Interview with Tyler, The Creator: “I decided to stop my bullshit back in 2017”

Interview by Chloé Sarraméa.

Published on 21 June 2022. Updated on 15 July 2026.

Tyler Okonma is the perfect superstar. Despite his international fame, multiple talents, goodwill and stage presence that literally made girls in the audience faint, the artist took time to talk to each one of the young musicians who came to listen to his conference on music creation. Before slipping away with two bodyguards built like tanks, he offered to send the nail polish and perfume he created with his brand Golf le Fleur… Coming to Paris for a sold-out concert at the Zenith that had been postponed for two years, the collaborator of Pharrell Williams, Frank Ocean, and Kanye West showed off the latest pair of sneakers he designed with Converse on Rue de Verneuil, near the place where Gainsbourg lived.

Well-known for embodying several personas throughout his career – Tyler, The Creator, aka Tyler Baudelaire, aka Igor, aka Felicia The Goat – gave some insights and survival tips in the music industry to a group of thrilled select few. Commenting on how he and Kendrick Lamar – he attended the listening sessions of the latter’s album – are redefining masculinity in American rap by injecting a healthy dose of vulnerability into their work, Virgil Abloh‘s friend seizes the opportunity to remind us of the importance of designing clothes that match all skin tones. Behind closed doors, he opens up to Numéro.

Interview with Tyler, The Creator

Numéro: I don’t get it… You are performing at a sold-out Zenith in Paris, while simultaneously presenting your label Golf Le Fleur’s next collaboration with Converse. Isn’t selling out concert venues enough for you?

Tyler, The Creator: There are two types of people. Those who think they have to do a variety of things but are not able to handle a single one of them, and those who excel in one particular area and thus can enter any other field freely. In other words, Usain Bolt could simply run fast, while Jazmin Sullivan could only sing… but they don’t do that.

Do you believe that NFT launches or collaborations with CBD and alcohol brands are a way for some artists to expand their influence?

Of course, it is! And it’s not a bad thing. Let’s say that’s a win-win collaboration when it’s well-done and not cheap. As far as I’m concerned, Conserve introduced me to an audience that would have never heard of me otherwise and vice versa.

Are you refereeing to an audience that is perhaps in need of new ways to consume?

Consumers need to go back to the days when they would stop in front of an object for a long time because they loved it. Today, they tell themselves: “Oh, everyone wears this, so I have to get it and post it on social media,” or “I’m listening to this track over and over again, because apparently it’s cool!” They should be wearing and listening to whatever they like. Back in the days, people would wear the same sweatshirt every day because they would have waited for a long time before being able to buy it.

Are you one of those people?

I’ve been wearing the same Gucci brown pants for three years. They’re my favorite. For example, I’m not selling clothes online with Golf Le Fleur, because I want people to go see and touch the product, to ask themselves if they really want this item. I don’t want them to buy a product just because they like one of my songs and then resell it. Get into your car, go to the store, observe it, feel it, touch it, and then, you’ll decide whether you want to buy it or not.

“Some artists tackle important issues in a rather hypocritical, performative way.” — Tyler, The Creator

It seems that you want to have an influence on the way people consume. As we know, artists can have an influence on the way people think. Do they also have a role to play regarding politics?

As an artist, you can at least trigger questions in people’s minds and invite them to question their beliefs. However, influencing them to make decisions… I don’t think so. I only speak out about things I know and care about. If I am saying something, I truly mean it and act accordingly. Many people want to appear concerned…

We have been very vocal about the massive shootings happening in the United States…

A lot of awful things are happening as we speak. But when I listen to the public speeches of some people, I just think, “So you’re just pretending to care to make people believe you belong to this or that community!” It’s often very hypocritical and performative…

Speaking about performance, why don’t you go on stage with other musicians?

It goes back to asking why I don’t wear orange hats. I don’t need to.

You made your debut in the industry with Odd Future, a band you created at the time. To what extent has it influenced the way you work as a solo artist today?

When I was younger, I didn’t like to work with other kids at school. Being with them made me acknowledge when I needed help or others to accomplish something…

Since then, it seems like you have developed a new way to consider featuring. It takes more than an artist doing vocals on one of your verses, as it often happens in the music industry.

I sure have a very personal approach to collaboration, but I haven’t invented anything. I’m constantly learning. I can always improve what I’m doing or give a new shape to an idea…

Have you ever refused a collaboration with an artist?

I’m sometimes asked to collaborate on tracks I don’t like. So, I clearly say that I don’t want to do it and the person asking always remains cool in my view! I believe it’s fine. We have to be more sincere between us. I hate liars and rejection… There are people I invited and it didn’t work out. I’m not going to give any name, but it has happened plenty of times! At the end, we just told each other that we would try again sometime.

“I like to be in control. I even post my own videos on my YouTube channel!” — Tyler, The Creator

Have you given up on rock music since the release of Cherry Bomb in 2015?

On my way here, I thought to myself that I would probably go back to it. Now, experience has taught me that, despite my love for rock music, there are some things I don’t feel able to see through. Well… I have just contradicted myself!

Perhaps it is hard to sell records mixing rock and rap these days…

I do what I want. If I want some rock music, then I’ll go for some rock, even if there are some hints of rap on the track!

Apparently, some labels would force their singers to go viral on TikTok. It is the case for FKA Twigs or Charli XCX. Do you feel the same pressure weighing on your shoulders?

I am the boss. People working on my label are brilliant, but I am the one in control and the one who decides when to be on display or not. I even post my own videos on my YouTube channel.

Would you like to produce a visual album, launch your own platform, or create your own school like Frank Ocean, Jay-Z or Kanye West did?

I would like to design parks, like centers where we would create a community which would meet after school and to develop activities we cannot do in the neighborhoods where I grew up. We would tell kids: “Okay guys, enough with playing ball. Let’s do some canoeing or build gardens”. Regarding visual albums or platforms, no it’s too much work. Even a label… I have too much to think about. I would not be able to give someone the attention, time, and love they need for their projects.

“I’d rather have people think I’m the super talented guy who cracks a joke than the hilarious guy who makes music.” — Tyler, The Creator

In 2019, you tweeted that you would stop being funny in order for your music to be taken seriously. Although it might be an unconscious mechanism, aren’t you afraid of self-censorship?

People online tend to focus on what goes viral. It takes all their attention. If I’m doing stupid stuff on social media, it will be more emphasized than my talent. Then, when I go out for a walk and hear, “Hey, you are the guy who ate dog shit!”. I don’t want to be known for that. In 2017, I decided to stop my bullshit and make sure my music would come first. And it changed everything.

How so?

Now, I can be silly and fun again. I’d rather have people think I’m the super talented guy who cracks a joke than the hilarious guy who makes music.

It seems that Mr. Me Too by Pharrell Williams and Clipse — the cult rap band from the 2000s with Pusha T and No Macile — is your new favorite song. Tell us more.

I was 14 when the song was released. It was the start of YouTube, of videos showing skaters flying flat on their faces. I would see Pharrell in this music video wearing a yellow XXL T-shirt with all his necklaces… It was amazing! By the way, only a few projects like that were released at that time, and listening to this kind of rap with a hyper minimalist beat that sounded like a Pac-Man bug… it made me love it instantly!

The lyrics address the idea of owning one’s own personality and not following trends…

You’re right. It spoke to me on some unconscious level. Without even thinking about it, I told myself it was flawless. It is still one of my favorite songs today – I will always like it, even if it’s not exactly my favorite one.

You also said that your indie hip-hop track OGAKA, CA is one of your five favorite songs. Why is that, and can you share the other four with us?

New Magic Wand, Sweet/I thought you wanted to dance… But OGAKA, CA is the song I relate to the most – the drums, the beat, the strings, the vocals, and those three minutes where I just play the synth… That song embodies that moment when you look at the sky and see the stars so clearly that you can feel you are part of the cosmos.

The Converse x Golf Le Fleur GLF 2.0 sneakers are available in limited edition on Conserve and Golf Le Fleur websites.

Translated from French by Emma Naroumbo Armaing.