From Christmas Past to Christmas Future: The redemption of Tyler, The Creator
It’s that time of year: snow is falling, A Charlie Brown Christmas airs on the TV, and cities are lit up with holiday cheer. It seems that the entire world is taking a break to celebrate with their families in whatever way possible; whether that be seeing a movie, reading classic tales, or dusting off the Christmas vinyls and placing them under the needle. One of the most popular Christmas movies this season is the animated version of The Grinch, which was released on November 9, 2018, almost 20 years after the hugely successful live-action version starring Jim Carrey.
What sets 2018’s The Grinch apart from most Christmas movies is primarily the music used in it; Tyler, The Creator, a rapper known for his aggressive yet honest songs, was hired to create its soundtrack, which includes the song “BOOGIE” by rap group Brockhampton and “Christmas Is” by 90’s rap group Run D.M.C. Furthermore, Tyler wrote his own rendition of “You’re A Mean One Mr. Grinch” complete with the sounds of whips, a memorable minor beat, and a children’s choir — it’s hauntingly catchy and absolutely perfect for the film. When asked about his approach to creating the soundtrack, Tyler said that he wanted to make music that was not “too xmasy” and that both “seven year olds” and “parents” should be able to enjoy, according to his Twitter.
But the rapper has a somewhat complicated relationship with Christmas. Tyler released his debut mixtape, Bastard, on Christmas Day in 2009, and he was arrested at the group Odd Future’s Christmas show in 2011 for destroying equipment. In addition to these events, he furthermore penned songs called “Fuck Santa” and “Fuck This Christmas”, thus The Grinch’s producers’ decision to hire the rapper for their soundtrack was unconventional, to say the least.
Tyler, The Creator’s relationship with Christmas is much like that of Scrooge in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol: a grumpy, cynical man who learns that it is never too late to redeem himself. When he first came on the music scene in 2007 as a member of the group Odd Future, Tyler was known as the angry bad boy next to the likes of Earl Sweatshirt and Frank Ocean (both of whom rap and sing about emotional experiences they’ve had regarding their childhoods and past relationships). Tyler was arrested multiple times for inciting riots and ruining equipment in addition to his explicit lyrics; on his song “Yonkers”, he raps “I’ll crash that fucking airplane that that f-ggot n-gga B.o.B is in/And stab Bruno Mars in his goddamn esophagus/And won’t stop until the cops come in”. Needless to say, Tyler, The Creator was probably on Santa’s naughty list.
Last year, however, he seemed to change his course of action. He took to Twitter to announce that he is gay and subsequently released an emotional, singing-rather-than-rap-based album titled Flower Boy. On the album he discusses coming to terms with his sexuality and boasts profound lyrics such as, “I hope you look both ways when you cross my mind”. It seems he has grown out of his rebellious phase and has flourished into a confident, honest role model — one that is suitable enough to be included in a children’s movie.
While it remains unclear whether any ghosts of Christmas past, present, or future paid the rapper a visit in order to change his behavior, it is indisputable that the rapper can relate to Dr. Seuss’s character the Grinch. Tyler, The Creator’s Twitter is notably aggressive (much like his raps), yet it also shows where his heart is, boasting all-caps tweets such as, “IF YOU’RE GONNA GO TO SCHOOL AT LEAST MAJOR IN SOMETHING YOU ACTUALLY GIVE A FUCK ABOUT AND LOVE NOT SOME SHIT THAT MAKES THE MOST MONEY”. Both Tyler and the Grinch make notable points in their frustrations with society — the Grinch feels ignored and “other-ed” by Whoville while Tyler, The Creator explicitly and violently points out stupidities within our current culture.
It may be difficult for some parents to accept Tyler, The Creator’s role in the children’s film; after all, for a while he was seen as the Antichrist with his excessive use of the word “f-ggot” and rapping about dismembering bodies. But isn’t the point of Christmas to believe that people can change for the better? If anything, now is the perfect time for the rapper to redeem himself, and we should let him. In 1843, Charles Dickens redefined the spirit of Christmas for the world with A Christmas Carol, and the story would not have hit home had Scrooge not realized his need for change. Imperfect people are still worthy of love and personal growth is possible, if not more so during the Christmas season. And with that, I wish everyone, including Tyler, The Creator, a merry Christmas and a happy new year.
