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Chicago Tribune
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Review: Tyler, the Creator's mid-concert break to show off his albums was unexpected. But that's Tyler.
Tyler, the Creator got comfortable Monday at the first of a two-night stand at a packed United Center. He sat down, unlaced his shoes and slipped them off. He sprawled on a chaise, had a snack and sympathetically complained about body aches that greet people in their mid-30s. He made a B-stage on the floor his own domain — a personal den complete with an old-school hi-fi. The rapper-songwriter held court there for about 40 minutes, acting as if he'd been transported to his house. The sequence included instances of lethargy in which Tyler just walked around and mimed the words to his own music as it aired over the venue's PA system. Underlining the meta sensation? On multiple occasions, Tyler flipped through a crate of vinyl, pulled one of his own LPs out of the jacket, placed it on a turntable and dropped the needle. What could have worked as a clever, original concept instead begged the question as to whether the production functioned as part of a concert or a self-promotional listening interlude in a reconstructed living room. There, the skills Tyler demonstrated on the main stage and a suspended catwalk to open and close the erratic 95-minute show faded, with the rapper content to ignore the microphone and admire fans singing along as the tracks played. His truncation of songs to nearly unrecognizable snippets added to the tossed-off vibe. Not that Tyler otherwise hurt for sincerity or personality. Quite the opposite. He serenaded a fan with an impromptu R-rated version of 'Happy Birthday,' gushed over the fact that parents brought their kids to the concert and projected a wavering confidence in favor of bulletproof braggadocio. Though he apparently needs a primer on how to properly handle an LP (lesson No. 1: never grab the surface with your thumb), the California native's analog-themed sessions prompted him to open up about other albums visible in his collection. Vital albums such as Stevie Wonder's 'Innervisions,' Erykah Badu's 'Baduizm,' N.E.R.D.'s 'In Search of…' and Outkast's 'Stankonia.' Tyler noted how they impacted him and formed parts of his DNA, then encouraged his followers to check them out — a welcome history lesson given much of today's content gets programmed by an algorithm. Sure, it might've been a hoot if he pretended to spin a sample of the Burt Bacharach record stashed in his collection for the youthful crowd, but perhaps that would be asking too much. Then again, Tyler remains beloved for doing the unexpected. Since co-founding the controversial collective Odd Future in the late aughts, he has evolved from a vulgar teenager into a 34-year-old multi-hyphenate whose horizons stretch beyond the hip hop landscape with which he's associated. Forays into fashion, production and acting further located him at the center of a stylistic universe that attracts attention due to the way it surprises, mutates and challenges. Though many musicians hype nearly everything they devise as an important statement, Tyler regularly follows through on that pledge. Not that he should be excused for past controversies involving misogynistic and homophobic statements. Chalk them up to youth? Maybe. Whatever the reason for the shift, Tyler emerged in the past decade as a capital 'S' Serious Artist. His decision to write and produce a great majority of his material helps set him apart in the field. As does his ongoing streak of commercial and critical success. After his 2017 LP 'Flower Boy' netted a Grammy nomination, the subsequent 'Igor' (2019) and 'Call Me If You Get Lost' (2021) both earned the nod for Best Rap Album. Released last October, 'Chromakopia' charted as his third consecutive No. 1 effort. Nearly a year removed from a canceled headlining appearance at last summer's Lollapalooza, and a month before his planned July 31st appearance there this season, Tyler exhibited a manic level of energy that will doubtlessly resonate among hordes of festival goers. Whether dressed as his newest alter-ego, Saint Chroma — alien-green soldier uniform with large shoulder pads, white gloves, face mask and Amasunzu-influenced hair style — or adorned in a T-shirt and baseball cap, the entertainer born Tyler Okonma put on a clinic of physical motion. If a groove invited a dance, the odder the step the better, Tyler obliged. His waist pointed him in a direction and the rest of his body followed. Exaggerated slow-motion creeping. Staggered shuffling. Backwards slouching. Reverse moonwalking. Crouched hopping. His feet played games of speed chess, his knees contorted, his elbows threw angular jabs and swung open like the jagged blade of a pocket knife. He resembled an animated cartoon, his flexible limbs and swiveling head a blur of wiry circles and patterns attached at a central junction. All effective visual manners to convey the feelings of paranoia, uncertainty and mistrust chronicled on dynamic works such as 'Noid' and 'Darling, I,' and complement probing narratives that transpired in a dark atmosphere illuminated by strobe lights, pyrotechnics and flames. Save for one tune, Tyler performed 'Chromakopia' in its entirety, going so far as to heed the advice of the daring 'Take Your Mask Off' by removing his face covering. Smart cues and conflicted self-consciousness aside, Tyler shortchanged the multifaceted sonic architecture of his arrangements by playing to recorded backing tracks rather than with a live band. A competent rapper, passable singer and horror film-schooled screamer, he frequently sounded as if he was dropping his voice over static instrumental and backing-vocal passages divorced from the cohesive whole. Too bad. An array of textural jazz, R&B, synthpop and funk elements stayed buried in the mix. Amid staging constructed to resemble metal shipping containers, low frequencies rattled and vibrated, couching his club-ready material in the equivalent of a booming warehouse. Exploring contradictions as he burrowed into questions of identity and truth, Tyler veered from aggressive to docile, sometimes within the same song. He embraced freedom and freakiness (the melodic 'Judge Judy'), embraced his natural heritage and damned societal expectations (the nuanced 'I Killed You') and celebrated his aptitude as he rained cash down on the audience (the aptly titled 'Sticky'). On the murderous fantasy 'New Magic Wand,' Tyler snapped and exploded into violent rages, his eyes wild and distorted voice in the red — the same color as the song's tone and temperature. Anger and disdain also coursed through a defiant 'Thought I Was Dead.' The rapper escalated the tension by exhibiting superb control, manipulating the pace and delivering the final verse a cappella. For all the hyperactivity, anxiety and flirtations with villainy, Tyler shared calm moments streaked with raw vulnerability. Treading ground situated between balladic soul and piano-laden chamber pop, he crooned and cried. Echoing his shout-outs to fallen legends Roy Ayers, Angie Stone and Roberta Flack, he raised his voice to a near-falsetto pitch on the kaleidoscopic 'Like Him' and discovered something akin to relief on the wispy 'Balloon.' 'I just need this time to myself to figure me out,' Tyler spat early in the show. As he would probably admit, that process is very messy and complicated. Still a work in from the United Center on June 30: 'St. Chroma' 'Rah Tah Tah' 'Noid' 'Darling, I' 'I Killed You' 'Judge Judy' 'Sticky' 'Take Your Mask Off' 'Tomorrow' 'Earfquake' 'A Boy Is a Gun*' and 'Thank You' medley 'I Think' 'Yonkers' 'Tamale' 'Rusty' 'IFHY' 'Lumberjack' 'Dogtooth' 'Sorry Not Sorry' 'Who Dat Boy' 'Wusyaname' 'Thought I Was Dead' 'Like Him' 'See You Again' 'New Magic Wand' 'Balloon' 'I Hope You Find Your Way Home'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Watch Tasman Keith Go In On Outkast's ‘B.O.B.' For NAIDOC Week ‘Like A Version'
Tasman Keith has made his debut on triple j's flagship segment Like A Version, covering Outkast's 'B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad)'. The Gumbaynggirr rapper was joined in the ABC Studios by his longtime musical director Nikos Haropoulos-Smallman, as well as a full live band and four backing vocalists – one of whom was his brother, Sammy Jarrett (AKA Kapital J). Keith, donning coloured contacts and with a black, yellow and red scarf wrapped around his mic stand, blended André 3000's original opening verse with his own lyrics during the cover, while keeping the song's original chorus. The performance also, notably, saw percussionist and fellow Gumbaynggirr man River Langford wearing a t-shirt expressing Indigenous solidarity with the people of Palestine. Earlier this week, former ABC journalist Antoinette Latouf won her unfair dismissal case against the broadcaster, following her contract being terminated last year on account of supporting Palestinian liberation. 'I grew up always loving this song,' said Keith in a post-performance interview. 'It was always on the list for if I ever did Like A Version. For me, with a lot going on right now here and everywhere, it just felt like what I needed and what I wanted to say. Also, to be able to pen a verse after an Andre 3000 verse is a challenge, and so I wanted to take that on.' The cover can be viewed below. Keith's appearance on the segment comes ahead of this year's NAIDOC Week, which commences on July 6th. 2025 sees the week-long celebration of Indigenous people within Australia celebrate its 50th anniversary. This year's theme is 'The Next Generation: Strength, Vision And Legacy'. More information on NAIDOC Week for 2025, including events and award finalists, can be found here. Previous performers for Like A Version around NAIDOC Week include Gumbaynggirr Bundjalung singer-songwriter Jem Cassar-Daley, who covered Gwen Stefani's 'The Sweet Escape', as well as the late Archie Roach, who performed a Bob Marley medley in one of his final performances. In addition to performing the cover, Keith also performed his recently released single '70 Somethin'. Released on Wednesday (June 25th), the introspective ballad sees Keith reflect on the lives of his uncle and father, and openly ponders whether he would have met a different fate were he born in the same generation as them. Keith's stripped-back performance of the song can be viewed below. 'B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad)' was originally released in September 2000, when Keith was four years old. It served as the lead single to the Atlanta duo's fourth studio album Stankonia, which also featured the group's mainstream breakthrough hit 'Ms. Jackson'. Although the song was not a major commercial success upon its initial release, the ensuing 25 years have seen it develop a reputation as one of the era's most culturally significant songs. Both Rolling Stone and Pitchfork featured the song in their respective lists of the best songs of the 2000s, with the latter ranking it number one. Tasman Keith Releases New Single 'LEFT RIGHT' – 'I Just Feel this Country is Ready to Hear It' triple j Announces 'Hottest 100 Of Australian Songs' For 50th Anniversary Watch The Amity Affliction Take On Turnstile For Their First Ever 'Like A Version' The post Watch Tasman Keith Go In On Outkast's 'B.O.B.' For NAIDOC Week 'Like A Version' appeared first on Music Feeds.
ABC News
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Behind Tasman Keith's cover of Outkast 'B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad)' for Like A Version
The seminal hip-hop track from Atlanta's slickest duo Outkast was always on the Like A Version dream list for Tasman Keith, he just needed the right moment to unleash it. "For me, just with a lot going on right now here and everywhere, it just felt like what I needed and what I wanted to say in the moment," he said. "And also to be able to pen a verse after an Andre 3000 verse is a challenge, and I wanted to take that on." Not only did he body his verse, creating bars that would make Three Stacks himself proud, Tasman was able to weave in his own history, perspective and truth into an already-powerful song. "Speak on, you know, freedom of my people, freedom of all people," he said. "Really putting us at the forefront. The favourite line of the band was the 'Weetbix and powdered milk' bar, when I brought that to rehearsal it was like 'yeah, that's the one'." Tasman aimed to represent mob from a broad range of areas with his performance, joining together performers from Gadigal, Gamillaraay and his own mob, the Gumbaynggirr people. "For me, I'm from regional Australia," he said. "So I wanted to bring regional mob to city mob and have us share this moment together. Yeah it was special." Posted 42m ago 42 minutes ago Thu 26 Jun 2025 at 10:30pm
ABC News
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Tasman Keith covers Outkast 'B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad)' for Like A Version
What's cooler than being cool? Tasman Keith running it up on a stone-cold Outkast classic in the Like A Version studio. From Atlanta to the streets of Eora, the Gumbaynggirr man brought his own powerful spin on the alternative hip-hop duo's iconic 2000 hit, 'B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad)'. "I grew up loving this song and it was always in the list for when I would do Like A Version," he said. "For me, just with a lot going on right now here and everywhere, it just felt like what I needed and what I wanted to say in the moment. And also to be able to pen a verse after an Andre 3000 verse is a challenge, and I wanted to take that on." After starting with Andre's flow, Tasman took it in his own direction where he spat venom on things that were more intimate and personal to him. "Speak on, you know, freedom of my people, freedom of all people," he said. "Really putting us at the forefront. The favourite line of the band was the 'Weetbix and powdered milk' bar, when I brought that to rehearsal it was like 'yeah, that's the one'." Run it back and check out more from Tasman Keith's debut in the Like A Version stuido below. Behind Tasman Keith's cover of Outkast 'B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad)' for Like A Version Tasman Keith - '70 Somethin'' (live for Like A Version) Posted 39m ago 39 minutes ago Thu 26 Jun 2025 at 10:30pm
Washington Post
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
The musical world that Sly Stone made for us still spins
Not even in a world this big, bad, beautiful, wonderful, horrible, overstimulated and hyperbolic can we begin to overstate the importance of Sly Stone. His death on Monday at 82 feels too enormous, too unwieldy for whatever tools we have to measure it. He's one in a tiny handful of 20th-century visionaries who created the musical reality we've lived in ever since, standing shoulder to shoulder with his peer influences (the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, all of Motown) and the star students he inspired (Parliament-Funkadelic, Prince, Janet Jackson, Outkast, all of hip-hop, all of everything). Pop's utopian impulse might not begin with him, at least not in a tidy, big bang way, but it doesn't grow so vast — so quickly — without the immensity of his imagination. When we grieve Sly Stone, we grieve a sense of what's possible in all music.
