Igor (album)

Work on the album began in 2017, with Tyler, the Creator initially writing the song "Earfquake" for Canadian singer Justin Bieber and Barbadian singer Rihanna, both of whom turned down the song. The song "I Think" was recorded in Lake Como, Italy, with the help of American singer Solange. Tyler wrote "Running Out of Time" during a recording session with American rapper ASAP Ferg. Tyler produced the beat for "Gone, Gone / Thank You" in 2013 while on tour for his third studio album Wolf, choosing to scrap the song from both Cherry Bomb and Flower Boy as he felt it didn't fit either of those albums. In October 2018, Tyler previewed the song "Running Out of Time" for an interview with Fast Company. On April 26, 2019, a supplemental financial report from Sony revealed that a new album from Tyler was expected by the end of June. In early May 2019, Tyler released snippets for the tracks "Igor's Theme" and "What's Good". The album was first announced by Tyler through his social media accounts on May 6, 2019. == Composition and lyrics ==

Rolling Stone writer Danny Schwartz described Igor as a "rich and messy mélange of R&B, funk and rap". The album is synth-heavy, with neo soul melodies and low-mixed vocals. The album follows a narrative of a love triangle where Tyler is in love with a man who is already dating another person. American comedian Jerrod Carmichael serves as the album's narrator as it progresses, speaking short lines to make sense of Tyler's and the title character Igor's state of mind. Carmichael first appears on the album's fourth track "Exactly What You Run from You End Up Chasing". Tyler declares his love for a former partner and regrets dating someone else in "New Magic Wand"; he further details his relationship in "A Boy Is a Gun", where he describes his intimate life. "Gone, Gone / Thank You", "I Don't Love You Anymore", and "Are We Still Friends?" go over Tyler's breakup and its aftermath. == Promotion ==

A music video for the song "Earfquake" was released alongside the album's release on May 17, 2019. It was sent to rhythmic contemporary radio on June 4, 2019, as the album's lead single in the United States. On June 3, 2019, Tyler announced his forthcoming tour for the album, which was supported by Jaden Smith, Blood Orange, and GoldLink. A short clip of the album's seventh track, entitled "A Boy is a Gun*", was released on May 13, 2019. The full music video for the song was released on September 16, 2019. On October 24, 2019, a music video was released for the album's third track, "I Think". Apple Music released the video album Apple Music Presents: Tyler, the Creator on August 14, 2019. The video album is a collection of eleven videos recorded from Tyler's first live performance of Igor, performed in May 2019. == Critical reception ==

Igor 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 81, based on 18 reviews. In a similarly measured review, Dean Van Nguyen of The Guardian appreciated the album's ingenuity but felt it lacked the memorable qualities of Tyler's past work, ultimately calling IGOR a "fine showcase of ingenuity" that doesn't always linger in the listener's mind. Nguyen additionally criticized the lack of Tyler's production, rapping, and the "raw, uncompromising humanity" present in his work. ==Accolades==

Industry awards == Commercial performance ==

Igor debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with 165,000 album-equivalent units, of which 74,000 were pure album sales. It was Tyler's first US number-one album. It has been certified two-times platinum in the United States, New Zealand, Norway, and Poland; == Track listing ==

Notes • All tracks are stylized in all caps. • "Exactly What You Run From You End Up Chasing" is added to the end of "Boyfriend" on physical releases. • "A Boy Is a Gun" is stylized as "A Boy Is a Gun*". Samples • "Igor's Theme" incorporates uncredited elements of "Attention", performed by Head West. • "I Think" incorporates elements of "Get Down", written and composed by Bodiono Nkono Télesphore, and performed by Nkono Teles; and "Special Lady", written and performed by Bibi Mascel. • "Running Out of Time" contains samples of "Hit It Run", performed by Run-DMC. • "New Magic Wand" incorporates elements of "Vsichni Praznj", written and performed by Siluetes 61. • "A Boy Is a Gun" contains excerpts from "Bound", written by Bobby Dukes, Bobby Massey, and Lester Allen McKenzie, and performed by Ponderosa Twins Plus One. • "Puppet" incorporates elements of "Today", written by Mick Ware and performed by Czar; and contains excerpts from "It's Alright With Me", written by David Smith and performed by Part Time. • "Gone, Gone / Thank You" contains excerpts from "Hey Girl", written and performed by Cullen Omori; and interpolations from "Fragile", written by Alan O'Day and Tatsuro Yamashita, and performed by Yamashita. • "Are We Still Friends?" contains excerpts from "Dream", written and performed by Al Green. • "Boyfriend" contains excerpts from "Fluid", written by John Charles Alder and performed by Twink. == Personnel ==

Credits adapted from liner notes. Musicians • Tyler Okonma – lead vocals, production, arrangement • Lil Uzi Vert – vocals (track 1) • Playboi Carti – rap verse (track 2) • Solange – vocals (track 3), background vocals (tracks 7, 11) • Jerrod Carmichael – vocals (track 4), additional vocals (tracks 6, 8–10, "Boyfriend") • Kanye West – rap verse (track 8) • Anthony Evans – background vocals (tracks 1, 3, 10) • Amanda Brown – background vocals (tracks 1, 3, 10) • Tiffany Stevenson – background vocals (tracks 1, 3, 10) • Charlie Wilson – background vocals (tracks 2, 11, "Boyfriend") • Jessy Wilson – background vocals (tracks 2, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11) • Ryan Beatty – background vocals (track 3) • Santigold – background vocals (tracks 4, 6, 8, "Boyfriend") • CeeLo Green – background vocals (track 10) • La Roux – background vocals (track 10) • Pharrell Williams – background vocals (track 12) • Slowthai – additional vocals (track 9) • Kevin Kendricks – keyboards (track 3), additional keyboards (track 7), chimes (track 8) • Jack White Technical • Vic Wainstein – recording (tracks 1–3, 5–12) • Tyler Okonma – recording (tracks 1–3, 5–9, 11) • Kingston Callaway – recording (track 10) • John Armstrong – recording assistance (track 1) • Ben Fletcher – recording assistance (track 1) • Rob Bisel – recording assistance (tracks 1, 3, 9) • Ashley Jacobson – recording assistance (track 2) • Thomas Cullison – recording assistance (tracks 2, 10) • Josh Sellers – recording assistance (tracks 5, 6) • Derrick Jenner – recording assistance (track 7) • Neal H Pogue – mixing • Zachary Acosta – mix assistance • MeMiceElfani – mix assistance • Mike Bozzi – mastering ==Charts==

Weekly charts Year-end charts ==Certifications and sales==