Tyler, The Creator’s Best Videos

3. “Yonkers” – Tyler, The Creator (Directed by: Wolf Haley)

In 2011, the dark visuals for “Yonkers” got everyone talking. This video absolutely contributed to Tyler‘s rise as a world-renowned artist. In an interview, Tyler explains that this song is meant to be a “conversation” between himself and Wolf Haley, one of Tyler‘s many alter-egos. The continuous stream of monochromatic visuals work perfectly with the murky track.

“Yonkers” is a truly iconic hip-hop video. Even Kanye had something to say about it.

2. “Tamale” – Tyler, The Creator (Directed by: Wolf Haley)

This video matches all the fantasies you may have about what an Odd Future video should look like. It features Tyler riding a giant cat, golfing in his underwear, jumping joyfully on an ass-trampoline and much, much more. However, this fantasy world is short-lived. At the 2:31 jump, Tyler starts spitting a verse from “Answer,” one of Wolf‘s most serious tracks. With Pharell on the drums, Tyler keeps it simple and offers the viewer a strong and emotional delivery. Tyler truly is a master of transitions.

1.”Glowing” – D.A. (Directed by: Tyler, The Creator)

“Glowing” is aesthetically compelling, contrasting haunting images of famine and disease with the gradual aging of a loving couple. Christian Clancy, Odd Future‘s manager, explained that he “thought it would be a cool opportunity for Tyler to show another side of himself (…) What people take from it is up to the viewer, I suppose. Controlling the narrative seems [to contradict] the point. For me it’s a challenge to the assumption that ignorance is bliss, and that challenge is as timely as it’s ever been.”

Clancy‘s explanation is pretty convincing, but we will leave it up to you to interpret the video as you see fit. Meaning aside, the aesthetics of the visuals for “Glowing” absolutely highlight Tyler‘s skill as a director. We put it at the top because it shows that Tyler is much more than cats, donuts, implied rape, shock and general foolishness. There’s some serious skill there.

Editor’s Note: Ranking “Glowing” first isn’t a judgment of Tyler, saying that he’s only a credible director when he’s being “mature.” By putting “Glowing” first our point is simply to highlight the fact that Tyler‘s ability to direct isn’t limited by the things that he typically likes to direct. – S.K.