I’m not entirely sure how long an “era” is as a unit of time within the realm of pop-stardom, but I’d venture to guess that Tyler, the Creator still has plenty left on the meter for last October’s Chromakopia LP, with its unique visual element still on display as he continues his US tour in support of it. Yet today we woke up to find another new Tyler record out in the world: After teasing a new release over the weekend, the rapper made good on the promise with the reveal of Don’t Tap the Glass, a 28-minute LP with no verses from featured artists and no outside production credits.
It’s a back-to-basics approach that informs these songs, too, which recall the simplicity of millennial-era rap in a similar way that Kendrick’s GNX and the new Clipse record do (thanks in part to samples of Busta Rhymes’ “Pass the Courvoisier, Part II” and Crime Mob’s “Knuck If You Buck”), in stark contrast to the complex world- and character-building Tyler’s been exploring on recent releases. Check out the breezy, funky listen here, and find the music video for “Stop Playing with Me” below, which happens to feature Pusha T and Malice, as well as a certain NBA superstar who was drafted into the league the same year The Neptunes presented Clones.
