Bastard was met with much praise from critics.
Pitchfork called it "a minor masterpiece of
shock art" and one of the first great Odd Future-related projects, noting the thrilling juxtaposition between humorous and hateful lines.
RapReviews praised the innovative production and Tyler's rapping skills but viewed the lyrics as unacceptable, calling the "frequent references to rape ... a deal-breaker". with the single "French!" being ranked at number 61 on their list of "Top 100 Tracks of 2010". The album was later ranked number 118 on
Rolling Stone's 2022 list of "The 200 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time" and number 38 on
Complex's 2018 list of "The 50 Best Rapper Mixtapes".
Bastard, alongside Tyler's second album,
Goblin (2011), caused controversy among members of the
Conservative Party in the United Kingdom, which led to
Theresa May, who was
Home Secretary at the time, imposing a ban on Tyler from entering the country for three to five years. The ban was met with uproar, which was revisited when May became
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Tyler and many of his fans believe the ban was racially motivated, with Tyler stating he felt he was being treated "like a terrorist", and that they did not like the fact that their children were idolizing a black man. The ban was lifted in May 2019. In the album's title track, the first words Tyler says are cursing
2DopeBoyz, NahRight, and other blogs who Tyler viewed as snubbing him early in his career. After several attacks on different tracks in the following years, 2DopeBoyz founders Joel Zela and Meka Udoh addressed Tyler's comments in a February 17, 2011, post, claiming they weren't even aware of him as an artist until he started insulting them in interviews and on tracks. They said they never received music from Tyler or Odd Future and they would not work with him in the future, calling Tyler's outrage a marketing ploy. == Track listing ==