Written By: Alex Mack
Preface
At 29 years of age, Tyler the Creator has proven to be one of the most dynamic artists, marketers and visionaries of any genre. Tyler, for all intent and purpose, has officially distanced himself from his historically bombastic public persona, that was once fueled by teenage-angst and a shock-value aesthetic. Famously in 2015, Tyler was retroactively banned from traveling or performing in Australia, UK, and New Zealand as protestors and politicians cited the lyrically content of his earliest work (2009-2011) refusing to acknowledge the obvious maturation that had taken place since.
In theory, for an artist as niche as Tyler at the time, the ban that was to last 3-5 years could have killed his career and hamper any chance to see out his full artistic transformation. As "Cherry Bomb", his 2015 artistic offering, had been panned by critics and fans alike for the obvious shift in sound and content. Making it a point to elevate the sound, quality and artistry with the succession of each release, Tyler has since seen his ban expire and recaptured much of the critical acclaim and attention of the genre.
Who TF is Baudelaire?
Released on June 25th, Tyler's most recent body of work, "Call Me if You Get Lost", follows a parabolic narrative of a financially well off 'Tyler Baudelaire' getting caught up in a complicated love triangle. Baudelaire, capable of purchasing any luxury or vacation, has to come face to face with the cold hard fact that he can buy all his heart's desires except true love; possibly a thinly veiled depiction of his current life and woes. The creative direction of the album pays homage to the "mixtape-era hip hop" with its recurring cameo's from DJ Drama, gritty lyrics and drums over a lush aesthetic. Ultimately the project could serve as Tyler's final attempt to garner acceptance from the hip hop community that has shunned him for so long.
Anyone familiar with Tyler's multimedia endeavors knows well he has an infatuation with creating new monikers and characters. Often the inspiration can be as random as the man himself, but on my quest to find the origination for the 'Sir Baudelaire' character I couldn't help but feel this character was different. With the assistance of google I found two prevalent instances in pop culture where the name 'Baudelaire' appears...
1) Charles Baudelaire the French poet, essayist and art critic who's historical reputation rests primarily on being the first person to translate Edgar Allen Poe's work to French and his Les Fleurs du mal (1857; The Flowers of Evil) quoted as "perhaps the most important and influential poetry collection published in Europe in the 19th century". Notably Tyler's early work was often criticized as satanic or evil by scholars and activists alike and the album that changed everything for Tyler in 2017 is titled "Flower Boy".
2) The Baudelaire orphans from, 'Series of unfortunate Events' seem to embody some of the visual aesthetics attached to the album and subsequent music videos.