relationship” suddenly takes precedence over all else.
The album goes through an emotional process where the narrator begins talking about their strong love for a person, who eventually gets taken away from them. The narrator indicates that a significant amount of time has passed, yet these feelings of love and admiration have yet to fade. In the end, the narrator accepts the fact that the person they love is indeed gone for good. Therefore, the narrator becomes content or perhaps settles, for a friendship with this person. After all, if you really love someone, isn’t any type of connection better than none at all?
PART 2: Curate Sources
Chesman, Donna-Claire. “Tyler, The Creator’s ‘IGOR’ Is What Happens When ‘November’ Ends.” DJBooth, 20 May 2019,
djbooth.net/features/2019-05-20-tyler-the-creator-igor-what-happens-when-november-ends.
Hunt, El. “The Hidden Symbols in Tyler, The Creator’s ‘Igor’.” NME Music News, Reviews, Videos, Galleries, Tickets and Blogs | NME.COM, 24 May 2019, www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/hidden-symbols-tyler-creators-igor-2492005.
Schwartz, Danny. “Tyler the Creator’s Surreal, Summery ‘IGOR’.” Rolling Stone, 21 May 2019, www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/tyler-the-creator-igor-review-837811/.
PART 3: Open Letter
An Open Letter to Tyler the Creator
Dear Tyler,
I first discovered your music last year through the song “Earfquake,” and I must admit that my first impression was far from satisfactory. Although I usually pride myself on having an open mind in regard to music, I must say that it was the “thick, buzzsaw bass lines [and] arpeggiated synths,” that initially threw me for a loop. I questioned your artistic reasoning behind blending such heavy electronic sounds with harmonious vocals- especially when I found them slightly displeasing to the ear.
However, judging by the hysteria surrounding your performance in Atlanta in October, I think that I may be part of a selected few individuals that share this opinion. Wondering what the excitement was about, I decided to give your album another try. So I took some time out of my day to listen and really listen to hear what you were trying to say. If I am being honest, I found it hard to look past the strange melodies, but ultimately followed your advice not to “go into this expecting a rap album. Don’t go into this expecting any album. Just go, jump into it.”
Here is what I’ve gathered from your lyrics.
Doing more research, I found that your album transitions from the last song on your previous album- “November.” In this song you conveyed a positive and cheerful message. To say that “IGOR” is a stark contrast to this, would be an understatement. I’ve come to understand that you designed “IGOR” to have many symbols and hidden connotations. First in the naming of the album, you allude to the character by the same name. In Gothic literature this character is often portrayed as an assistant to various villains who seek to create a monster. The name Igor, in Russian culture means “conqueror, strong [and] victorious.” With this being said, you assign the name Igor to your pain and allow this separation of identities to help you accept your pain and later overcome it.
Beyond the title, you create a narrative of heartbreak and the different stages- first “ownership,” then “grief” and finally “freedom.” You allow us as your audience to take this journey with you and therefore experience these emotions alongside you.
I too, am now part of the group of fans who wonder what caused the cheerful voice in “November,” to become so heartbroken. Maybe we’ll find out in the next album.
Thank you allowing me, along with the rest of your audience, to experience and relate to your emotional rollercoaster– with your album as our anthem.
Continue to share your story with the world and I promise to keep my ears open to hear it.
Alyssa
