Nowadays, Tyler, The Creator is one of the most beloved, revered rappers of the 2020s. Every release is typically met with rave reviews and a ton of love online. But over 10 years ago, the love wasn’t nearly as unanimous. When he released Cherry Bomb in April 2015, his diehard fans who loved Goblin and Bastard scoffed at his lush soul production and wanted edgier rapping instead. People who didn’t mind his experimentation wanted a more cohesive record.
Years later, Cherry Bomb has become something of a cult classic. Admittedly, the change in response has been a bit jarring for Tyler, The Creator. In a recent Instagram story, he reacted to a video praising the album, admitting that he’s glad people appreciate the ideas he was trying.
“When this album, I got s**t on sooooo bad. It never changed how I felt about the music,” Tyler said. “But that era of mine was such a transformation and the texture of the music was a real mirror for it. When I see videos like this, it still shocks me a bit because of the original reactions and air around it. But it def feels good to know how many folks can appreciate whatever I was trying to do.”
Tyler, The Creator Talks About The Initial Backlash to His 2015 Album ‘Cherry Bomb’
Then, the West Coast rapper and producer fondly remembered working with legends in soul and hip-hop alike. Everyone from Lil Wayne to Roy Ayers joined him on Cherry Bomb, checking off a ton of bucket list features for him. It was a far cry from the edgier material he made beforehand. Tyler likened it to “shedding skin in front of everyone.”
Admittedly, though, he didn’t want it to be a formal album. “I really wanted it to be a compilation of songs I produced for other artists. That’s why it’s all over the place sonically,” Tyler, The Creator continued. “What an important thread in the blanket of my career.”
The Odd Future alum doesn’t hold any resentment toward the backlash. In fact, in 2025, he argued it was the greatest thing to happen to him. Because of it, he radically changed how he approached making music.
“That part of fame, when people are just on your head about something you hold dear, it’s seen as a negative a lot now. But that happening to me was actually one of the greatest things that could because it made me dive into my skill and my craft more and get out of my a**. I was so focused on this one thing and start looking at the big picture.”
(Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)
The post Tyler, The Creator Reflects on the Backlash Surrounding His Most Divisive Album: ‘I Got S**t on Sooooo Bad’ appeared first on VICE.
