Back in the day, radio play was the most important goal for an aspiring artist. They would drain so much of their resources for marketing in a desperate attempt to get people engaged with their vision and aesthetic. Nowadays, there are a few more ways to reach new fans. Countless people peddle their new records on social media to try to crack the seemingly impenetrable algorithm, with the end goal of eventually ending up on a playlist. But ever the traditionalist, Tyler, the Creator, always valued the institution of the radio as a means to get on.
Today, he doesn’t have that hard of a time getting his music out to the mainstream. In fact, he’s one of the most creative, colorful artists working in popular music today. However, it wasn’t always that way.
Back in 2018, Tyler, the Creator told GQ that one of the biggest frustrations he felt in his career was that he couldn’t quite crack radio yet. Although he predicted that his time would inevitably come in that department, it was still an omnipresent goal for him. Ultimately, he just wanted to scratch the itch he used to feel for the music he grew up with.
Tyler, the Creator, Reveals Why Radio Was So Important to Him
“A lot of my favorite artists I heard for the first time because of the radio. I first heard ‘Maureen’ by Sade on the radio. Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite, his first album, co-written by Leon Ware. I first heard that on the radio. I first heard ‘Tape You’ by N.E.R.D., my favorite band in the world, one of my favorite songs ever, on the radio. And that’s how I got introduced to that, and that shaped everything for me, so,” Tyler, the Creator explained.
“It’s still a piece of me that not only wants to be on the radio. But it’s probably some 11-year-old in the middle of f***ing nowhere who might hear a song, look me up, get introduced to a whole world—and that could change everything he’s into for the rest of his life.”
Additionally, Tyler, the Creator, pondered whether or not he had the right voice to crack radio in the first place. As someone who hated his voice, he was trying to figure out the science behind why certain tones worked best in popular music. “I hate my voice, and I think—it’s not a full thought or theory yet—but I think there are certain voices that can make it into a mainstream world because of the tone that they’re in,” Tyler said.
“People like Jay, ‘Ye, Drake, you know, Kenny. It’s a world that their voice lives in. It’s not too high and squeaky, and it’s not too low and bassy; it’s not too abrasive and raspy. It sits in this space that’s easy listening for humans. And I’m still trying to figure out the science behind it,” Tyler, the Creator continued. “When I do, I’ll let you know, but I definitely don’t have that voice. And I f***ing wish that I did. Stevie Wonder has it, too. It’s a tone that I’m tryna pinpoint. Like, Lloyd Banks was the hardest rapper from G-Unit to me. And you know, he probably didn’t have the same charisma and blah, blah, blah.”
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