Welcome to the 24th insertion of DEMUR®, an analytical series highlighting the intricacies of the artistic world and the minutiae lying within. In this episode we’ll engulf ourselves in the harrowing undertones of Tyler, The Creator’s - Yonkers, a track so disturbing even Kanye West was jealous.
Tyler Okonma, publicly known as Tyler, The Creator, is an American rapper from Ladera Heights, California. The year was 2011 and the 19 year old creative had seen little success in his short lived musical career. Co-founding what is now recognized as the rap group ensemble Golf Wang just four years prior, Tyler had released two albums to date.
His sound was anything but refined, however his raw edge and disregard for normality was unique. A small buzz had begun circulating after the release of his first solo album Bastard but nothing could prepare the teen for what was to come.
Releasing “Yonkers” on February 10, 2019, the radical music video paired seamlessly with his ferocious, gripping lyrics and assertive tone. Filmed in a black and white monochrome, the opening scene sits Tyler’s silhouette in frame, rising as the jarring base line hits. He begins lip syncing while bringing a cockroach into view, juggling it between hands delicately. The camera comes in and out of focus, bringing to attention lettering which reads “kiLL” .
His expression fluent yet twisted, Tyler makes eye contact with the audience before biting the roach’s head off and proceeding to vomit (in silhouette) on the floor. The next verse starts as a noose falls into frame, his eyes black. Tyler, The Creator hangs himself, struggling momentarily as the video ends.
He executed his vision with precision, enlisting director Anthony Mandler to do so. Mandler cited that Okonma came to him “with six lines”. Tyler explained, “I’m sitting on a chair rapping, I’m playing with a bug, I eat it, I throw it up, my eyes go black, and I hang myself.” He did so with ease, credited as Kanye West’s “Video of 2011”, despite being “a fucking joke.” Tyler continued “I made that beat in literally eight minutes.”
Yonkers not only catapulted Tyler, The Creator’s career to new heights, but revived performance art on his own terms.