One half of Tegan and Sara takes aim at Odd Future’s Tyler, the Creator
Looks like we’ve got an old-fashioned Twitter fight on our hands, this time between a Canadian indie rock darling and hip hop’s weirdest up-and-comer. On the heels of last night’s sold-out show at the Phoenix, Odd Future’s outspoken pseudo front man, Tyler, the Creator, finds himself once again at the centre of controversy—this time drawing the ire of Sara Quin, one half of Tegan and Sara.
Quin has penned a letter attacking the lyrical content on Tyler, the Creator’s latest album, Goblin:
When will misogynistic and homophobic ranting and raving result in meaningful repercussions in the entertainment industry? When will they be treated with the same seriousness as racist and anti-Semitic offenses? While an artist who can barely get a sentence fragment out without using homophobic slurs is celebrated on the cover of every magazine, blog and newspaper, I’m disheartened that any self-respecting human being could stand in support with a message so vile.
As journalists and colleagues defend, excuse and congratulate ‘Tyler, the Creator,’ I find it impossible not to comment. In any other industry would I be expected to tolerate, overlook and find deeper meaning in this kid’s sickening rhetoric? Why should I care about this music or its “brilliance” when the message is so repulsive and irresponsible?
This is hardly the first time Tyler has had to respond to criticism over his often appalling and always controversial lyrics. Yet this attack is different, coming as it does from a fellow musician (although don’t tell Quin we put her in the same category as these guys). We’d be remiss if we didn’t point out the similarities between this debate and Tipper Gore’s Parents Music Resource Center controversy from the mid-’80s, which brought the issue of censorship to the forefront and resulted in this being slapped across millions of album covers. Tyler, the Creator, for his part, has responded to Quin’s criticisms via Twitter in a response that, it’s safe to say, will likely reinforce your position on either side of the debate.
