Tyler, The Creator Announces New Album, ‘IGOR’

Tyler, The Creator has a new album on the way.

His upcoming project, titled IGOR, will be released on May 17. It’s the rapper-producer’s sixth full-length (including his 2009 mixtape BASTARD), and the follow-up to 2017’s Flower Boy — likely his best-received album to date, and one that marked a new artistic transition for him towards the sunny and improvisational. So far, we don’t have much information to go on for what IGOR will sound like; the announcement came on Twitter and was accompanied by two album covers. The first looks inspired by Grace Jones, according to some, and the second, designed by Lewis Rossignol, is decidedly more expressionistic. Last week, Tyler dropped two snippets teasing new music, but has yet to release a full song from the album.

Though his last outing was critical success, Tyler has been vocal about what he wants to achieve next. In an August cover story for GQ Style, Tyler revealed that one of the goals for his future albums is radio play.

“I mean, I’ve been trying to get on the radio,” Tyler said. “I haven’t been super successful with that, but that time will come. If it’s not the next album, then it’s the three after that… It’s still a piece of me that not only wants to be on the radio, but it’s probably some 11-year-old in the middle of fucking nowhere who might hear a song, look me up, get introduced to a whole world — and that could change everything he’s into for the rest of his life.”

In 10 days, we’ll see if IGOR is that moment.