From threatening Bruno Mars on tracks, to a cold war beef with DJ Khaled, Tyler the Creator’s journey from edgy teen rap nerd with a cult following to full-on stardom has been more than a decade in the making. His career spans 13 projects (including his work with Odd Future), and nearly 20 years when adding in the first tracks recorded for those indie OF Tapes. But recently, he considered calling it quits.
On October 28th, the 1-year anniversary of CHROMAKOPIA’s release, Tyler dropped a lengthy IG post explaining the album’s inception, intent, and his thoughts on leaving the game behind for good. He also dropped a deluxe version of the project, featuring the song “Mother”, which he calls the “grounding piece of the album.”
That said, Tyler is still outside doing his thing as one of the highest-selling artists on the planet, with a massive fanbase that cares about his every move. Let’s take a look at what he was up to before he almost called it quits, what he’s doing at the moment, and his plans for the near future.
Tyler, The Creator’s Run Since ‘Flower Boy’
Around the time of his 5th album, Flower Boy, Tyler’s artistic growth started becoming impossible to ignore—so much so, that the project got a nod for Best Rap Album at the 2018 Grammy Awards. From that point on, he’s done nothing but go harder than ever, trying to outdo himself again and again.
Fresh off that Grammy nomination, Tyler did his big one with 2019’s Igor. The single, “Earfquake” (ft. Playboi Carti), was a hit and nearly cracked the Billboard Top 10. That heater propelled Tyler to his first #1 album on the Billboard 200, with 165k first week sales. And rather than just a nod, he went home with Best Rap Album at the 2020 Grammy Awards. While a win is a win, Tyler reasonably felt like the album was unfairly boxed into the “rap” category.
Since then, all of his work has followed suit: bigger, better, and bolder. Call Me If You Get Lost (2021) actually saw Tyler lean heavily into his rap bag, tapping DJ Drama to host the album—much like a mixtape you would have grabbed off Datpiff back in 2010. Another Grammy win, a massive tour, what more could he do?
In 2024, Tyler entered yet another era, releasing his biggest album yet, CHROMAKOPIA. It sold just shy of 300k units in its first week, leading to another #1 Billboard album. But more interestingly, CHROMAKOPIA is easily Tyler’s most vulnerable album, delving deep into subject matter he had only paddled through before.
“I approached it more like a diary. Things I touched on before, things I haven’t,” he said in the previously mentioned IG post. After revealing so much of his life and perspective in the album, it’s understandable that he might have wanted some time to live life and reflect. However, in the weeks leading up to this post, his name was trending for other reasons.
Recent Tyler, the Creator Controversy
Controversy is nothing new to Tyler—his career was damn near born from it. Let’s run down a quick list: he was banned from New Zealand in 2014 for “inciting a riot” during one of his concerts; there were (loud) rumors that Frank Ocean would perform at 2019’s Camp Flog Gnaw—and Tyler didn’t clear them up at all, but instead brought out Drake, who was promptly booed off stage. Any possible way to end up in headlines, Tyler’s been part of it, and brushed it all off with ease.
However, some of the criticisms sent his way lately have come from a place of genuine concern and reason—while, of course, some of it is just the internet wanting a win. After the tragic passing of Black Music legend D’Angelo in October 2025, Tyler showed an outpouring of adoration for the music and legacy he left behind.
Unfortunately, a portion of Tyler’s fanbase, used his posts as an opportunity to make “jokes” about Black music and display their distaste for certain facets of Black culture. The controversial part? People that have been around to see Tyler’s career from the jump feel like his early antics and outlook directly contributed to the views of his current fanbase.
On the other hand, some people acknowledged Tyler’s growth, and feel like his fanbase not doing the same isn’t his responsibility. In true Tyler fashion, he hasn’t addressed the current situation directly, but he has spoken on it in the music on multiple occasions (such as the lyrics to “MANIFESTO”:
“I came a long way from my past, n*gga, that’s obvious/V12 engine, I’m fishtailin’ on some sloppy sh*t
Internet bringin’ old lyrics up like I hide the sh*t/What’s your address? I could probably send you a copy, b*tch”
His tendency to cover these topics through the music, rather than posting, can be seen in tracks on CHROMAKOPIA as well. That said, how the newest wave of these conversations will impact his music—if at all—is yet to be seen.
Tyler, the Creator’s Current Focus and Next Moves
Though he did truly consider stepping away from music, his love for “making stuff” kept him active. In July 2025, less than a year after dropping CHROMAKOPIA, he released another album—Don’t Tap The Glass. While CHROMAKOPIA tackled some serious subjects and had layers and depth, Tyler approached this album as something to catch a groove to.
So, it’s obvious he’s not done with music. Alongside that, he still has his Golf Wang fashion line and is always heavily involved with the conception of the products. From its launch way back in 2011 to today, it has evolved from casual skate tees to luxury fits, all thanks to Tyler’s eclectic taste. The brand even got a Louis Vuitton collab in SS24, fully establishing Tyler as a fashion powerhouse going forward.
Also mentioned in his revealing, detailed post about where he is right now, is the fact that he’s taking the acting route seriously. We’ll be catching him on screens later this year in Marty Supreme, where he stars alongside Timothee Chalamet, slated for release on Christmas 2025.
While CHROMAKOPIA could’ve been the end of his music career, it looks like Tyler still has a lot more creativity to offer, and we’ll just have to keep up with what the polarizing superstar has up his sleeve next.
