Wolf

## Covers

The main Wolf coverThe first Wolf Alternate coverThe second Wolf Alternate cover, this one is mainly used by streaming services
## Background

Tyler's two prior projects, *Bastard* and *Goblin*, contained lyrics and themes commonly used in the horrorcore subgenre, which Tyler claimed to not be part of. In November 2011, in an interview with *Spin*, Tyler expressed wanting to shift away from the themes of his previous work, 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.
>
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## Critical Reception

*Wolf* was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 70, based on 31 reviews. Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 6.9 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.

Craig Jenkins of *Pitchfork* said, "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". Jeremy D. Larson of *Consequence* said, "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". David Jeffries of AllMusic said, "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". 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".

*Slant Magazine*'s Jesse Cataldo 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". Martín Caballero of *The Boston Globe* said, "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*". Eric Diep of *XXL* said, "*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".

David Amidon of *PopMatters* said, "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". 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". Chris Kelly of *Fact* said, "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".