Wolf (Tyler, The Creator album)

Wolf
Studio album by Tyler, The Creator
Released April 2, 2013
Recorded 2011–13
Genre Alternative hip hop
Length 71:17[1]
Label
Producer Tyler, The Creator
Tyler, The Creator chronology
Goblin
(2011)		 Wolf
(2013)		 Cherry Bomb
(2015)
Singles from Wolf
  1. "Domo23"
    Released: February 14, 2013
Alternate covers
Alternate cover
Limited deluxe edition and vinyl cover

Wolf is the third studio album by Odd Future leader Tyler, The Creator; it was released on April 2, 2013, by Odd Future Records and RED Distribution. Wolf is a set in a different direction compared to his other material. Bastard (2009) and Goblin (2011) respectively featured more violent content, while this album features a more production based sound and different themes.

The album features guest appearances by Frank Ocean, Mike G, Domo Genesis, Earl Sweatshirt, Left Brain, Hodgy Beats, Erykah Badu, Casey Veggies and Pharrell. The album is produced solely by Tyler, The Creator, except for the final track "Lone". The album was supported by a sole single "Domo23" along with additional music videos for "Bimmer", "IFHY", "Jamba", "Tamale" and "Answer".

Upon its release, Wolf received generally positive reviews from critics. The album debuted at number 3 on the US Billboard 200, selling 89,000 copies in its first week.

Background and themes

In November 2011, in an interview with Spin, Tyler expressed wanting to shift away from the themes of his previous albums, stating:

“ Talking about rape and cutting bodies up, it just doesn't interest me anymore... what interests me is making weird hippie music for people to get high to. With Wolf, I'll brag a little more, talk about money and buying shit. But not like any other rapper, I'll be a smart-ass about it. People who wanted the first album again, I can't do that. I was 18, broke as fuck. On my third album, I have money and I'm hanging out with my idols. I can't rap about the same shit.[2] ”

The themes of Wolf range from "struggles with women, not handling the absence of his father to misunderstandings about his grandmother's death, and the beautiful nightmare known as fame." "It is incredibly dark as with his previous albums though, Tyler weaves this intense imagery into an upbeat sound."[3]

Release and promotion

On February 14, 2013, OFWGKTA have uploaded and released a video to their YouTube account, which includes L-Boy skydiving and stating that Wolf will be released on April 2, 2013. On the same day, Tyler would reveal the three album covers via his Instagram account.[4] The deluxe version of the album features a fold-out poster of the full album cover art designed by Mark Ryden, a limited embroidered patch, a "Wolf" calendar and a 24-page booklet featuring lyrics and artwork.[4] Prior to the album release, four days later, Tyler released the whole album for free streaming via SoundCloud.[5]

From March 11, 2013 to April 11, 2013, Tyler toured North America and Europe on the Wolf tour. The tour was his first solo tour without his group Odd Future. His first stop was Boulder, Colorado and the Wolf release party took place in Los Angeles, California on the release day of the album.[6] He announced he would extend the tour from April 30 to May 18, 2013. These shows took place on the west coast of the United States and it features his Odd Future cohort, Earl Sweatshirt.[4][7] On September 9, 2013, Tyler released a trailer for a film based on Wolf.[8]

Singles

The album's first single, titled "Domo23", was released on February 14, 2013 and accompanied by a music video which featured cameo appearances from Odd Future members Domo Genesis, Earl Sweatshirt, Jasper Dolphin and Taco.[9] The song has peaked on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles at number 2 and number 37 on Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[10] At the end of the video for Domo23, he previewed the video for the reported second single "Bimmer" which features Odd Future member Frank Ocean.[11][12]

Other songs

On March 29, 2013, the music video for "IFHY" was released, featuring Pharrell. At the end of the video, the song cuts to the music video for "Jamba", featuring Odd Future member Hodgy Beats. In the music video, Tyler "plays a lovestruck doll, acting out scenes in a dollhouse with a plastic girlfriend. While the real-life Tyler later drives through a neighborhood with Hodgy Beats as his song "Jamba" blasts from the speakers."[13] "IFHY" has since peaked at number 24 on the Billboard Heatseekers Songs chart.[14] On October 7, 2013, the music video was released for "Tamale" and "Answer".[15]

Commercial performance

In the United States, Wolf debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200, selling 89,000 copies in the first week.[16][17] In its second week, the album sold 18,000 more copies bringing its sales total to 107,000 in the United States.[18]

Critical response

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The Boston Globe8/10[19]
Consequence of SoundC+[20]
Exclaim!8/10[21]
The Independent[22]
Los Angeles Times[23]
NME8/10[24]
Pitchfork Media7.8/10[25]
The Quietus7/10[26]
Rolling Stone[27]

Upon its release, Wolf received generally positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 70, based on 31 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[28] Craig Jenkins of Pitchfork Media gave the album a score of 7.8 out of 10, saying "With Wolf, Tyler, the Creator displays a radical growth as a producer, composer and arranger, even if, as a rapper, he’s still up to some of the same antics. Still, the album contains a few of the best songs he’s ever written."[25] Jeremy D. Larson of Consequence of Sound gave the album a C+, saying "Tyler is his own worst enemy, of course. But the buoyancy of the production and the overall intrigue of hearing him struggle with his idle hands prevent the album from getting mired down in too much vanity."[20] David Jeffries of AllMusic gave the album three and a half stars, saying "It's a fun album for fanatics, but the willingness to shock feels too comfortable at this point, so those who found it tiresome before will likely find it devastating here."[1]

Chris Dart of Exclaim! felt that "While Tyler will almost certainly never outgrow life as a weird, hell-raising provocateur, Wolf shows that he's already growing into life as a smart, diverse artist."[21] Slant Magazine's Jesse Cataldo awarded the album three out of five stars, commenting "The production is routinely strong, but things are weighed down by Tyler himself, who forcefully refuses to provide a palatable anchor to over an hour's worth of material." Cataldo saw the album as "progress on some fronts", but felt that Tyler "needs to move beyond certain issues" to "prove himself a vital force."[29] Martín Caballero of The Boston Globe gave the album an eight out of ten, saying "Despite careering from one alter ego to the next and touching on everything from his absent father on "Answer" to the art of making campfire s'mores on the seven-minute "Partyisntover  / Campfire  / Bimmer", there's a broad vision and deft execution that holds things together much better than on Goblin."[19] Eric Diep of XXL gave the album an L, saying "Wolf meets its own high expectations by creating an absorbing journey of Tyler's imagination. Everything from being his own therapist to poking fun at newfound fame is documented in captivating fashion, however juvenile it may be at times. There's still growing up to do, and maybe time will tame the fascinating artist we see on this album. Until then, there’s no escaping his meteoric rise. And the diehard Odd Future fans will love every minute of it."[30]

David Amidon of PopMatters gave the album a seven out of ten, saying, "If Wolf is not Goblin is the most important statement I feel like I could make about this album, the second most important thing I can probably say about it is that nothing has actually changed about Tyler himself. All his flaws as a coherent lyricist and person are on full display throughout the album, and the charm or lack thereof of that fact goes a long way towards how enjoyable this album can be."[31] Jessica Hopper of Spin magazine felt that "Wolf's most grievous misstep, and its one true spiritual connection to the superior Bastard and Goblin: Tyler's defiant use of the word 'faggot.' As usual, he spends a ton of time here bragging about how little he cares about how the world sees him, but his reliance on the other f-bomb to keep our attention suggests otherwise."[32] Chris Kelly of Fact gave the album four out of five stars, saying "With Wolf, Tyler, the Creator is exciting again: maybe not as the ringleader of the Odd Future empire, but as a producer who just turned 22 (did you forget how young he actually is?), has internalized a decade of Neptunes / Doom / Def Jux production, and has Pharrell, Erykah, and (most importantly) Frank Ocean on speed dial. The don’t-give-a-fuck attitude might have run its course lyrically, but when applying it as a production ethos, Tyler is just getting started."[33]

Accolades

XXL ranked it at number 18 on their list of the best albums of 2013. They commented saying, "The leader of the Odd Future crew’s second album Wolf displayed radical maturity—both musically and lyrically; partnering with fellow Odd Future members Frank Ocean and Earl Sweatshirt, alongside Pharrell Williams and even Erykah Badu on songs involving gripping narratives of personal frustrations and heartbreak. Coupled with vivid lyrics and stark synth production, Tyler’s fascinatingly still weird but insightful and musically pleasing."[34] HipHopDX named it one of the top 25 albums of 2013. They elaborated saying, "Wolf was Tyler’s most grown up effort to date. Developing into a fully realized production mastermind, he somehow tied a summer camp story in with his usual themes of relationships and the struggles of fame, not to mention the ghetto’s crack epidemic and bullying leading to school shootings."[35]

Track listing

No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "Wolf"  Tyler Okonma 1:50
2. "Jamba" (featuring Hodgy Beats)
 3:32
3. "Cowboy"  Okonma 3:15
4. "Awkward"  Okonma 3:47
5. "Domo23"  Okonma 2:38
6. "Answer"  Okonma 3:50
7. "Slater" (featuring Frank Ocean)Okonma 3:53
8. "48"  Okonma 4:07
9. "Colossus"  Okonma 3:33
10. "PartyIsntOver / Campfire / Bimmer" (featuring Lætitia Sadier & Frank Ocean)
 7:18
11. "IFHY" (featuring Pharrell)Okonma 5:19
12. "Pigs"  Okonma 4:14
13. "Parking Lot" (featuring Casey Veggies & Mike G)
 3:53
14. "Rusty" (featuring Domo Genesis & Earl Sweatshirt)
 5:09
15. "Trashwang" (featuring Na'kel, Jasper, Lucas, L-Boy, Taco, Left Brain & Lee Spielman)
 4:42
16. "Treehome95" (featuring Coco O & Erykah Badu)
 3:00
17. "Tamale"  Okonma 2:46
18. "Lone"  Okonma 4:00
Total length:
 71:17
Notes

Personnel

Credits for Wolf adapted from AllMusic.[38]

  • Erykah Badu – featured artist
  • Hodgy Beats – featured artist
  • Syd Bennett – vocals
  • Taco Bennett – featured artist
  • Delbert Bowers – assistant
  • Lionel Boyce – vocals
  • Colin Boyd – piano
  • Left Brain – featured artist
  • Casey Veggies – featured artist
  • Andrew Dawson – mixing
  • Jason Dill – vocals
  • Jasper Dolphin – featured artist
  • Mike G – featured artist
  • Chris Galland – assistant
  • Brian "Big Bass" Gardner – mastering
  • Domo Genesis – featured artist
  • Bernie Grundman – mastering
  • Elijah Hall – vocals
  • Parys Hall – vocals
  • Trehy Harris – assistant
  • Jaycen Joshua – mixing
  • L Boy – featured artist
  • Jaslyn Leonti – vocals
  • Manny Marroquin – mixing
  • Na'kel – featured artist
  • Lucas Vercetti - featured artist
  • Nas – interviewee
  • Coco O. – featured artist
  • Frank Ocean – featured artist, vocals
  • Sarah Parker – vocals
  • Laetitia Sadier – featured artist
  • Lee Spielman – featured artist
  • Earl Sweatshirt – featured artist
  • Tallulah Willis – vocals
  • Eddy Tekeli – photography
  • Phil Toselli – layout
  • Tyler, The Creator – artwork, interviewer, layout, primary artist, producer
  • Vic Wainstein – engineer
  • Pharrell Williams – featured artist
  • Sterling Winfield – engineer

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2013) Peak
position
scope="row" Australian Albums (ARIA)[39] 19
scope="row" Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[40] 48
scope="row" Canadian Albums (Billboard)[41] 2
scope="row" Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[42] 10
scope="row" Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[43] 86
scope="row" French Albums (SNEP)[44] 116
scope="row" Irish Albums (IRMA)[45] 46
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[46] 111
scope="row" New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[47] 30
scope="row" Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[48] 15
scope="row" Scottish Albums (OCC)[49] 25
scope="row" UK Albums (OCC)[50] 17
scope="row" UK R&B Albums (OCC)[51] 2
scope="row" US Billboard 200[52] 3
scope="row" US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[53] 2
scope="row" US Top Rap Albums (Billboard)[54] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (2013) Position
Australian Urban Albums (ARIA)[55] 42
US Billboard 200[56] 181
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[57] 41
US Top Rap Albums[58] 23

Release history

Regions Dates Label(s)
Worldwide April 2, 2013

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Wolf - Tyler, The Creator". AllMusic. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Tyler, The Creator Reveals New Album Title". Hypebeast. 2011-11-16. Retrieved 2011-11-16.
  3. 1 2 "Tyler, the Creator - Wolf (Track-by-Track Review)". Billboard. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 Horowitz, Steven J. (2013-02-14). "Tyler, The Creator Reveals Three Covers For "Wolf" LP, Announces Release Date & Tour". HipHopDX. Retrieved 2013-03-15.
  5. ↑ "Album Stream: Tyler, the Creator "Wolf"". Complex. Retrieved 2013-04-01.
  6. ↑ "Tyler, the Creator – WOLF". wolfwang. 2013-02-04. Retrieved 2013-03-15.
  7. ↑ "Tyler, the Creator Adds Tour Dates with Earl Sweatshirt". Complex. 2013-03-04. Retrieved 2013-03-15.
  8. ↑ "Video: Tyler, the Creator – ‘WOLF’ [Trailer]". Rap-Up. 2010-10-18. Retrieved 2013-09-11.
  9. ↑ "Watch the Video for Tyler, the Creator's New Single "Domo 23" – XXL". XXL. 2013-02-15. Retrieved 2013-03-15.
  10. ↑ "Bubbling Under Hot 100 : Page 1". Billboard. Retrieved 2013-03-15.
  11. ↑ "Tyler, The Creator Previews New Song "Bimmer" and Flashes a BMW in "Domo 23" Video". Complex. 2013-02-15. Retrieved 2013-04-01.
  12. ↑ Matthew Trammell (2013-03-24). "Tyler, The Creator Lets the 'Wolf' in at Intimate Brooklyn Show | Music News". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2013-04-01.
  13. ↑ "Video: Tyler, the Creator f/ Pharrell – ‘IFHY’". Rap-Up. 2010-10-18. Retrieved 2013-04-01.
  14. ↑ "Tyler, the Creator - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
  15. ↑ Homie, Big. "New Video: Tyler, The Creator "Tamale"". Rap Radar. Retrieved 2013-10-08.
  16. ↑ "Building Album Sales Chart". Hits Daily Double. Retrieved 2013-04-17.
  17. ↑ "Tyler, The Creator Sells Nearly 90k Copies of "Wolf" His First Week". Complex. 2013-04-09. Retrieved 2013-04-17.
  18. ↑ "Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 4/14/2013". HipHopDX. Retrieved April 17, 2013.
  19. 1 2 "ALBUM REVIEW: Tyler, the Creator, ‘Wolf’". The Boston Globe. March 29, 2013. Retrieved April 4, 2013.
  20. 1 2 "Album Review: Tyler, the Creator - Wolf". Consequence of Sound. April 1, 2013. Retrieved April 1, 2013.
  21. 1 2 Dart, Chris (April 1, 2013). "Album Review: Tyler, the Creator – Wolf". Exclaim!. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
  22. ↑ "Album: Tyler, the Creator, Wolf (Columbia/Odd Future)". The Independent. March 30, 2013. Retrieved March 30, 2013.
  23. ↑ Roberts, Randall (2013-04-08). "Pop album review: Tyler the Creator's 'Wolf' can be daring, smart". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2013-04-17.
  24. ↑ Pattison, Louis (April 12, 2013). "Tyler, the Creator - 'Wolf'". NME. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  25. 1 2 Craig Jenkins (April 1, 2013). "Tyler, the Creator - Wolf". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved April 1, 2013.
  26. ↑ Suarez, Gary (April 8, 2013). "The Quietus Reviews Tyler The Creator". The Quietus. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
  27. ↑ Vozick-Levinson, Simon (April 17, 2013). "Wolf". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 17, 2013.
  28. ↑ Wolf (Tyler, The Creator album) at Metacritic
  29. ↑ Cataldo, Jesse (March 31, 2013). "Tyler, the Creator: Wolf". Slant Magazine. Retrieved April 1, 2013.
  30. ↑ "Album Review: Tyler, The Creator, Wolf - XXL". XXL. April 3, 2013. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  31. ↑ Amidon, David. "Tyler, The Creator: Wolf". PopMatters. Retrieved 2013-04-07.
  32. ↑ Martins, Chris (2013-03-26). "Tyler, the Creator's 'Wolf' Really Will Feature Stereolab Singer and Erykah Badu | SPIN | Newswire". Spin. Retrieved 2013-04-01.
  33. ↑ "Wolf – FACT Magazine: Music News, New Music". Fact. 2013-04-03. Retrieved 2013-04-17.
  34. ↑ "The 25 Best Albums Of 2013 - Page 3 of 6 - XXL". XXL. 2013-12-23. Retrieved 2014-01-31.
  35. ↑ "HipHopDX's Top 25 Albums Of 2013 | Discussing Lil' Wayne, Drake & Many More Hip Hop Artists". HipHopDX. 2013-12-30. Retrieved 2014-01-31.
  36. ↑ "Tyler, The Creator on Twitter". Twitter. 2013-03-27. Retrieved 2013-06-16.
  37. ↑ "Tyler, The Creator - Cowboy". Genius. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  38. ↑ "Credits: Wolf". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2013-05-01.
  39. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Tyler The Creator – Wolf". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  40. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Tyler The Creator – Wolf" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  41. ↑ "Tyler, the Creator – Chart history" Billboard Canadian Albums Chart for Tyler, the Creator. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  42. ↑ "Danishcharts.com – Tyler The Creator – Wolf". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 1, 2013.
  43. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Tyler The Creator – Wolf" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  44. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Tyler The Creator – Wolf". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
  45. ↑ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 14, 2013". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  46. ↑ "ウルフ" (in Japanese). Oricon.co.jp. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
  47. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Tyler The Creator – Wolf". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  48. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Tyler The Creator – Wolf". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 28, 2013.
  49. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 31, 2013.
  50. ↑ "Tyler The Creator | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Official Charts Company. 2013-04-13. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  51. ↑ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  52. ↑ "Tyler, the Creator – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Tyler, the Creator. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  53. ↑ "Tyler, the Creator – Chart history" Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for Tyler, the Creator. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  54. ↑ "Tyler, the Creator – Chart history" Billboard Top Rap Albums for Tyler, the Creator. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  55. ↑ "ARIA Top 50 Urban Albums 2013". ARIA Charts. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
  56. ↑ "Billboard 200 Albums (Year-end 2013 181-190)". Billboard. Retrieved January 12, 2014.
  57. ↑ "2013 Year-End Charts – Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
  58. ↑ "2013 Year-End Charts – Billboard Rap Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
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