Flower Boy

## Covers

Main Flower Boy CoverFlower Boy's alternate cover
## Background And Recording

With *Flower Boy*, Tyler decided to take a more personal approach compared to his previous album, *Cherry Bomb*, stating "For *Cherry Bomb* I purposely was like, I don't want to get personal at all. Like, I'm just going to make songs. And in this one I was like alright, let me write down every feeling". Tyler felt that the general response to *Cherry Bomb* was poor and he wanted to deliver an album that succeeded it well. The official title was originally thought to be *Scum Fuck Flower Boy* but was later confirmed simply as *Flower Boy* shortly prior to release. Tyler noted the works of Max Martin, Pharrell Williams and Justin Timberlake as musical inspirations for the album.

Recording began in late 2015. Like previous releases, the album was produced by Tyler himself. He decided to keep his rap verses short and to-the-point to give guest artists and instrumentation more of a focal point. Many songs on the album featured guitar playing by Austin Feinstein. The beat used on the song "I Ain't Got Time!" was initially made for Kanye West during recording sessions for West's seventh studio album *The Life of Pablo*. After West declined it, the beat was sent to rapper Nicki Minaj who, after a month, also turned it down. "Glitter" was written for Justin Bieber; Tyler kept it after Bieber did not return any of his calls. "See You Again" was written for former One Direction member Zayn Malik but was later kept after Malik rejected the song twice. "Who Dat Boy" was rejected by rapper Schoolboy Q.

## Critical Reception

*Flower Boy* was met with widespread critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 84, based on 18 reviews. Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 7.9 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.

Andy Kellman of AllMusic gave a positive review, stating "While most of these songs are rife with anxiety and isolation, the open-hearted lyricism and wide-scoped productions, put together by an artist in peak form, make them immensely engrossing. Frank Ocean, Pharrell Williams, Kali Uchis, Syd, and Estelle are among 11 supporting cast members, not one of whom is inessential to the whole". *Flower Boy* was named "Best New Music" by *Pitchfork*, with reviewer Sheldon Pearce writing, "Tyler's most sincere and most accomplished album, he gets to the essence of what he's been chiseling at: the angst of a missed connection, the pain of unrequited love, and navigating youthful ennui". In his review, Andy Gill of *The Independent* states, "*Flower Boy* presents a surprisingly sensitive, thoughtful, even pleasant personality". Jesse Fairfax of *HipHopDX* stated, "Clocking in at 47 minutes, the album is both Tyler, the Creator's shortest and most cohesive album to date and is full of introspective admissions that logically line up with his public character". Renato Pagnani of *The A.V. Club* said, "*Flower Boy* is the first time he's been equally as forthcoming in his actual music. His flow has tightened up, and for a man whose voice basically destined him for rap stardom, he's become even better at stretching his booming baritone into novel shapes, employing a plethora of flows". Scott Glaysher of *XXL* praised the album saying, "These days, there aren't many rap albums that can service as a deeply digested work of art as well as music for easy listening, yet Tyler, The Creator fills both lanes well. He manages to find the happy medium on *Flower Boy* and translates it to his best album yet".

Jamie Milton of *NME* wrote that the album is "Backed by a supporting cast of R&B superstars and bright newcomers, it's a record of long, lazy summers; sitting back and staring at the clouds". Lewis Lister of *Clash* said, "Previously it felt like as though these two sides have been difficult to reconcile on record; the abrasive would often be at odds with the tranquil, particularly on last studio album *Cherry Bomb*. On *Flower Boy*, though, Tyler has perfected his marriage of the two". Paul Lester of *The Guardian* wrote: "If anything, *Flower Boy* captures Tyler at his least tormented and twisted; it is an album of exquisitely arranged, melodious synth-rap, wistful and reflective, heavy on the heavenly. It's not all dreamy—watch out for the occasional profane pothole—but largely this is the work of an evolved artist and mature person." Austin Reed of *Pretty Much Amazing* said, "*Flower Boy* has elevated Tyler closer to the line. An unexpected move to be sure, but no less impressive whatsoever". In a mixed review, *Consequence*'s Kelly McClure stated: "It's more of the same. It seems to be needing something more. An extra spark of interest." In September 2022, *Consequence* regretted the review, with Eddie Fu stating: "*Flower Boy* represented musical growth characterized by its embrace of neo soul and jazz. Even then, it was apparent that the LP was a major leap in Tyler's career."